PHOTO COURTESY THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWSFelipe Velasquez, 21, (center) has been charged in the machete attack on a man that preceded the throwing of Molotov cocktails at police off the roof of his Richmond Hill home on April 1.
Just two days after staging a machete attack and throwing Molotov cocktails at police from the roof of his Richmond Hill home, Felipe Velasquez, 21, has been arraigned on charges of second-degree attempted murder, third-degree arson, second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief and third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
“A walk along a quiet Queens street turned into a terrorizing ordeal for a Brooklyn man when he allegedly fell prey to the machete-wielding defendant,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “The unprovoked attack was senseless — as was what followed. For several hours, the defendant allegedly held police at bay as he stood on his roof and threw bottles of flammable liquid down onto the street. His alleged actions could have resulted in death for his slashing victim and others.”
According to police, Velasquez struck his victim, 45-year-old Bernard Hoffman, on the right side of the head with the machete in front of the home Velasquez shares with his uncle at 86-23 123rd Street on Tuesday, April 1. Hoffman fended off Velasquez with an umbrella he had been carrying. He made off with the weapon and ran to a neighbor’s house to call police.
The suspect, who family members say is mentally ill and had not been taking his medications, then fled into his house, where he made his way to the roof.
By this time, officers of the 102nd Precinct had arrived in an unmarked 2004 Ford Crown Victoria.
Exiting the vehicle, they allegedly observed Velasquez on the roof holding a “Molotov cocktail” - a bottle containing a flammable liquid with a cloth wick sticking out of its neck. It is alleged that Velasquez then lit the cloth on fire and hurled the bottle at the vehicle where, on impact, the bottle exploded and set it ablaze, completely destroying it.
In total, Velasquez is alleged to have thrown seven Molotov cocktails.
The perp was taken into custody about 90 minutes after the rampage began.
Hoffman was taken to NY Hospital Queens in stable condition, where he received multiple stitches and staples to close his wound. He was released on Wednesday, April 2.
“We’re happy to God he’s alive,” Hoffman’s mother, Beatrice, said in published reports.
Velasquez, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, was ordered held without bail. His next court date is April 17.
