NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Newly released video shows the aftermath of a violent neighborhood street takeover that ended with a car being torched and a couple being beaten in what officials are calling a “planned attack” in New York City over the weekend.
The incident broke out around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, after a large group of drivers descended on South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, a neighborhood located in Queens, according to the NYPD.
The vehicles were seen speeding over residential lawns and doing donuts in the street as the scene devolved into chaos, according to video shared by City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood.
As the events unfolded, Larry Rusch, a private security guard who lives in the area, heard the commotion outside his home and went out to discover approximately 40 vehicles speeding through the street, according to The New York Post.
VIDEO SHOWS WILD NEIGHBORHOOD STREET TAKEOVER AS VIOLENT MOB PUMMELS COUPLE, BURNS TRUCK
In an attempt to defuse the situation, Rusch reportedly parked one of his vehicles in the intersection to try to block drivers from causing more damage.
“As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving,” Rusch told The Post. “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.”
Video shared by Paladino shows a vehicle burning in the middle of the residential street as several cars speed around it.
BLUE CITY STREET TAKEOVER SUSPECTS TORCHED POLICE CRUISER IN ‘HELL-BENT’ ATTACK ON COPS: UNION CHIEF
Additionally, local resident Blake Ferrer was injured while attempting to defend his property from the rowdy group of drivers, The Post reported.
“When I came out, I said, ‘Bro, you gotta get the f— off my property,’” Ferrer told the outlet. “And that’s when it all started.”
The mob reportedly turned their attention to Ferrer, with additional footage showing a group of individuals allegedly attacking the homeowner and his wife, leaving the man with a broken nose, shoulder and ribs.
ORGANIZED CRIME RINGS DRIVE STREET TAKEOVERS BY USING KIDS TO STEAL CARS FOR WILD STUNTS: EXPERT
A third resident also had objects thrown into his car during the incident, The Post reported.
“[The community] has been plagued for the past two years with home robberies, burglaries, car theft and just these wise guys, which the whole city’s been plagued by,” Paladino told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning.
As the sun rose on Sunday morning, the aftermath of the attack on the middle-class neighborhood became even more apparent.
VIDEO SHOWS NEW JERSEY STREET TAKEOVER ERUPTING WITH MOB SHOOTING FIREWORKS AT POLICE
WATCH: Video shows aftermath of violent NYC neighborhood street takeover
In a video shared by Paladino on social media, the councilwoman can be seen standing alongside Rusch as she pointed to skid marks throughout the roadway and his burned vehicle with its windows blown out.
Paladino also reportedly spoke to several residents who were either injured in the melee or saw their property destroyed.
“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.”
‘NOBODY’S IN CONTROL’ AS CHAOTIC STREET TAKEOVERS TERRORIZE CITIES ACROSS US: CRIME EXPERT
In a previous statement, Paladino blasted the NYPD’s response time to the scene, adding that residents who called 911 to report the incident were informed that a “quality of life team and 311 should handle the situation.”
However, the NYPD said in a statement to Fox News Digital 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, 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.”
As a result of the incident, the NYPD is planning to increase patrols within the area to “ensure this doesn’t happen again,” the department said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
However, Paladino has voiced concerns regarding the lack of accountability within the city regarding similar cases, adding, “These incidents are happening citywide, and they’re happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality.”
“This was a planned attack,” Paladino said on “Fox & Friends.” “This was all preempted. They were prepared to do exactly what they did.”
Read the full article here
