Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that a Corona, Queens resident has been charged with first-degree assault and other crimes for allegedly crashing the car he was driving at the moment a Nassau County Police Detective was gaining access through the passenger side door. The vehicle slammed into another car with the detective between both vehicles, causing severe leg injuries to the detective. The defendant fled the scene on Tuesday night, but was subsequently apprehended.

District Attorney Katz said, “Our police face danger every single day on the job. This veteran detective with the Nassau County Police Department was investigating a report of a stolen car, when he approached the vehicle at a gas station and the driver hit the accelerator. The defendant was attempting to evade arrest. But after fleeing the scene, he was quickly apprehended and now faces very serious charges.”

The District Attorney’s Office identified the defendant Jorge Alvarez, 18, of Van Doren Street in the Corona neighborhood of Queens. The defendant was arraigned yesterday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Karen Gopee on a complaint charging him with assault in the first degree, assault on a peace or police officer, criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree. Judge Gopee set bail at $25,000 bond/$10,000 cash and set his return date for May 27, 2020. If convicted, Alvarez faces up to 25 years in prison.

According to the charges, said District Attorney Katz, the defendant was allegedly behind the wheel of a 2018 BMW that had been reported stolen from Nassau County on Sunday, April 19, 2020. The vehicle was spotted at a gas station just before midnight Tuesday in Rego Park, Queens. As law enforcement officers approached the vehicle, one detective advanced to the passenger side and was going into the vehicle when the defendant allegedly accelerated and the car slammed into another vehicle with the detective between both cars.

Continuing, according to the charges, said DA Katz, the detective sustained severe injuries to his leg, including a fracture. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he is being treated. The defendant, who fled the scene, was later apprehended and arrested.

The investigation was conducted by Police Officer David Rene of the New York City Police Department’s 115th Precinct Detective Squad, along with assistance from the Nassau County Police Department.

Assistant District Attorney Kenneth T. Zawistowski, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief, Michael Whitney, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.

It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.