A New York man has been charged with murder after he deliberately drove his vehicle into a family, killing the mother, according to police.
The 35-year-old man had an argument with a member of the family outside a 7-Eleven store on N. Central Highway, in the Hamlet of Garnerville, New York., at around 1:50pm, Haverstraw Police Department said in a statement. Haverstraw Police Captain Martin Lund told the Associated Press the suspect was Jason Mendez, from Washingtonville.
Mendez then got into his vehicle, which was in the store's parking lot, and rammed it into the eight family members: a 35-year-old male, a 32-year-old woman, and six juvenile children. The family members have not been named.
After hitting the family once and crashing into the storefront, he reversed and drove into them once again. A two-year-old child was among the victims, Lund said.
A crumpled stroller was seen outside the store in the wake of the incident as police combed the scene for evidence, NBC New York reported.
When police officers arrived at the scene, the man was "brandishing a knife" and refused to follow orders to drop the weapon, according to the statement. Officers tased and subdued the man, and took him into custody.
"He didn't say anything initially to the police officers," Lund said, according to the Associated Press. "He refused to drop the knife. Then he was tazed at the scene and taken down."
Cindy Schnalzer, a witness on the scene, told News 4 New York, "The baby was was crying, and there was like an 11-year-old girl that came out, and she was with her father out here, and the father was going ballistic wanting to know where the guy was."
"I heard the father, he was telling the cops, 'I told him not to blow smoke in front of my kids,'" she said.
Allison Rodriguez, another witness, told ABC7: "She [the mother] was laying on the ground.
"Carriage was there. Nobody was around her. We just kinda knew she wasn't gonna make it."
The family were taken to hospital, where the mother was pronounced dead. The remaining family members were sent to Westchester Medical Facility to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect has been charged with one count of murder in the second degree, and seven counts of attempted murder in the second degree.
During his arraignment on Wednesday night, Mendez pleaded not guilty to both charges, the Associated Press reported. Mendez will appear in court on Tuesday, ABC7 reported.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident, and believe more charges will be filed against the suspect.
The vehicle was fitted with plates from Texas, police told ABC7. However, they believe the man has ties with Rockland County, part of the New York City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Town of Haverstraw Police Department described the incident as "tragic" in its statement, and thanked officers from Stony Point Police Department, Rockland County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police who helped at the scene. Emergency medical services including The Haverstraw Ambulance Corps, Rockland Mobile Care, also aided the victims.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kashmira Gander is Deputy Science Editor at Newsweek. Her interests include health, gender, LGBTQIA+ issues, human rights, subcultures, music, and lifestyle. Her ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
