NYPD detective found guilty after Somers road rage incident

SOMERS, N.Y. - An off-duty New York City police detective who had pointed a loaded gun at a group of teenagers and threatened to kill them during a 2025 road rage incident in Somers has been found guilty, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced this week.

John O’Connell, 37, of Patterson, was convicted in a non-jury trial presided over by Somers Town Justice Michael J. McDermott on Tuesday, June 30, of three counts each of Menacing in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor; Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor; Menacing in the Third Degree, a class B misdemeanor; and Harassment in the Second Degree, a violation.

He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and a five-year permanent order of protection for each of the victims was issued, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

After the arrest, O’Connell was temporarily suspended from the force. His current status wasn't known at press time.

“The defendant's lethal threats against three of our community's children have left scars that will stay with them for years. No criminal conviction can erase the enduring trauma of a loaded firearm that is pointed in your direction,” Cacace said, adding that she hoped the verdict would provide the “victims and their parents with a sense of closure.”

“There is simply no excuse for escalating a traffic dispute into criminal harassment, especially when the perpetrator is responsible for utilizing de-escalation techniques within his law enforcement service,” she said.

According to the district attorney, on Aug. 28, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., three 16-year-old Westchester and Putnam residents were traveling east in Somers when they came to a sudden halt due to changing traffic patterns.

O’Connell, operating a 2024 Honda that he had been driving behind the teens, was also forced to brake suddenly.

He then drove across the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic and pulled up alongside the teens, rolled down his passenger-side window and yelled at them, “I have a gun” and "I'm going to (expletive) kill you" while pointing a loaded Glock 19 pistol, his service weapon, at each of the teens, Cacace said.

The defendant continued to drive in an aggressive manner toward the teens before they were able to break off and call the police, she added.

The case was investigated by the New York State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Edward Barrett and Marina Fedak of the Northern Westchester Branch.