A Coram woman has been indicted for attempting to kill a woman by hitting her with her car after the pair fought with each other in a parking lot in Bellport.
On October 26, shortly after 3:30 a.m., Philomena Mistretta was sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2004 White Toyota Sienna when she allegedly was involved in a verbal dispute with the victim — a 63-year-old woman — who was standing next to the passenger side of the vehicle. The argument, at the parking lot of Miracle Plaza off Montauk Highway in Bellport, escalated after Mistretta got out of her vehicle and then got into a physical altercation with the victim. Mistretta then allegedly returned into her vehicle, backed up, angled her car toward the victim, and then drove over her, dragging the victim for a short distance.
The victim was transported to Long Island Community Hospital with lacerations to her skull. Suffolk County Police officers arrested Mistretta at the scene.
On November 7, Mistretta, 51, was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz for the following charges contained in the indictment:
- one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony
- one count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a Class C violent felony
- one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony
Horowitz ordered Mistretta held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 or $750,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Mistretta is due back in court on December 10 and faces 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
“Using a vehicle as a weapon demonstrates a shocking disregard for human life. Fortunately, the victim in this particular case survived, but the alleged actions here serve as a stark reminder that rage behind a wheel can be just as dangerous as rage behind a loaded gun,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Today’s indictment reflects the seriousness of these allegations.”