NEW YORK CITY, NY - When residents and other locals tried to stop a wild car meet-up in their Queens neighborhood on Sunday morning, a rowdy mob beat a couple and set a car on fire.
The frightening attack occurred when a bunch of out-of-control drivers made their way to South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, doing donuts and speeding over lawns at 12:30 in the morning, the New York Post reported. "When I came out, I said, 'Bro, you gotta get the f*ck off my property,' and that's when it all started," victim Blake Ferrer said.
Video of the incident shows a group of about a dozen people kicking, punching and stomping on Ferrer, who was left with a broken nose and ribs. His wife was also assaulted by the mob. Ferrer was "lucky he wasn't killed," said disgusted City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood.
Larry Rusch, 59, a local whose car was set on fire by the mob, said it "was a complete melee." Rusch, who owns a security company, said he first heard the reckless drivers performing donuts and rushed outside, where he saw about 40 cars.
He said he parked a company car in the intersection to try to prevent the rogue drivers from continuing their chaos. "As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving," he said. "Then two individuals go up to the car. Somehow they threw some kind of firework or something and lit the car up. Then melee started again."
On X, Paladino posted a video that shows the vehicle in flames as a speeding car circles it. "To say this is a disgrace is an understatement," she said. "They came with their cars and wreaked havoc on this very quiet area of my district."
Another resident of the area said that he had objects thrown at his car when he tried to stop the chaos. Locals said that the area is a hotspot for drivers doing donuts. "I've been living there my whole life," Rusch said. "It happens but not to this extent." On X, Paladino wrote that several armed residents showed extreme restraint, but that "that level of restraint is not guaranteed."
"If the city refuses to do what is necessary, the people might," she warned. Paladino also blasted local law enforcement's response to the melee, revealing that residents who called 911 to report the incident were told that a "quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation," according to Fox News.
"Unacceptable. In fact, these violent street takeovers should be met with the maximum force by the police department," Paladino said. In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said that while the initial responding officer was rerouted to a more serious call, once authorities received word that the incident had been upgraded to a higher priority call, an officer was quickly dispatched to the scene.
"The [precinct] covers a large geographical area, and this was a busy Saturday night," a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. "At the time of the incident in question, other units from the [precinct] were handling multiple priority jobs, including an arrest for an individual who was driving while intoxicated, transporting someone to the hospital, an assault, and a vehicle collision with injuries."
The frightening attack occurred when a bunch of out-of-control drivers made their way to South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, doing donuts and speeding over lawns at 12:30 in the morning, the New York Post reported. "When I came out, I said, 'Bro, you gotta get the f*ck off my property,' and that's when it all started," victim Blake Ferrer said.
Video of the incident shows a group of about a dozen people kicking, punching and stomping on Ferrer, who was left with a broken nose and ribs. His wife was also assaulted by the mob. Ferrer was "lucky he wasn't killed," said disgusted City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood.
Larry Rusch, 59, a local whose car was set on fire by the mob, said it "was a complete melee." Rusch, who owns a security company, said he first heard the reckless drivers performing donuts and rushed outside, where he saw about 40 cars.
He said he parked a company car in the intersection to try to prevent the rogue drivers from continuing their chaos. "As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving," he said. "Then two individuals go up to the car. Somehow they threw some kind of firework or something and lit the car up. Then melee started again."
On X, Paladino posted a video that shows the vehicle in flames as a speeding car circles it. "To say this is a disgrace is an understatement," she said. "They came with their cars and wreaked havoc on this very quiet area of my district."
Another resident of the area said that he had objects thrown at his car when he tried to stop the chaos. Locals said that the area is a hotspot for drivers doing donuts. "I've been living there my whole life," Rusch said. "It happens but not to this extent." On X, Paladino wrote that several armed residents showed extreme restraint, but that "that level of restraint is not guaranteed."
"If the city refuses to do what is necessary, the people might," she warned. Paladino also blasted local law enforcement's response to the melee, revealing that residents who called 911 to report the incident were told that a "quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation," according to Fox News.
"Unacceptable. In fact, these violent street takeovers should be met with the maximum force by the police department," Paladino said. In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said that while the initial responding officer was rerouted to a more serious call, once authorities received word that the incident had been upgraded to a higher priority call, an officer was quickly dispatched to the scene.
"The [precinct] covers a large geographical area, and this was a busy Saturday night," a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. "At the time of the incident in question, other units from the [precinct] were handling multiple priority jobs, including an arrest for an individual who was driving while intoxicated, transporting someone to the hospital, an assault, and a vehicle collision with injuries."
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