A motorcycle-riding gunman allegedly opened fire on a motorist in front of a church during an apparent road rage incident in Southeast Queens on Sunday night. Police from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica reported that the incident occurred just after 8:00 p.m. in Springfield Gardens, when the biker got into a verbal dispute with a 66-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a silver 2023 Toyota Sienna in the vicinity of Farmers Boulevard and North Conduit Avenue. The victim drove off, but the stranger caught up to him in front of the Springfield Gardens United Methodist Church, located at 131-29 Farmers Blvd.
The motorcyclist pulled out a handgun and fired off several shots at the victim’s minivan before taking off northbound on Farmers Boulevard towards Merrick Boulevard, police said. According to the police, the victim was not injured but his minivan was struck at least once.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Wednesday, describing him as having a medium build. He was wearing a blue motorcycle helmet, blue bike jacket with the word “Suzuki” across the chest and ripped gray jeans.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest in the attempted assault case. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Through Oct. 8, the 113th Precinct has reported 276 felony assaults so far in 2023, 36 fewer than the 312 reported at the same point last year, a decrease of 11.5%, according to the latest CompStat report. Shooting incidents are also declining in the 113th Precinct with 11 cases so far in 2023, 13 fewer than the 24 shootings that were reported at the same point last year, a decrease on 54.2%, according to CompStat.