John Ardolino, of South Hempstead, accused of hitting woman with vehicle in Oceanside parking lot

A South Hempstead man was charged with assault after he struck a woman with his vehicle during a parking lot altercation in Oceanside on Saturday afternoon, Nassau County police said.

John Ardolino, 41, of Fern Street, allegedly struck a 28-year-old woman who attempted to photograph his license plate after he threw a punch at her. The incident happened in the parking lot of a Long Beach Road strip mall, according to police.

Police said Ardolino had honked the horn of his Nissan at the woman and blocked her Jeep from backing out of a parking space shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday. He then exited his vehicle and banged on her window before allegedly opening the door, grabbing the woman’s arm and attempting to "strike her with a closed fist," police said.

The unidentified woman, who had left her vehicle to photograph Ardolino's license plate, was thrown from the hood of Ardolino’s vehicle after he struck her before driving off, police said. The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of neck and back pain, according to police.

Ardolino was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree menacing and leaving the scene of an accident, police said.

He pleaded not guilty in Nassau County First District Court in Hempstead on Sunday, according to court records. A temporary order of protection was issued and he was released with nonmonetary conditions.

Information on a defense attorney was not immediately available.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.