BROOKLYN, NY – A Long Island man who used his car to strike a woman on a Brooklyn sidewalk before ramming an MTA bus in a violent daytime rampage was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison for attempted murder.
Jason Schaal, 43, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree attempted murder after admitting he intentionally drove his Toyota Prius into a 38-year-old woman, then crashed into a city bus in Downtown Brooklyn.
The woman suffered head injuries but survived.
Schaal also tried to flip the bus with passengers onboard.
Court officers and civilians stopped him as he fled the scene.
The incident unfolded just after 3 p.m. on August 15 near Willoughby and Jay Streets, where Schaal suddenly veered onto the sidewalk, striking the pedestrian who was standing on the corner. He then continued driving through the busy area, ultimately slamming his vehicle into an MTA bus at Boerum Place and Livingston Street.
Schaal jumped from the vehicle and ran toward Brooklyn Criminal Court, where he was tackled by witnesses and officers nearby. He reportedly confessed on the spot to intentionally striking the woman and attempting to overturn the bus.
The pedestrian was taken to Methodist Hospital with cuts to her head. The MTA bus driver also sustained neck and back pain and was treated at the same hospital. No passengers were seriously hurt. The motive for the attack was not disclosed by prosecutors.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jane Tully handed down the nine-year prison term Friday. Schaal, of Riverhead, New York, will serve his time under supervision following his release.