The incident has been decried by multiple elected officials and the residents of the Maspeth/Middle Village neighborhoods. Those outraged by the early morning reckless display are continuing to call for arrests as the NYPD shares images of those involved in hopes they will be recognized.
One selection of photos shows drivers of several cars skidding in circles, while another shows a driver in a white BMW, one of the most prominent cars involved in the illegal driving show. Cops say they arrived at the scene at Eliot Avenue and 69th Street at around 1:48 a.m. on April 18 to witness blue car driving recklessly performing donuts, along with a silver BMW X3 occupied by three unidentified male individuals, and a white BMW occupied by two males and one female.
A video from the incident, provided by local City Council Member Phil Wong, also showed a massive ring of fire in the middle of the intersection, through which one driver sped through and others spun around. Dozens of people in their own cars gathered around the display, feet from a gas station.
The driver of one vehicle doing donuts around the ring of fire was seen raising a Palestinian flag from the window.
Several of the photographs released by authorities depict three individuals wearing keffiyehs to obscure their faces; the coverings are often donned by Palestinian protesters.
A large horde of lookers could be seen running into the fire, holding their cellphones, while the cars narrowly missed mowing them down. Amidst the chaos, cops say two unidentified men jumped onto the hood of an NYPD cruiser and cracked its windshield before fleeing in a black Nissan.
“My team is in touch with the 104th Precinct about this unacceptable incident in Middle Village as the investigation continues. I’m grateful that no officers or community members were injured. There’s no place for this dangerous behavior, damaging vehicles and disrupting public safety efforts,” U.S. Rep. Grace Meng wrote on X.
Wong was perhaps one the most incensed elected officials after the incident. He demanded that the NYPD make arrests and bring additional resources to the area.
“I have been assured that arrests will be made, and I will hold the NYPD to it. This must never happen again,” Wong said. “Additional units will be out tonight, including drones and helicopters, to prevent this kind of chaos from happening again.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident or the suspects’ whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
