A Whitestone man was arrested Friday, Oct. 7, and charged with attempted murder and a slew of other crimes after he allegedly tried to kidnap a woman at gunpoint in Woodside last month.
Salvatore Mussumeci, 46, of 21st Avenue, was taken into custody within the confines of the 109th Precinct in Flushing and arraigned Saturday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Edwin Novillo for his assault on a 46-year-old woman in front of 49-11 30th Ave. just after 11 p.m. on Sept. 29, according to the NYPD.
According to the criminal complaint, Mussumeci began to argue with his girlfriend inside a pizzeria at the location, and as she tried to leave he put her in a bear hug and dragged her into a backroom where he demanded her money. When she refused to comply, he placed his hand over her mouth and nose cutting off oxygen and causing her to urinate herself. She managed to break free and ran to her vehicle but Mussumeci stood in front of her car shouting “You destroyed my life, so I’m going to destroy your life. I have nothing to lose.” He proceeded to pull out a handgun and was captured on video surveillance firing two shots at his girlfriend’s vehicle. She was not injured in the shooting, police said.
Mussumeci drove away from the scene in his black SUV and returned to his Whitestone neighborhood, where two hours later he began firing randomly at parked cars in numerous locations in a six-block radius, including a 2007 Jeep Wrangler parked at 15th Drive and 149th Street, a 2007 Chevrolet Express 1500 van at 154th Street and 22nd Avenue, a 2020 Toyota Sienna yellow cab parked at 154th Street and 22nd Avenue and a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado parked in front of 146-41 20th Road.
In that shooting incident, one of the rounds missed the vehicle and pierced a residence where three people were sleeping, police said, adding that no one was hurt inside the home or at the locations of the other shootings.
Mussumeci was charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and criminal mischief for the Whitestone shootings, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a loaded weapon, criminal obstruction of breathing, and unlawful imprisonment for the Woodside incident.
Judge Novillo ordered Mussumeci held without bail and set his return to court for Oct. 13.
