Police in Inwood are being retrained on pursuit protocols after officers in an NYPD cruiser drove through a closed street where elementary school students were holding recess, Gothamist has learned.
The pursuit occurred on Oct. 22 after noon, just as kindergarten and first-grade students at the Muscota New School were lining up in the road to be released for recess, according to interviews and the NYPD’s press office. Muscota and the colocated Amistad Dual Language School hold recess in the street because the building’s playground has been closed for renovations since January.
Two suspects on a moped slowly cruised by the students, according to parents who spoke to Gothamist. Someone moved a metal barrier for the police officers, who then sped through the closed street, alarming staff who scrambled to protect the kids. That account was corroborated by notes from a meeting last week between school parents and community affairs officers from the NYPD's 34th Precinct.
One parent, Adam Blazej, said in an interview that his son in first grade told him the police car ran over chalk left in the street for kids to play with. The pursuit, his son said, “felt close."
“It’s troubling for anyone to hear that there was effectively a police chase through your child’s play yard,” said Blazej. “The NYPD should not be pursuing individuals through areas where there are students.”
In response to the episode, rank-and-file officers and supervisors in the 34th Precinct are being retrained on the protocols surrounding pursuits, according to notes from the meeting. The suspects escaped, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the training on pursuit protocols.
The education department said it sent additional resources to the school after the police chase, which shook students and staff.
The moped riders were suspected of snatching a 17-year-old boy’s chain from his neck at gunpoint only an hour prior in the Bronx, the police spokesperson wrote in an email. The gun was fired during the confrontation, though no one was injured.
The episode is the latest example of a dramatic increase in police pursuits under Mayor Eric Adams. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell has ordered police to more aggressively pursue fleeing suspects. So far this year, there have been 1,199 police pursuits. In all of 2019, there were 60 police pursuits, according to Gothamist's analysis of public data on NYPD entries in the 911 call system.
"People thinking they can take off on us, those days are over," Chell said at a July 2023 press conference. “The days of driving around this city lawless, doing what you’re thinking you’re going to do, it’s over.”
But the incident at the Muscota New School appeared to be too aggressive for NYPD leadership.
“A bad decision was made but policy was not broken,” a community affairs officer told parents, according to notes from the meeting on Oct. 28.
The notes indicate that the pursuit was “terminated” shortly after the cruiser drove through the closed street. An officer soon returned to the school “to see if anyone was hurt,” according to the meeting notes, which detail the rapid sequence of events. A “visibly angry” staffer told the officer everyone was OK.
At the meeting, community affairs officers told parents the suspects were wanted in connection with a series of gunpoint robberies of cellphones.
After the incident, police placed additional wooden barricades at the closed street. On Monday, the barricades were in place, along with signs indicating the road was closed on school days. Unoccupied police cars with flashing lights were parked at both ends of the block.
"The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority,” said city education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle. “Following this incident, additional supports were established at this school to ensure that parents and students had the resources they need to feel safe at school."
Muscota held recess indoors for two days after the incident and offered mental health counseling for adults and children.
Muscota and the co-located Amistad Dual Language School hold recess on a block of Academy Street because the building's playground is closed for renovations.
“I have been really impressed by the school's response,” said parent Leigh Ross.
Muscota Principal Alli Maltz credited the staff in the street for following their training for emergencies that put kids in danger. The students remained quiet, obeyed adults’ instructions and quickly got to safety, according to the notes.
“[They] reassured them that they are safe and protected inside the school building and whatever happened outside is far from them now. They also reassured them that all the adults around them will do everything they can to ensure their safety always, in and out of the school building," Maltz wrote in an email to parents in the hours after the incident. "They validated their feelings of fear, worry and confusion but also told them how proud they were of how they handled the situation."
Education department officials said there is a meeting scheduled this week to explore other outdoor spaces where children can play until the playground reopens.
But parents said they were concerned about how long the playground renovations have taken.
“Although no students or staff were injured, this incident was deeply concerning and needed further attention to prevent a similar scenario in the future,” City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, who represents Inwood, said in an email. She called the closed playground the “root cause” of the incident.
“Playgrounds — not a street — are intended to be the ideal, safe location for students to release energy and seek a respite in their day, and this project must be completed without further delay,” wrote De La Rosa.
Liam Quigley contributed reporting
