A Long Island, New York, mother has been acquitted in a split verdict following her trial, which included charges of attempted murder and assault, after she was captured on camera running over a teen prosecutors said she believed was bullying her child.
Jennifer Nelson, 36, was cleared of the major charges that carried potential sentences of five to 25 years but was found criminally responsible for leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries.
Nelson was accused of maliciously running over Jonathan Gamez, 15, two hours after she brandished a knife and threatened a group of teens on Oct. 7, 2022.
According to testimony during the trial, the kids cut school and loitered around businesses in Long Island’s Mastic district. While hanging out, someone stole Nelson’s son’s Adidas Ye slides while he was outside of a Dunkin’ Donuts near William Floyd High School.
After hearing and reviewing the evidence, the jury deliberated for less than four hours.
Uncertain about aspects of the trial, they requested a testimony readback from an individual who witnessed the crash. They also asked for a review of the assault and leaving-the-scene charges from Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei.
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Juror No. 5, who agreed to speak to the press on the promise of anonymity, said the jury mainly deliberated on whether to convict Nelson on the assault charge.
Witnesses testified that Nelson’s car accelerated through a bagel shop parking lot on Mastic Road. As she revved up, she hit Gamez as he dashed toward the store. Other drivers also saw Nelson driving over the teen, mounting a curb, and then reversing in a way that trapped the boy’s body beneath her tires once more. She allegedly ran over him twice.
Gamez suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs, and a punctured lung.
Juror No. 5 said they wanted to hear more testimony from witnesses during the trial and see more evidence of the actual accident.
The prosecution presented both cellphone and surveillance footage of the attack on Nelson’s son and her subsequent confrontation with the teens. None of the videos showed the mother running over the boy. A detective testified that pole cameras, potentially showing more of the incident, were inoperative due to a cyberattack on county computers.
Juror No. 5 said the lack of video evidence that actually captured the crash complicated the conviction on severe charges like attempted murder.
“Leading up to it was filmed, but it was the boiling point we missed,” the juror said.
The jury was split on determining the mother’s guilt but did agree that she should not have left the scene of the accident. Many did not believe the eyewitness who said he saw her purposefully hit Gamez.
The mother also took the stand during the trial, saying that after the accident, she heard a thump and believed someone ran into the side of her Honda Passport.
She said she saw the person stand up and start running. In her opinion, the person did not seem to be injured, so she went home with her child.
“I would have called the police if I knew I hit someone,” she said.
Nelson said she and her son had been trying to stay positive since the incident, and she was indicted in February 2023.
“I’m just happy I finally got to tell my son’s story, and I appreciate the jury for their decision,” Nelson told Newsday after the verdict was announced.
The Suffolk County District’s office also issued a statement after the verdict. “We respect the jury’s verdict and are gratified that they found the defendant criminally liable for her unconscionable treatment of the victim,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said about the verdict.”
