A New York City Council staffer was allegedly assaulted twice this week at the construction site of a controversial lithium-ion battery facility in Queens, according to Councilman Phil Wong.
Wong, representing the 30th District, stated that his staff member, Bernie Chow, 59, was allegedly shoved to the ground by the president of GA Industries, a contractor for the NineDot Energy-owned facility, on Wednesday. This incident occurred as Department of Buildings workers were present to serve a "partial stop work order."
According to Wong's office, Chow was documenting activity from the public sidewalk when the alleged assault took place, resulting in a head injury. The following day, Chow allegedly returned to the site and was then shoved and tackled by a different contractor, an event reportedly captured on video. Following this second alleged assault, Chow experienced a head injury that he did not notice until approximately 20 minutes after authorities had left the scene. He was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he was monitored overnight before his release.
The New York Police Department confirmed that investigations are ongoing for both incidents, with two harassment complaints filed. No arrests have been made.
"Ignoring Stop Work Orders and responding with intimidation and violence when public officials are performing oversight should never be tolerated," Wong said in a statement. "No contractor is above the law."
The Department of Buildings subsequently shut down the project's operations indefinitely after observing violations of the stop work order and initiated an investigation into the contractor, Wong claimed.
The City Council Union issued a statement supporting Wong's staffer, stating, "City Council staff work every day to support constituents. No one should face violence for doing their job. We’re wishing our colleague a full and speedy recovery."
GA Industries and the Department of Buildings did not immediately respond to requests for comment.