Residents of a Queens neighborhood plagued by unruly car meetup mobs begged officials for help in a letter Monday – after one of the events sparked a near-riot on the streets.
The letter to Mayor Eric Adams and other state and federal politicians pleaded for the city to take “decisive action” after shocking video emerged of a hoodlum horde vandalizing NYPD cars along Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park at about 1 a.m. Sunday.
The neighborhood is “under siege” by groups “who believe they can take over our streets, taunt residentism and openly challenge the NYPD,” the letter obtained by The Post said.
“It is deeply troubling that these reckless gatherings are becoming a recurring issue, with participants flagrantly blocking roads, recording their activities, and broadcasting them on social media,” Sam Esposito, president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, wrote Monday in the letter.
“The current strain on NYPD resources is unsustainable, and without immediate intervention, we fear further injuries, fatalities, or even harm to officers attempting to dismantle these gatherings.”
The letter, also addressed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Nydia Velázquez and a host of others, comes after cops responded to calls of dozens of people congregating on the street for a meetup and were met with an angry mob.
Alarming images of the Rockaway Boulevard Bedlam spread across social media, with eye-popping video showing a handful of goons leaning on or slapping an unmarked car before one vandal got on the cruiser’s hood and cracked the windshield with a traffic cone.
Others jumped on the car and threw another cone at it before the vehicle pulled away with its sirens blaring, the footage showed.
The ruffians also threw traffic cones at a marked NYPD cruiser during the skirmish, video shows.
In their letter, the Ozone Park residents cited the January 2024 death of 15-year-old Sabrina Villa-Gomez of Nanuet — who died during a similar shindig in the Bronx — as evidence of the meet-ups’ deadly consequences.
On Monday, her father Jorge Villa-Gomez said the events where drivers spin donuts or try other wild street stunts were “very dangerous for the kids, for the families.”
“My heart is very very broken because … every time, I remember my daughter,” he said. “I would tell police they have to pay more attention … they have to make [them] more controlled.”
Gilvante Roberson, 21, died in the same accident that night — and his heartbroken mom, Sabrina Roberson, said she hopes kids learn that the pursuit is “just not worth it.”
“That particular night … I hadn’t spoken to my son since that Saturday afternoon,” she said. “The last thing I said to him was, ‘I love you.’ He said ‘I love you too.’ That’s it.
“I didn’t see him no more until I had to view his body.”
She said she wishes the city could give the kids a place to perform their tricks more safely, instead of crowding onto the city streets.
“I know New Yorkers are against [the meetups],” she said. “But I feel like if you want them to stop, give them a legal space to do whatever they do and don’t disturb anybody and use up all that energy.
“You can have a police presence there to make sure everything goes well or whatever,” she continued. “I don’t know. Because it’s not going to stop. I can tell you that right now.”
The NYPD reported no injuries in Sunday’s scrum but said the vandals dented three police cars and broke several windows.
Three people were arrested later Sunday morning in the Bronx, sources said.
Jordi Montesquieu, 23, of Massachusetts, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree unlawful fleeing a police car and obstructing governmental administration, police and sources said.
Tyler Newman, 18, of New Hampshire, was hit with obstructing governmental administration — while 18-year-old Queens local Tristian Nandramn was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, obstructing governmental administration, possession of stolen property and petty larceny, according to cops and sources.
Nandram is accused of stealing paperwork from the back of a police car, sources said.
Authorities said they are still hunting for others involved in the vandalism and recklessly driving cars Saturday night into Sunday.
“We will not tolerate lawlessness or vandalism aimed at the police,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on X, announcing that “several” individuals were arrested “for crimes that endangered our cops and our streets.”
“Rest assured, we’ll be back soon for the rest of them.”
PBA President Patrick Hendry claimed the disorder was a result of an “anti-police environment in the city.”
“Criminals feel free to terrorize our communities and attack cops because they believe they won’t be held accountable,” he said. “Cops are sick and tired of dealing with this environment, and it’s another major reason they’re running for the exits.”
Esposito, of the Ozone Park group, called on the city leadership to take “decisive action before this issue spirals further out of control.”
“This has been a worsening trend over the past five years, with each incident growing in scale and audacity,” he wrote. “Our community deserves to feel safe, and law enforcement should not have to face these dangerous situations without proper support.”