Jonathan Rinaldi, the Republican candidate challenging the incumbent Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi in the 28th Assembly District, was arrested at a polling center in Forest Hills Tuesday after allegedly repeatedly ignoring commands to stop yelling and screaming.
An NYPD spokesperson said Rinaldi repeatedly ignored commands to stop screaming and yelling at a polling center at P.S. 101Q The School in the Gardens at 2 Russel Pl. in Forest Hills at around 10:30 a.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Rinaldi was later issued a summons for harassment and no injuries were reported at the scene.
Rinaldi posted a video of his arrest on Instagram, which shows an arresting officer accusing him of ignoring numerous warnings. The officer also accused Rinaldi of swinging a sign in his face.
Meanwhile, Rinaldi denied any wrongdoing and told the officer that he was trying to get people to vote for him.
In a separate post on social media, Rinaldi posted an image of his Criminal Court Appearance Ticket, where an arresting officer wrote that Rinaldi had uttered the statement “baby killer” during his arrest.
Rinaldi campaigned for New York’s 28th Assembly District seat as “Responsible Rinaldi” and is often referred to as “The Sperminator” after fathering 15 children from sperm donation.
An anti-vaccine advocate who compared COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, Rinaldi told the New York Post in May 2023 that the children he had fathered through sperm donation boasted “superior” unvaccinated genetic material. He also described himself as pro-life and said he doesn’t believe in abortion during a May 2023 interview with the Jewish Telegraph Agency.
His opponent, Andrew Hevesi, has held the seat for District 28 and easily defeated Republican challenger Michael Conigliaro in the 2022 Assembly elections.
On the other hand, Rinaldi previously unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Democratic Council Member James Gennaro in District 24 during the 2023 New York City Council elections. Rinaldi confronted Gennaro at an event in August 2023, challenging his Democratic opponent to a debate.
In footage posted on social media, Gennaro referred to Rinaldi as a white supremacist, provoking an angry reaction from Rinaldi.
“You talk to me like that, I’m gonna catch you outside and make you, show you what a white supremacist is,” Rinaldi said, prompting Gennaro to state that his opponent appeared to be threatening him.
“Yeah, you better believe it’s a threat,” Rinaldi said in a video on TikTok. “You want to insult me? I’ll whoop your ass.”
