Queens, NY – A Bayside man who drove the wrong way on the Clearview Expressway during rush hour has been sentenced to eight years in prison after smashing into cars and injuring two people.
Joseph Lee, 30, was convicted in June of multiple assault charges and reckless driving for the January crash.
He later admitted to police that he had taken DMT shortly before the rampage and said he wanted to hurt people.
According to trial testimony, Lee entered the Clearview Expressway at approximately 9:19 a.m. on January 18 and drove a minivan northbound in the southbound lanes during peak traffic. Swerving deliberately into oncoming vehicles, he collided with five cars and left two drivers seriously injured.
Witnesses told investigators they watched in shock as Lee continued his chaotic path, eventually abandoning his vehicle and running down the highway. He then jumped into one of the crash victim’s cars and raised his fist at the occupant, allegedly saying, “You want to fight?”
Officers who arrived on scene found Lee behaving erratically and exhibiting signs of drug use. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later admitted to consuming DMT — a powerful hallucinogen — roughly 30 to 60 minutes before the crash. In statements to police, Lee said he intentionally entered the highway the wrong way and described feeling “liberated” by what he had done.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning a guilty verdict on charges of attempted assault in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and reckless driving. Trial proceedings began on June 5 and concluded with summations on June 17.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael J. Hartofilis sentenced Lee on Wednesday to eight years in prison for the top charge, with concurrent sentences of six years on each assault count and 364 days for reckless driving.
District Attorney Melinda Katz said Lee “terrorized” drivers and commended her Vehicular Homicide Unit for securing the conviction.
