Man Gets 18 Years In Tire-Iron Beating of Local Cop

A Howard Beach man was sentenced to 18 years in prison last week for the savage beating of an off-duty Forest Hills police officer.

The incident, which happened in 2009, left police officer Damien Bartels in serious condition, and sent him to an eleven-hour surgery that included having titanium plates inserted in his skull and rods placed in his eye sockets.

Bartels eventually had to have a second surgery because of difficulty breathing brought on by his injuries.

The defendant, Joseph Meyer, did not act alone, but his cohorts in the attack — which took place at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge — were never apprehended.

In a story written at the time, the Forum News said Meyer used a tire iron in the early morning attack, which was cited as a road rage incident. The report also said Bartels was stationed at the at the time.

According to the District Attorney, the incident started when a passenger in Bartels’ car yelled at Meyer and his friends to clear the road as the light at the bottom of the bridge turned green.

“The defendant viciously attacked and seriously injured an off-duty police officer, his actions sparked by words uttered at a traffic incident,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “The crimes for which he was justly convicted are serious ones and, under the circumstances, the lengthy prison sentence imposed is warranted.”

Meyer, Brown said, admitted to the attack after being linked to the crime scene by a fingerprint on the victim’s car.

He was convicted on November 17, 2011.