For years now, residents of Malba and the surrounding neighborhoods have been plagued by persistent disruptions caused by illegal street racers tearing through their streets in the early hours of the morning. But everything came to a head the Sunday night just before Thanksgiving, and everyone from locals to elected officials have spoken out against the threat these illegal activities pose to their communities.
On Nov. 23, a group of around 50 individuals tore through the neighborhood of Malba in the early hours of the morning: making donuts through the residential streets, burning a car and even assaulting two home owners, both aged 50. This incident comes with a history of complaints made by community members on the influx of street racing groups, comprised mostly out of younger individuals, who congregate in North East Flushing due to the abundance of wider roads and open parking lots. On Dec. 4, officers of the 109th Precinct arrested Justin Aguilera, a 19 year old from Far Rockaway, for the crime and faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty, and the Malba community approved that something had been done to curb the dangerous drivers’ activities.
“I don’t know what’s going through the mind of certain young people, but without consequences, you’ll have more bad behavior,” said a former police officer and community member referred to as Weiner. “I would hate to see anybody throw their life away, but the fact of the matter is this was elevated to a situation where somebody could have lost their life.”
The car meet ups have become a common occurrence in the residential neighborhoods that begin innocently enough with some minor traffic blockages and general noise complaints. Typically, the groups meet within parking garages, but often block off entire sections of roads and parking lots. Jennifer Shannon, the president of Better College Point Civic Association, said that the groups began appearing in her neighborhood during the COVID-19 pandemic. First doing donuts in the Target parking lot, then Home Depot and another incident where the drag racers complexly blocked off Linden Place. After each instance, NYC DOT would either block off the lots with gates or install speed bumps in on the roads. Shannon stated that one member of the community accidently drove onto the street the group was racing down, but the individuals present actually halted their speeding and guided him through the area without incident…