John Chell told Newsmax on Tuesday that a violent car meet-up incident in the Malba neighborhood of Queens over the weekend represented a serious failure of policing optics and raised concerns about how the city will respond to similar crimes in the months ahead.
Chell, the New York Police Department's chief of department from 2024-25, addressed reports of the attack late Saturday in which a group of about 40 individuals — described by investigators as coming from the Bronx — flooded into the quiet waterfront community.
Videos from the scene showed a mob setting cars on fire and violently confronting residents, including a husband and wife who were surrounded on their front lawn. Malba is one of Queens' most exclusive neighborhoods, with home prices commonly exceeding $2 million.
Chell was pressed on "Finnerty" as to why it reportedly took officers 30 minutes to reach the scene despite the NYPD's resources and the high-profile nature of the neighborhood.
"Well, this happens quite often in New York City, and we've gotten much better at handling these type of situations," Chell said, noting the department has reduced such car meet-up activity "over 150% in the last three or four years."
But he emphasized that Saturday's response fell short.
"Response time — well, that's a great excuse," he said. "And it does happen. But from a supervisory level on the street ... you've got to do a better job. The optics here are horrible. It's bad for the community. This can never happen."
Chell said incidents like the Malba attack feed dangerous perceptions about public disorder that extend far beyond New York.
"Anyone in the country who saw that video says, what the hell is going on?" he said, adding the behavior shown in the videos reflects a broader problem – "No consequences ... this is what erodes public safety in a city."
He also expressed concern about public safety leadership under the incoming administration of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who announced his public-safety transition committee earlier Tuesday.
"When you bring in a new mayor who just named this community public safety team today and see who he put on that team, it's very disturbing," Chell said. "The recipe is not good, and the clock starts in January."
Chell warned that cities nationwide face similar risks if officials downplay disorder.
"This can happen anywhere," he said. "We might have taken a loss that night. But we cannot have many losses whatsoever. The city is dependent on this department."
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