Suffolk Mom Who Ran Over Teen, 'Trying To Kill Him, Indicted: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Shirley woman faces upgraded charges unveiled in an indictment Monday in connection with intentionally hitting a 15-year-old boy with her car in the parking lot of a bagel shop outside of a high school last year, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Jennifer Nelson, 35, was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in serious physical injury.

Nelson drove her 2020 Honda Passport to Dunkin’ across from William Floyd High School on Oct. 7, 2022, believing that students who took part in a robbery targeting her son earlier in the day, were still there in the parking lot, and she wanted to confront them, prosecutors said.

Once there, she threatened a group of students while waving a knife and a small bat, prosecutors, said, adding, that during the incident, the teen left the parking lot and walked across the street to the parking lot of Manhattan Bagel.

She then got back into her vehicle, left the parking lot, crossed Mastic Road, and then went in the parking lot of Manhattan Bagel at a high rate of speed, and drove directly at the teen who was standing in the parking lot and Nelson’s vehicle struck him, causing him to fall onto the ground, prosecutors said.

Nelson proceeded to drive over the teen, up onto a curb, reversed, drove over the teen again, and then left, prosecutors said, adding that later that night, Nelson traded her 2020 Honda Passport in for a newer model, even though her lease was not set to expire.

The teen suffered serious physical injury, including multiple fractures of the pelvis, six fractured ribs, a punctured lung, as well as numerous bruises and abrasions, prosecutors said.

District Attorney Ray Tierney said, "This defendant — an adult — allegedly thought she could take the law into her own hands and tried to kill a 15-year-old in the process. This defendant’s incredibly misguided attempt to avenge the alleged victimization of her own child is no excuse. Citizens cannot take the law into their own hands, and should instead work with law enforcement and my office to seek justice in every case.”

The DA’s office had recommended bail set at $250,000 cash, $1 million bond, or $2.5 million partially-secured bond, but Nelson was released on her own recognizance following her arraignment.

In an email to Patch, her attorney, Paul D’Emilia on Manhattan, referred to the DA's news release as "unfortunate and misleading," saying that it was a characterization echoed in court earlier, and that "is precisely why" Judge [Timothy] Mazzei "summarily disregarded the people’s outrageous bail request and released Ms. Nelson on her recognizance. "

The DA has tried "to conflate two separate events from that day as one continuous occurrence," D'Emilia wrote.

"Ms. Nelson received a frantic telephone call from her son who was, once again, being bullied and physically assaulted in a parking lot outside William Floyd High School," he said. "Ms. Nelson, a long-time National Grid, employee rushed out of work and drove to retrieve her son."

Nelson found him "shoeless and surrounded by tormentors when she drove up a few minutes later," he continued.

"After fending off her son’s attackers she drove to both the junior high school, as well as the senior high school, to report the incident and also try to retrieve her son’s sneakers," he said, adding, "Close to two hours later she headed back home with her son in the car."

A group of males were running through the streets and one of them received injuries after striking Nelson’s car, according to D'Emilia.

She did not see nor recognize the young man who was injured, he said.

"Completely taken by surprise, Ms. Nelson did not see the young man running towards her car," he said. "The young man rose and ran off after the incident. The District Attorney is aware of this long and unrelated sequence and should have been forthcoming with that fact in its presentation to the court and the media."

"Ms. Nelson intends to vigorously fight these charges while also seeking protection of her child from unresponsive school officials," he said. "Ms. Nelson is a single mom caring for her only child with no other support or help."

She is due back in court on March 21.