What Happened
Jatinderpal Singh, 26, a former NYPD officer from Valley Stream, was arraigned Wednesday on a 14-count indictment charging him with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, tampering with physical evidence, and related offenses, according to Newsday. The charges stem from a hit-and-run crash at Rockaway Boulevard and 122nd Place in South Ozone Park, Queens, early on March 14, 2026.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Singh was driving a friend’s Cadillac Escalade at a “high rate of speed” through the intersection when he struck a 22-year-old woman who was crossing the street. Singh had a friend and at least one other passenger in the SUV. He allegedly fled without stopping to render aid.
The woman was knocked unconscious by the impact. She suffered internal injuries, lost her spleen, and had pins placed in her legs, Katz said. Newsday reported the injuries as severe.
The day after the crash, Singh directed one of the other SUV passengers to take the Cadillac Escalade to a repair shop in Centereach for repairs, according to Katz. Investigators also charged that Singh told a passenger to delete phone photos that showed Singh at the wheel of the SUV, and separately instructed another passenger to lie to police and withhold cooperation from the investigation.
Singh never reported the crash to his NYPD superiors, which department procedure requires of officers involved in collisions, according to Newsday. He resigned from the NYPD in May 2026, roughly six weeks before prosecutors announced the indictment.
Location & Road Context
Rockaway Boulevard and 122nd Place sit in the South Ozone Park section of Queens, roughly two miles east of the Queens–Nassau county line. The boulevard is a heavily traveled surface road connecting southern Queens to Nassau County. The intersection where the crash occurred has no direct highway ramp access; pedestrian crossings are at street level. For more on Queens–Nassau border road conditions, see Long Island Traffic’s roads index.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Singh was arraigned Wednesday before Queens State Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone. Vallone ordered bail at $500,000 cash, $1 million secured bond, or $2 million partially secured bond, according to a spokesman for DA Katz. Defense attorney Kenneth B. Russo declined to comment on the case but told Newsday that Singh expected to post bail Thursday, September 3.
The 14-count indictment includes the tampering and obstruction conduct, meaning prosecutors are charging the cover-up separately from the underlying crash. If convicted on the top count, second-degree assault, Singh faces up to 7 years in prison. Vallone ordered Singh to return to Queens court on September 24, 2026.
Broader Impact
Second-degree assault under New York Penal Law § 120.05 — the most serious charge Singh faces — carries a maximum sentence of 7 years. That is the ceiling prosecutors are working toward here. The tampering-with-physical-evidence count, drawn from conduct the day after the crash, adds a separate exposure that the evidence-deletion and repair-shop directions directly support.