An off-duty NYPD detective from Patterson has been found guilty of threatening three teenagers with his service weapon during a road-rage clash in Somers, wrapping up a high-profile case that started on a late-summer night in northern Westchester.
John O'Connell, 37, was convicted Wednesday in Somers Town Court in a non-jury trial after prosecutors said he pointed a loaded service pistol at three 16-year-olds on Route 6 on Aug. 28, 2025. The verdict covered 12 misdemeanor counts, including three counts each of second-degree menacing, third-degree menacing, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, as reported by Daily Voice. Prosecutors said sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
How Prosecutors Say It Unfolded
According to prosecutors, the confrontation kicked off around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 28, 2025, when the car carrying the three teens braked suddenly on Route 6 and O'Connell, driving a 2024 Honda behind them, reacted badly. Court documents say he pulled his car alongside theirs, rolled down the passenger-side window and showed a loaded Glock 19, as detailed in earlier coverage of the alleged road-rage standoff.
Prosecutors say O'Connell then crossed the double yellow line, pointed the pistol at each of the three teenagers and shouted that he had a gun. According to court filings, he also told them, "I'm going to f****** kill you" before the teens were able to drive away and call police.
Legal Consequences
Under New York law, pulling a gun to scare someone can move a case straight into menacing territory. Menacing in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor and menacing in the third degree is a class B misdemeanor, under Menacing in the Second Degree (PL §120.14) and Menacing in the Third Degree (PL §120.15). Endangering the welfare of a child is also classified as a class A misdemeanor in New York, under Penal Law §260.10, and the state's general misdemeanor sentencing framework, which can include jail time for class A counts, is laid out in Penal Law §70.15.
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace publicly condemned O'Connell's conduct and praised the teenagers for how they handled the incident, according to Patch. The NYPD suspended O'Connell after his arrest, and prosecutors said protective orders were issued for the three teens. The judge has not yet set a sentencing date, Daily Voice reported.
O'Connell is scheduled to return to Somers Town Court for sentencing. Separately, the NYPD's internal disciplinary process will decide what happens to his job following the convictions. Orders of protection for the teenage victims remain in place while the local court works out the sentencing calendar.
