A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.
A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.
Andeea Dumitru, 45, and 21-year-old Sabrina Starman jumped into the fray and began to punch McPherson in her face, head, and body multiple times, then pulled her hair, causing her to fall to the ground. She sustained an abrasion to her arm and substantial pain, according to the criminal complaint.
Police from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood arrived on the scene, and Dumitru and Starman were taken into custody while the family friend remains at large. McPherson was treated at the scene by EMS.
A video of the altercation was later uploaded to Reddit, where it drew widespread attention and condemnation.
Dumitru and Starman, who both live at 18-28 Putnam Avenue, were arraigned Tuesday in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging them with assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree. They were released on their own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Sept. 9.
