Police: West Babylon man arrested for menacing and endangering welfare of child

The boy's friends pleaded for him to stop as cellphone video caught part of the confrontation.

News 12 Staff

Mar 4, 2022, 10:27 AM

Updated 945 days ago

Share:

A man was arrested for allegedly menacing and endangering the welfare of a child in West Babylon on Wednesday.
Police say a 13-year-old boy was walking with five friends on Tuesday from one of their houses on 14th Avenue toward the playground at Tooker Elementary School.
The boy then knocked on the door and ran.
Police say the owner of that home, 48-year-old John Petrillo, ran out and chased the boy in his car.
They say the man pulled the boy off of his bike and banged the boy's head against the car window and displayed pepper spray. Petrillo then also allegedly threatened to have his dog attack the child.
The boy's friends pleaded for him to stop as cellphone video caught part of the confrontation.
One person is heard saying, "You don't need to hurt him, he's a child."
A passerby stepped in and Petrillo released the boy, reportedly threatening him as he left.
Police arrested Petrillo early Friday and he was arraigned on charges of menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.
In a direct message exchange on Instagram, Petrillo responded to a user's question about the incident.
He wrote "Someone hit my front door...sounded like a bowling ball went through my front door."
Petrillo wrote the sound scared him and that he didn't want the child on his property.
An MTA spokesperson confirms to News 12 that Petrillo works for the Long Island Rail Road, but the company had no comment about his arrest.