NYC Council staffer allegedly assaulted by contractor at controversial battery storage site

Councilman Phil Wong (D-30th District) is calling for an investigation after one of his staffers was allegedly assaulted by contractors at a controversial new lithium-ion battery facility in Queens. The incident occurred at the construction site at 69th Place, near 65th Drive, in Middle Village.

According to Wong, his staff member, Bernie Chow, 59, was allegedly shoved to the ground by the president of GA Industries, a contractor for the storage site owned by NineDot Energy. The altercation took place while Chow was filming the active job site as Department of Buildings workers were serving a “partial stop work order.”

Chow returned to the site the following day and was allegedly shoved and tackled to the pavement by a different contractor. The shocking altercation was caught on video and left Chow with a head injury that he did not notice until about 20 minutes after the incident. He was taken to the hospital where he was monitored overnight and has since been released.

The NYPD has confirmed that investigations are ongoing into both incidents, and no arrests have been made. Wong condemned the violence, stating that ignoring stop work orders and responding with intimidation and violence towards public officials should never be tolerated.

The Department of Buildings shut down the project’s operations indefinitely after observing violations of the stop work order and opened an investigation into the contractor. The City Council Union has offered its support to Wong’s staffer, emphasizing that no one should face violence for doing their job.

Both GA Industries and the Department of Buildings have not responded to requests for comment on the matter. The situation remains under investigation, and Wong is determined to seek justice for his staffer who was assaulted while performing his duties.