 Borough President Vito Fossella joined with his fellow elected officials to condemn the attack of a 62-year-old man in Sunnyside and to ask for legislative intervention in prosecuting those under the age of 18.
“We’re here today to call attention to something that happened a few weeks ago right down the block in broad daylight -- and it is frankly something that should rattle everybody across Staten Island and frankly across the city,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference at the corner of Clove Road and Howard Avenue, where the incident took place. He recounted that the man was out for his daily walk, minding his own business when he was surrounded by a “pack of individuals and was brutally attacked” on Monday, July 15. “In fact, while he was surrounded, he did what most people would do and tried to get away,” said Borough President Fossella, who watched a two-minute clip of the attack which shows a group of nine following the victim. “So, he ran across Clove Road and instead of letting the man go, one of the pack of these individuals chased him. He was knocked down, lost one or two teeth, was taken to the hospital where he needed surgery -- and what is even worse, the man is petrified of living here, so he is going to move.” A 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy have been charged with assault. The case will be handled in Family Court, which led the elected officials to call for a change to the Raise the Age law. The law changed the age at which a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18. Those younger than 18 are prosecuted in Family Court. It was signed into law in 2017. “There were two arrests and we hope, there will be more,” said Borough President Fossella. “This could have been anyone’s grandparent, anyone’s child. And just as important, we don’t know if there are going to be a consequence because the trend has been 'well, they are just kids, let them go, no consequences.’ These are kids doing adult things, doing evil things. That guy could have been killed running across Clove Road -- you don’t know what could have happened.” Borough President Fossella said Family Court judges often aren't given a full accounting of the defendant. “When it goes to Family Court, the judges, from my understanding, is that they don’t know the history of the people they’ve been assigned,” he said. “So, these kids could have been doing this every day. And, then what will happen, if there is a consequence or if there is a penalty, ultimately that penalty on their record will be expunged. We will do anything we can for the individual who was attacked. Fortunately, I hope this provides a foundation of change in the direction we’re going -- to ensure that there is some accountability, and someone’s grandparent or child can walk the streets of Staten Island and the streets of the city safely.” Comments are closed.
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