Pols call for accountability for teens in attack on Staten Island man, 62

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Public officials gathered on Monday at the Sunnyside intersection where a 62-year-old man was beaten by a group of teens to condemn the attack and call for legislative changes that would allow prosecutors to hold the assailants accountable.

The offices of Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), and state Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid Island) coordinated the press conference at Clove Road and Howard Avenue.

Scarcella-Spanton said she drafted a bill inspired by this incident and other acts of youth violence.

“The current Raise the Age law in New York State has had negative consequences that are hurting our youth, not helping them,” she said. “Our district attorney should be able to keep cases of violent crime such as gang assault that happened in this situation.”

Letting kids off the hook without any meaningful consequence or intervention is not going to help the situation, she said.

“I have legislation that would expand the definition of extraordinary circumstances which would allow our D.A. to keep and prosecute more cases,” said Scarcella-Spanton. “We need to take violent crime more seriously no matter who the perpetrators are.”

Scarcella-Spanton’s proposed legislation, New York Senate Bill 8710, relates to the courts’ ability to remove violent adolescent offenders from Family Court.

“I will do everything I can to push this bill though next session,” she pledged.

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