Nassau grand jury declines to indict man in fatal Long Island road rage case

A retired Nassau County carpenter has been cleared of killing a motorcyclist in a road rage crash on a Long Island Expressway exit ramp in North Hills after a grand jury declined to indict him on second-degree murder charges, officials said.

Brian Noll, 65, who now lives in the Allegany County town of Scio, was accused of sideswiping Ibis Baez, 29, of the Bronx, who was driving a Kawasaki road bike on April 25, 2025. Authorities initially said Noll ran over the motorcycle and then Baez, killing him. 

Noll’s defense attorney Steven Gaitman said the evidence from the black box on Noll’s Ford F-250, surveillance video from a nearby store and damage to the bike showed the retired tradesman did not intentionally hit Baez.

The two men encountered each other heading eastbound on the Long Island Expressway in North Hills, police said.

It is unclear what sparked the altercation, police said at the time. Noll and his wife, who had lived in Nassau County before moving upstate, were heading to a family party just past 2 p.m. on a Friday toward the end of April, his attorneys said. Baez, an HVAC repairman and avid fisherman, was on his way to work, his family told Newsday. 

Noll told his attorney he saw Baez speed past him in the HOV lane, driving fast, and then again farther down the highway, The two met again at the exit ramp near New Hyde Park Road, the attorney said.

The two men exchanged words on the single lane exit ramp and a witness behind them told police she saw Baez driving up beside Noll, attempting to strike him or the truck, police said.

The motorcyclist punched the driver's side rearview mirror, Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzgerald said at a news conference after the crash. The witness reported to police that she saw Noll open his door toward the cyclist and then swerve hard left, smashing the motorcycle against the guardrail. 

Gaitman said Nassau police should have done a more thorough investigation into the crash.

"We wish that they spent a little bit more time initially to investigate," he said. "I think he was under arrest within 20 minutes or so, and charged with an intentional murder."

The police department referred Newsday to the prosecutors.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said they had performed a "comprehensive investigation" and confirmed the grand jury decision.

"Our thoughts remain with Ibis Baez’s family as they mourn the tragic loss of their loved one," spokeswoman Nicole Turso said.

Noll was relieved by the news but still scarred by the experience, his attorney said.

"For the rest of my life, I will have remorse for being involved in an accident that took a young man's life," he said through his attorney. "There's nothing I can say that can bring this young man back."

Baez family members could not be reached for comment.