LI 16-Year-Old Indicted For Intentionally Running Over 2 Youths: DA

BRENTWOOD, NY — A 16-year-old was indicted in court Thursday after prosecutors said he intentionally ran over and injured two youths with his vehicle in Brentwood last month.

Christopher Hernandez, of Brentwood, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, one count of reckless endangerment and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

On Dec. 9, Hernandez drove a 1996 Honda Civic on Third Street when – on two separate occasions – he intentionally struck two youths who were walking on the opposite side of the street, prosecutors said.

The teen intentionally sought out the victims, and when he found them, sped and made a U-turn on Third Street, prosecutors said. He then drove on the wrong side of the road to intentionally hit them, Tierney's office said.

Hernandez traveled fast enough that when he struck the minors, the vehicle only came to a stop after crashing into another vehicle at the intersection of Third Avenue, prosecutors said.

The impact threw the first youth about 30 feet, landing in the yard of a home. That minor suffered a compound fracture to his leg, officials said.

The second youth was thrown about 40 feet and landed on the opposite sidewalk. That minor suffered two broken shoulders and a broken wrist.

Both were taken to a hospital.

“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,” said Tierney. “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.”

During the course of an investigation, police collected surveillance footage from the area, which captured the collisions with both pedestrians and the collision at the intersection of Third Street and Third Avenue.

Hernandez' bail was set at $350,000 cash, $750,000 bond, and $1.5 million
partially secured bond, officials said.