A Jamaica teenager is accused of taking part in a chaotic street takeover in Ozone Park on Saturday night, where several NYPD vehicles were vandalized by a mob of hundreds. Police say he later fled to the Bronx, where he was tased and arrested following a foot chase through the Van Nest neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Tristan Nandram, 18, of Liverpool Street in Jamaica, was booked at the 43rd Precinct in Soundview, where he was charged with criminal mischief and other related crimes after police responded to a 911 call of possible shots fired in the vicinity of Zerega Avenue and Gleason Avenue.
Upon arrival, they found a disorderly group had surrounded a marked police vehicle. Nandram allegedly smashed a window and kicked the doors of the vehicle before reaching inside and removing a patrol bag containing paperwork and non-essential police items. Nandram fled on foot, and officers chased and caught up to him. When the teenager actively resisted arrest, an officer deployed a taser.
EMS responded to the stationhouse where Nandram refused medical attention, police said Monday. Two young men from Massachusetts were also arrested in the Bronx on Sunday morning after joining the mob that vandalized occupied NYPD vehicles in Ozone Park.
Hundreds of people gathered on Rockaway Boulevard between 83rd and 84th Streets around 10 p.m. Saturday and watched as multiple vehicles drove recklessly and performed donuts while others set off fireworks. A video posted to Instagram shows the street takeover in Ozone Park.
Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill responded to the location just before 1 a.m. Sunday, when a group of unidentified individuals vandalized the three NYPD vehicles, all occupied with officers, two of the vehicles were unmarked. The suspects dented the sides of the vehicles and smashed the windows with traffic cones before driving off in multiple cars in various directions. There were no injuries as a result of the street takeover. The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying other members of the riotous mob.
“We will not tolerate lawlessness or vandalism aimed at the police,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on social media on Monday. “We arrested several individuals for crimes that endangered our cops and our streets. Rest assured, we’ll be back soon for the rest of them.”
An Ozone Park civic leader expressed his outrage over the street takeover during the weekend, firing off a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and other elected officials on the federal, state, and local levels on Sunday demanding greater enforcement against “these reckless gatherings” with participants flagrantly blocking roads, recording their activities, and broadcasting them on social media.
“We strongly urge the city to deploy a dedicated tactical response team in each borough to swiftly and effectively address these gatherings,” Ozone Park Residents Block Association President Sam Esposito wrote. “The current strain on NYPD resources is unsustainable, and without immediate intervention, we fear further injuries, fatalities, or even harm to officers attempting to dismantle these gatherings.”
The retired housing cop added that as the weather warms, these events will become more frequent and widespread.
“We respectfully call on the city leadership to take decisive action before this issue spirals further out of control,” Esposito continued. “Our community deserves to feel safe, and law enforcement should not have to face these dangerous situations without proper support.”
The civic leader included Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez on his mailing list, and on Tuesday, she sent a letter calling on city agencies to work together to develop a coordinated response to illegal street racing and large-scale car meetups like the scene in Ozone Park.
“These gatherings have grown in scale and intensity, posing risks to pedestrians, residents, and first responders alike,” Velázquez wrote. “It is critical that we take steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”
She also requested that the NYPD and the city’s Department of Transportation work together to identify proactive strategies to address the issue with a strategy that includes targeted enforcement, improved traffic management, and community engagement. Velázquez also pointed to federal resources through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that may assist in making long-term street safety improvements across New York City.
“The BIL awarded New York State over $29 billion, including federal funds for transportation and roadway safety projects,” Velázquez wrote. “It is essential for the city to pursue this funding to execute these lifesaving improvements.”
Anyone with information regarding the Ozone Park street takeover is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
