Brentwood boy, 16, accused of intentionally hitting 2 people with car

A Suffolk County grand jury indicted a 16-year-old Brentwood boy Thursday with attempted murder after prosecutors said he intentionally struck two people with his car.

The teen was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury.

Prosecutors said the teen struck two people in separate incidents with his 1996 Honda Civic while they were walking on the opposite side of Third Street in Brentwood.

“It is alleged that this defendant sought out his two victims and used his vehicle to intentionally strike them as they walked defenselessly on the streets of Brentwood,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “Accidentally striking a pedestrian is bad enough, but using your car as a weapon to intentionally harm others is outrageous and will not be tolerated.”

Authorities said the teen sought out the victims and made a U-turn to strike them while speeding on the wrong side of the road. Authorities said he finally stopped after crashing into another car at the intersection with Third Avenue after hitting the pedestrians.

The first victim flew 30-feet into a neighbor’s yard and suffered a compound fracture in his leg after they were hit by the Honda, a news release from the district attorney's office said.

The second victim was thrown 40 feet onto the opposite sidewalk after being hit by the car. That person broke both shoulders and a broken wrist, prosecutors said.

Police identified the driver through surveillance footage of both victims struck by the Honda and the crash between the driver and another vehicle at Third Street and Third Avenue.

The teen appeared before a Family Court judge Thursday where bail was set at $350,000 cash, $750,000 bond or $1.5 million partially secured bond.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.