New York City police say they will step up patrols in a Queens neighborhood following a weekend street takeover that ended with a car being set ablaze, residents injured, and property damaged, Fox News reports.
The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Sunday at South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, where a large group of drivers converged and began reckless activity in residential streets, according to police and video footage from the scene. Vehicles were seen speeding through the area, driving across lawns and spinning in circles.
City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino believes the incident reflects a broader problem across the city.
“These incidents are happening citywide, and they’re happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality,” she said.
New York City police say they will step up patrols in a Queens neighborhood following a weekend street takeover that ended with a car being set ablaze, residents injured, and property damaged, Fox News reports.
The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Sunday at South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, where a large group of drivers converged and began reckless activity in residential streets, according to police and video footage from the scene. Vehicles were seen speeding through the area, driving across lawns and spinning in circles.
A video released by City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino shows a vehicle burning in the middle of the street as other cars race around it.
Paladino said she spoke with residents who were either injured during the incident or suffered damage to their property.
“At 12:30 a.m. last night, a hundred animals descended upon this neighborhood,” Paladino said. “Walk around and you will see the skid marks. But most important of all, I want you to take a look at this car. They actually set a car on fire, they terrorized this neighborhood.”
Paladino has also condemned the police response, saying some residents who contacted emergency services were directed elsewhere.
In a prior statement, she said residents were told that “a quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation.”
The NYPD disputed that account, saying the first responding officer was diverted to a higher-priority emergency, but that police were dispatched once the incident was escalated.
“The [precinct] covers a large geographical area, and this was a busy Saturday night,” an NYPD spokesperson 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 department said it plans to increase patrol presence in the area following the incident to “ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Paladino said she believes the incident reflects a broader problem across the city.
“These incidents are happening citywide, and they’re happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality,” she said.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Paladino described the incident as intentional.
“This was a planned attack,” she said. “This was all preempted. They were prepared to do exactly what they did.”
THE THIRD FORCE
