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Matthew Mitchell, age 20, of Brooklyn, was charged with assault and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Prosecutors said Mitchell was with a large group of cars that gathered at Patchogue’s Gateway Plaza on Sunrise Highway in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 6.
Several of the vehicles were seen performing “doughnuts,” drifting, and other amateur car stunts. Similar scenes played out across Nassau and Suffolk counties throughout the same night, with many spectators recording and posting the activity on social media.
According to prosecutors, one of the videos showed a 19-year-old woman who was standing in a parking lot when Mitchell’s Infiniti struck her with the side of his car.
The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for a fractured femur and pelvis.
Mitchell fled the scene before police arrived, prosecutors said. Suffolk County Police used his social media posts to locate and arrest him nine days later, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, outside his home in Brooklyn.
A review of his driving record reportedly showed that his license had been revoked and he had six suspensions on six different dates.
“Real life is not The Fast and the Furious. Earlier this month, a group of wannabe racecar drivers from outside of Suffolk County thoughtlessly took over a number of our roadways, endangering lives, harassing our citizens, and even preventing an ambulance from passing,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Thanks to the quick work by Suffolk County Police, this alleged criminal driver has now been indicted. These charges should serve as a warning to anyone who might think about engaging in similar conduct in Suffolk County.”
In court Thursday, Mitchell was arraigned on the following counts:
- Assault in the second degree (felony)
- Leaving the scene of an incident without reporting (felony)
- Reckless endangerment (misdemeanor)
- Aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle (misdemeanor)
- Reckless driving (misdemeanor)
He was jailed on a $500,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
Street takeovers – in which groups of drivers descend upon a street to either race or do tricks – are now the target of legislation being proposed by state lawmakers that would levy stiffer penalties for violators.
If approved, the bill would give police and prosecutors enhanced tools to help crack down on reckless drivers and allow for the seizure and forfeiture of their vehicles, Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo said at a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Palumbo, whose 1st District represents the eastern Suffolk County locales of East Hampton, Southampton, and Riverhead, said such incidents endanger the community and obstruct emergency vehicles.
“The message is clear,” he told reporters. “This kind of dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in Suffolk County. They are terrorizing the communities.”
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