A quiet residential street in New York City descended into chaos over the weekend as an unruly mob allegedly attacked a Queens couple and set a car ablaze during a chaotic car meet.
A group of drivers unleashed mayhem on South Drive and 141st Street in Malba during the early hours of Sunday morning, according to victims. The group began doing donuts and speeding over lawns at around 12:30am, locals said.
Resident Blake Ferrer was attacked and left with a broken nose and ribs after confronting the mob. “When I came out, I said, ‘Bro, you gotta get the f— off my property,’ and that’s when it all started,” Ferrer told The New York Post.
He said his wife was also hit. Video footage of the incident showed the mob kicking, punching, and stomping Blake. He was “lucky he wasn’t killed,” City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who represents the neighborhood, said.
Fellow resident Larry Rusch, 59, had his car set on fire during the incident, which he said was "a complete melee." Larry, who owns a security company, rushed outside after hearing the drivers performing donuts and recalled seeing around 40 cars.
If you cannot see the video showing the car on fire, click here.
He parked one of his company cars in the intersection in an attempt to block the drivers from continuing to wreak havoc. “As soon as I did that, everyone started leaving,” he said.
But Larry said it wasn't long before his car was set alight. "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," he continued.
Larry, who has been living in the area his whole life, said that things like this have happened before but noted it has never been "to this extent".
Councilwoman Paladino shared several videos of the incident online. Footage showed cars speeding around a vehicle as huge flames leapt from it before firefighters responded to the scene.
"Last night in Malba, a large group of individuals from outside my district conducted an illegal 'takeover' of a quiet residential street at approximately 12:30am. This is not the first time it's happened," Paladino wrote alongside the clips.
“To say this is a disgrace is an understatement,” she told The Post. “They came with their cars and wreaked havoc on this very quiet area of my district.”
Paladino said there were multiple armed residents who "exercised extreme restraint". She warned: "However that level of restraint is not guaranteed. If the city refuses to do what's necessary, the people might."
The councilwoman added: "A homeowner would be entirely justified using deadly force on these animals, and one day it will come to that if this isn’t stopped."
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