Father, son and minor indicted in family brawl on Sunrise Highway: Suffolk County DA
LINDENHURST, N.Y. (PIX11) – A father, son, and a minor were indicted Friday in connection with a caught-on-video brawl on Sunrise Highway in Lindenhurst on Dec. 20, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Officials said the ordeal began when 38-year-old Patrick O'Connor allegedly tried to attack his 32-year-old cousin with beer bottles during an argument inside a Centereach restaurant on Dec. 17. Several days later, on Dec. 20, Patrick O'Connor and the cousin ran into each other again in Hauppauge, officials said, and the cousin and his father followed O'Connor's truck to Sunrise Highway in Lindenhurst.
Officials said James O'Connor, Patrick O'Connor's 19-year-old son, allegedly brought his three younger siblings — ages 16, 12, and 4 — to Sunrise Highway and rammed his car into the truck the cousin was in. The car flipped onto its side, and none of the children inside the car were injured, according to authorities.
After the crash, Patrick O'Connor allegedly started beating the cousin on the head with a wooden stick, officials said. James O'Connor then allegedly started assaulting the cousin while Patrick O'Connor and the minor sibling continued to attack him with wooden sticks, according to authorities.
Officials said the cousin's brother showed up at the scene and was allegedly attacked in the same way. Some bystanders intervened in the fight, and Patrick O'Connor, James O'Connor and the three children fled the scene, according to authorities.
One of the victims needed staples to his head, suffered two black eyes, and had bruising and pain in his shoulder and back, officials said. The other had a cut on his lip, bruising and cuts to his hands and head and back pain, according to authorities.
James O'Connor was charged with assault, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, and leaving the scene of an incident. Patrick O'Connor was charged with assault, attempted assault and menacing.
Officials said the minor was charged with assault.
All three were arraigned and ordered to be held on $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. Patrick O'Connor and the minor are expected back in court on Jan. 17, while James O'Connor is due in court on Jan. 23.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.