A Queens city councilman called out a fresh street takeover at a familiar trouble spot after motorcycle riders swarmed a Middle Village gas station and filled the intersection with smoke.
Councilman Phil Wong, who represents the district, posted footage on X showing at least a half-dozen riders revving engines and burning rubber at the Mobil station near 69th Street and Eliot Avenue last Friday night. Motorists and a city bus passed through the hazy scene as the group took over the corner.
“My office was in touch with the 104th Precinct last night regarding a group of motorcycles causing street takeover nonsense near 69th Street and Eliot Avenue,” Wong wrote Saturday on X. “Officers responded within minutes, saw the group leaving and put the information out citywide.”
The location has become a repeat target for illegal meet-ups. The same intersection saw a far larger takeover on April 18, when more than 100 vehicles clogged the streets late at night for a chaotic gathering.
That earlier incident featured cars whipping around and burning rubber, including one driver waving a Palestinian flag who nearly struck bystanders, according to police. Officers arrested 22-year-old Asil Assaidi at the scene and charged him with reckless endangerment, riot, criminal mischief and other counts.
Assaidi is due back in court on the case Oct. 19, records show.
The Friday motorcycle gathering was smaller but followed the same playbook of engine-revving and tire-smoke theatrics at the gas station corner. Wong’s quick public accounting of the police response suggested he has kept close watch on the intersection since the spring chaos.
Illegal car and motorcycle meet-ups have spread headaches well beyond Middle Village. In May, seven people were arrested at an early-morning gathering in the Eastchester section of The Bronx after police responded to reports of drag racing and an unruly mob.
Last November, a Queens homeowner and his wife were attacked by a mob at a Malba street corner where a car had been set on fire. Police charged Justin Aguilera, 19, with gang assault, riot and trespassing, and prosecutors said he was allegedly part of the group that went after the couple.
The repeat nature of the Eliot Avenue incidents has put sustained pressure on the 104th Precinct to monitor the corridor. Wong’s Saturday post emphasized the rapid police response while acknowledging the riders had already fled by the time officers arrived.
Street takeovers have drawn increasing scrutiny across New York City as crews use social media to coordinate gatherings that block traffic, damage roadways and endanger bystanders. The phenomenon has prompted stepped-up enforcement in multiple boroughs, though participants often scatter before police can make arrests.
The April 18 takeover at 69th Street and Eliot Avenue stands as one of the more volatile recent examples in Queens, with Assaidi’s flag-waving, near-miss maneuver capturing the reckless atmosphere that has drawn official condemnation. The case against him continues toward its fall court date.
Assaidi is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 19.