Antonio Olmeda was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting at two cops in Jackson Heights in 2011. Photo courtesy of the NYPD.
July 15, 2025 By Bill Parry
A Manhattan man was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison on Tuesday for shooting at two cops in broad daylight in the heart of Jackson Heights in 2011. Antonio Olmeda, 66, of Fifth Avenue, was convicted by a jury on two counts of attempted murder and other related crimes after they deliberated for just eight minutes before reaching a verdict on June 27.
“An attack on police officers patrolling the streets as part of their sworn civic duty is an attack on the very fabric of a civilized society,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “It undermines the safety, trust and order that hold our communities together.”
According to trial records, on December 11, 2011, shortly after 4 p.m., NYPD officers Stephen Danisi and Matthew Ferrara were on foot patrol in front of 37-55 76th St. in Jackson Heights when they were approached by a civilian who alerted them about a suspicious man wearing a long trench coat, fedora, eyeglasses and a fake beard and mustache. When the cops saw Olmeda, he had his hands in his pockets, and they asked him to show his hands. When Olmeda refused to comply, Officer Danisi placed his hands on Olmeda’s back and felt that he was wearing a bulletproof vest under the trench coat. Within seconds, Olmeda freed himself from the officer’s hand, stepped away from the two cops then turned around, pulling out a .38-caliber Taurus revolver and firing three rounds in the direction of the officers. One round penetrated the window of a nearby pediatric dentist’s office.
As Olmeda fled, he ditched the fedora, fake mustache, beard and eyeglasses, which were all recovered and swabbed for DNA. The DNA matched a sample on file in the New York State DNA Index System from Olmeda’s previous weapons possession conviction.
On December 19, 2011, Olmeda was apprehended as he tried to enter his vehicle parked on East 16th Street in Manhattan. A .38-caliber revolver with two live rounds of ammunition and three spent shell casings was recovered from his car.
“The defendant was dressed in a cartoonish disguise — including a fake mustache, fedora and trench coat at four in the afternoon — when members of the NYPD stopped him,” Katz said. “Within seconds, the defendant pulled out a revolver and fired at the two officers.”
In addition to the attempted murder charges, the jury convicted Olmeda of attempted aggravated assault of a police officer and attempted assault in the first degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder sentenced him to 35 years to life in prison. It was the second time Olmeda was convicted in the case. Due to a procedural issue involving the defendant’s sentence on a federal matter, the state judge was unable to honor Olmeda’s original plea of guilty in July 2016, and the case was returned to Queens Supreme Court for trial.
“This case is a reminder of the dangers that police officers face every day in New York City,” Katz said. “I thank the members of the jury for their service.”
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