
Chaos In Queens: Fiery Street Stunt Sparks Outrage As Keffiyeh Wearing Mob Taunts Police
Newly released NYPD images capture several suspects — including individuals wearing keffiyehs — who are believed to have taken part in a chaotic weekend car “gathering” in Queens, as residents and local officials slammed the reckless disruption in a typically quiet neighborhood.
According to police, the crowd swarmed the intersection of Eliot Avenue and 69th Street along the Maspeth–Middle Village border, unleashing disorder around 1:50 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities are attempting to identify the group, which includes eight individuals — one woman and seven men — with three of the suspects seen wearing keffiyehs.
“We cannot tolerate this. I cannot tolerate this, not in my district, not in New York City,” Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens) fumed during a press conference Monday.
Wong emphasized the need for increased police presence in his district, adding that he plans to “make that request” during a scheduled meeting with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Tuesday.
Police also released photos of four vehicles tied to the incident — two BMWs, one silver and one white, along with a black Nissan and a blue car.
Video from the scene shows a driver waving a Palestinian flag while spinning donuts, coming dangerously close to onlookers as the car circled a ring of fire set in the street.
At one point, flames shot up from the roadway as participants crowded around, recording the spectacle on their phones.
The NYPD said Monday that two men involved in the street chaos even jumped on the hood of a marked department vehicle, causing damage and cracking the windshield, before speeding off in the black Nissan.