A 36-year-old man has been charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child after being involved in a brawl at a high school basketball game.
On Thursday night, a basketball game between Half Hollow Hill High School and Comsewogue descended into chaos after a fight broke out between the two teams.
In footage aired by News 12 Long Island, both groups of players were seen pushing, shoving and grabbing each other as the tensions from the game spilled over.
However, things turned ugly when one spectator was seen sprinting towards the melee and allegedly struck a 15-year-old Comsewogue during the brawl.
Suffolk police have identified the man as Jeffery Vernot, 36, from Wheatley Heights, according to News 12 Long Island.
The outlet report that Vernot was given an appearance ticket and will go before a judge on January 30th for his alleged involvement in the brawl.
A 36-year-old man has been charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child after being involved in a brawl at a high school basketball game (Pictured: Half Hollow Hill High School)
In the video, Vernot could be seen sprinting towards the brawl before appearing to engage with a player from Comesewogue, who was later seen stumbling around.
The fight, which occurred with just 44 seconds left in the game, was eventually broken up after a few minutes and the game was called off.
According to News 12 Long Island, all students and adults who were involved in the incident will be banned for at least two games, as per Section XI Athletics.
In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, Half Hollow Hills Superintendent of Schools John ‘Farrell said: ‘Half Hollow Hills condemns violence of any kind at our sporting events or within our schools and considers such behavior completely unacceptable.
‘We are cooperating fully with the Suffolk County Police Department as they conduct their investigation.’
Meanwhile, Comsewogue School District are conducting their own internal investigation, according to the outlet.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Comesewogue School District and the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office for comment.
