A Long Island man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for throwing cinderblocks from an overpass onto the highway below, hitting at least two cars and permanently injuring a woman below.
Andrew Denton, 19, of East Meadow, was convicted in May of assault, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the incidents, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.
Denton and another man, Jacob Palant, threw cinderblocks and bricks at cars from a Meadowbrook Parkway overpass bridge in Uniondale twice on Dec. 26, 2015 -- once in the afternoon and again in the evening. The pair had to hurl the blocks over the bridge’s high fence, which was meant to prevent objects being thrown at cars, according to Singas.
They didn't hit any cars the first time, but in the evening, they hit a BMW being driven by a 21-year-old man. The driver's 22-year-old girlfriend was sitting in the passenger seat, and the shattered glass cut her lip and left eye, prosecutors said. Her cornea was permanently scarred, and she continues to suffer blurry vision and can no longer drive at night. The driver suffered cuts and bruises on his shoulder.
Another brick Denton and Palant threw hit the side and roof of a Jeep, just missing the windshield and the 23-year-old woman driving inside. The car sustained around $5,000 in damages, according to Singas.
The week after the incidents, state police arrested Denton and Palant. Palant will receive his sentence in September, where he faces five to 25 years in prison.
“Andrew Denton and his co-defendant risked killing innocent people and caused permanent injuries,” Singas said. “This senseless crime will not be tolerated and warrants a lengthy prison sentence because of the depravity of the defendants’ actions.”
