Two local men were arrested after State Police said one of them encouraged two Mahopac teenagers to fight at Somers Commons following an ongoing dispute between the juveniles.
Evad Vucetovic, 39, of Mahopac, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, both Class A misdemeanors, while Alban Gjevukaj, 37, of Carmel, was charged with second-degree harassment, a violation.
According to New York State Police, the investigation began Aug. 20 at approximately 1:34 a.m., when troopers from the Somers barracks were dispatched to Westchester Medical Center for a report of an assault involving a 14-year-old boy. The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a physical altercation, police said.
An investigation by the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in Somers determined that the incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the 14-year-old and a 15-year-old boy, both of Mahopac.
Police said the two teens had a verbal altercation Aug. 18 while at Somers Commons, 80 Route 6 in Somers. The following day, the juveniles were again at the shopping center, where the dispute escalated into a physical fight.
Following that altercation, Vucetovic and Gjevukaj were contacted and subsequently arrived at Somers Commons, according to police.
Investigators allege that Vucetovic then instructed the two teenagers to engage in another physical altercation to settle their dispute. During the incident, Gjevukaj allegedly pulled a sweatshirt over one of the juveniles' heads, police said.
Both men were arrested Aug. 21.
Vucetovic was arraigned in Somers Town Court on the two endangering the welfare of a child charges and released on his own recognizance.
Gjevukaj was also arraigned in Somers Town Court on the harassment charge and released on his own recognizance.
Article provided by NY State Police
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