A Queens grand jury indicted a Brooklyn man on assault and reckless endangerment charges for punching his cousin and knocking him out on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park.
Prosecutors say Jonathan Velez, 45, allegedly attacked his 39-year-old relative, went through his pockets, and then left the scene, leaving his unconscious cousin on the roadway. Moments later, the cousin was struck by the driver of a vehicle and seriously injured.
Velez was arraigned Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court on a three-count indictment charging him with assault in the first and second degrees and reckless endangerment in the first degree.
According to the charges and investigation, on Aug. 2, 2025, at approximately 4:10 a.m., Velez was coming home from a birthday party in Manhattan with his cousin, Manuel Rivera of Queens, and was driving Rivera’s car.
At approximately 4:27 a.m., Velez parked the car on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park. The relatives were engaged in a verbal dispute that became physical when Velez allegedly punched Rivera, which knocked him to the pavement.
Velez rifled through his unconscious cousin’s pockets, then rummaged through his vehicle before running off — leaving Rivera lying in the middle of the street. Minutes later, the victim was run over by the driver of a passing vehicle.
Rivera was immediately transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for internal bleeding, a fractured skull, and loss of teeth. Rivera remains hospitalized five months later and is unresponsive.
Officers from the 102nd Precinct apprehended Velez on Jan. 28 along 127th Street in Kew Gardens.
“As alleged, the defendant cruelly delivered a knock-out punch to his own cousin and then brazenly rummaged through the unconscious man’s pockets and car before leaving him for dead in the middle of Rockaway Boulevard,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The 39-year-old victim was later hit by a passing car and remains hospitalized with a multitude of injuries.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino remanded Velez into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on March 9.
“Our thoughts are with the victim and his family as he recovers from this brutal act,” Katz said.
Velez faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
