Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Assault Charges Dropped For Fruit Vendor After Video Reveals Cop Lied
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 14, 2015
Modified Feb 14, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 14, 2015
Modified Feb 14, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Sunset Park fruit vendor who was charged with assault and resisting arrest in September after an alleged altercation with police has been exonerated, thanks to a cell phone video showing an NYPD officer kicking him without provocation.
Jonathan Daza was arrested on September 14th, after cops attempted to disperse a group of vendors at a street fair whose permit had expired. Officers claimed that Daza and his sister assaulted officers after they were confronted, but a cell phone video showed an officer kicking him and walking away.
That officer, Vincent Ciardiello, was suspended just a few days after Daza's arrest, but it took prosecutors five months to dismiss the case against the vendor. According to a report in The Brooklyn Paper, the cop who accused Daza of assault had never witnessed such a crime, despite filling out a deposition swearing he did.
An assistant district attorney filled out a separate document confirming that cop's account, even though he or she had seen the video proving Daza's innocence. "They seem to have completely ignored the video at first, although the [assistant district attorney] confirmed to me that he’d seen it,” Daza's attorney, Rebecca Heinegg, told the paper. “It wasn’t until I submitted a motion and the video to the court and the ADA’s supervisors that they looked into it and came up with the memo."
Charges are also expected to be dropped against Wendy Daza, Daza's sister. The NYPD accused her of shoving an officer, though they now claim they meant to charge a different woman.
Ciardiello was suspended for 30 days, and has since returned to the force, though he is currently on modified duty.
Tagged
Bill Bratton
brooklyn
jonathan daza
nypd
police brutality
resisting arrest
sunset park
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .