A Bronx man has been arrested in connection with a chaotic late-night car meetup in Queens earlier this month, police said.
But authorities are still searching for at least seven others who took part in the takeover at Eliot Avenue and 69th Street in Maspeth, where drivers performed donuts around a ring of fire and two people jumped on an NYPD cruiser, cracking its windshield.
Asil Assaidi, 22, faces charges including reckless endangerment, riot, criminal mischief, unlawful assembly and reckless driving, according to the NYPD. He was also charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a vehicle without insurance.
His attorney’s information was not immediately available.
A spokesperson for the Queens district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police said NYPD warrant officers took Assaidi into custody on Thursday morning after an investigation in which detectives reviewed surveillance footage, bystander videos and social media posts to identify those involved. Police seized two cars tied to the meetup — including one belonging to Assaidi — earlier this week, officials said.
Officers responding to reports of drag racing shortly before 2 a.m. on April 18 found a blue car spinning in circles next to a silver BMW X3 and a white BMW, according to police. Two men jumped onto the hood of a marked police vehicle, damaging it before fleeing in a black Nissan, officials said. No one was hurt.
Videos posted to social media showed cars drifting and spinning around a ring of fire in the middle of the intersection, which is located near two gas stations.
City Councilmember Phil Wong, who represents the district, said the gathering was unlike others he has seen in the neighborhood.
“They set up a fire, and they did it in front of two gas stations,” Wong said. “It’s quite easy when you are surrounded by these fumes that the whole area could’ve caught fire. We’re lucky that didn’t happen.”
He called for more proactive policing, saying the episode should not be dismissed as a routine gathering.
“This is reckless and this is criminal,” Wong said. “It’s not just a meetup.”
The Maspeth incident is the latest in a string of social media-fueled gatherings, or “takeovers,” that have drawn large crowds across the city in recent months.
In February, nearly 500 teens descended on the Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx on Presidents Day, leading to 18 arrests on rioting and unlawful assembly charges.
A week later, a large snowball fight in Washington Square Park ended with police officers getting pelted and several arrests. In March, hundreds of teens swarmed Brooklyn Bridge Park after a social media callout, prompting police to shut down Pier 2 after fights broke out.
In response to the Bay Plaza incident, Bronx DA Darcel Clark and other elected officials sent a letter to executives at TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and YouTube, urging them to monitor and remove posts promoting such gatherings.
Last year, a teenager was arrested and charged with attacking a couple on their lawn in Malba, Queens, after drag racers took over a nearby intersection.
Police said he was part of a group of 50 cars that entered the neighborhood for a meetup where people drove recklessly, did donuts, lit fireworks and set an empty car on fire.