Story by Ethan
On April 24th, 2026, the arrest of Assil Assaidi, age 22, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Assil Assaidi was charged with first-degree Reckless Endangerment, second-degree Riot, Unlawful Assembly, Reckless Driving, Operating or Driving a Motor Vehicle Without a License, and Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Insurance. The arrest and charges against Assil Assaidi were a result of an investigation handled by the New York Police Department.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 1:45 a.m. on April 18th, 2026, Assil Assaidi alongside a large assembled crowd were congregating at the intersection of 69th Street and Elliot Avenue near a BP gas station and a Mobile gas station. The defendant was operating a blue Infiniti G37 with a dark hood and the front bumper missing. While driving in circles Assil Assaidi nearly struck several people on the intersection, as well as imprinted multiple skidmarks on the road. The skidmarks created smoke and sparks emitting from the back of the vehicle that when combined with flammable liquid an individual poured in a circle on the ground ignited into a ring of flames between the vehicle and the crowd. The aforementioned stunt was recreated again with another driver in a silver vehicle and a second ring of fire. At approximately 1:50 a.m. NYPD officers in marked police vehicles responded to the 69th Street and Eliot Avenue intersection after multiple 911 calls were made in regards to the stunts performed by Assil Assaidi and the second driver. Responding officers dispersed through a crowd of 100 people and 50 cars when one individual used a traffic barrier to block the patrol car which allowed two other people to hop on the hood of the car and break its windshield. The trio of individuals fled after cracking the police vehicle’s windshield along with the rest of the crowd dispersing. Assil Assaidi was identified as the driver of the blue Infiniti G37 through video footage taken of the reckless driving.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Assil Assaidi are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
