Illegal Car Meetup Overruns Queens Block

A car takeover shut down part of Maspeth, Queens, before dawn Saturday, with drivers drag racing and doing stunts at 69th Street and Eliot Avenue. (cbsnews.com) Police said 911 got multiple calls just before 2 a.m. on April 18 reporting drag racing at the intersection, and officers used lights and sirens to break up the crowd. Dozens of vehicles left when police arrived. (cbsnews.com) ABC7 reported nearly 100 cars took over the intersection near a gas station shortly before 1:45 a.m., blocking traffic while drivers did donuts around a fire lit in the roadway. Three people then jumped on the hood of a marked New York Police Department cruiser and cracked its windshield, police said. (abc7ny.com) No arrests were made, no injuries were reported, and police issued one summons for parking along a crosswalk, according to CBS New York. Detectives spent Saturday reviewing surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses. (cbsnews.com, abc7ny.com) Residents told local TV crews they were jolted awake by screeching tires, explosions and the smell of burning rubber, and one witness said people were running through moving cars. Another resident said the location near a gas station made the scene even more dangerous. (cbsnews.com, abc7ny.com) Council Member Phil Wong, whose 30th District includes Maspeth, said his office was flooded with calls after the takeover and said he asked for a full precinct debrief. Wong also said he plans to meet Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch next week about prevention and accountability. (council.nyc.gov, abc7ny.com, nyc.gov) Wong said police told him some of the cars appeared to use fake license plates, which he said suggested the meetup was planned rather than spontaneous. He also said his office is discussing street design changes with the New York City Department of Transportation, including traffic-calming measures beyond existing speed bumps. (abc7ny.com) The Maspeth incident follows other Queens car meetups that have drawn police attention in recent months, including earlier enforcement in the area that a local civic group said led to 13 vehicle seizures and one arrest in March. CBS reported the New York Police Department kept units at the intersection Saturday and said drones and helicopters would monitor the area overnight. (cometcivic.com, cbsnews.com) By Saturday night, the block was open again, but the investigation was still active and police had not announced any arrests. For neighbors who watched the crowd scatter when sirens hit, the next test is whether the extra patrols keep the intersection quiet next weekend. (cbsnews.com)