FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Long Island Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Attempted Murder for Deliberately Hitting Woman with His Car, Attempting to Flip MTA Bus
Defendant Drove into Pedestrian, Then Bus in Broad Daylight Attack
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Long Island Man was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to murder a woman by intentionally crashing into her with his car and then ramming into an MTA bus in Downtown Brooklyn.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This was a chilling, premeditated attack on a woman simply walking down the street. The defendant used his car as a weapon and endangered dozens of other pedestrians on a busy street corner. Thanks to the quick actions of witnesses and court officers, he was stopped and is now being held accountable for this violent crime.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jason Schaal, 43, of Riverhead, New York. He was sentenced today to nine years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jane Tully. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder on July 25, 2025.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on August 15, 2023, at approximately 3:18 p.m., the defendant was driving a 2012 Toyota Prius on Willoughby Street near Jay Street when he turned sharply onto the sidewalk, striking a 38-year-old woman standing on the corner.
The defendant continued driving erratically through Downtown Brooklyn, ultimately plowing into an MTA bus at the intersection of Boerum Place and Livingston Street.
The defendant exited the vehicle and attempted to flee but was apprehended by civilians and court officers located at Brooklyn Criminal Court. While in custody, the defendant admitted to officers that he intentionally struck the victim and tried to flip over the bus.
The victim suffered cuts to the head and was transported to Methodist Hospital for treatment. The driver of the MTA bus suffered neck and back pain and was treated at the same hospital. There were no other injuries.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ashley Infante, of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, with the assistance of Assistance District Attorney Madison Penn, also of the Blue Zone, and Assistant District Attorney Christopher Velez, Deputy Chief the District Attorney’s Street Safety Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Chief of the Blue Zone.
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