Nicholas Skulstad, Destruction of MTA Vehicle, New York 2021

A Dobbs Ferry man is facing serious federal charges after allegedly using his vehicle as a weapon in an attack on a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) vehicle in Ossining, New York.

Nicholas Skulstad, 33, was taken into federal custody on April 5, 2021, based on a criminal Complaint filed in White Plains federal court charging him with destruction of a motor vehicle employed in interstate commerce.

According to the Complaint, Skulstad rammed his vehicle repeatedly into an MTA vehicle driven by an MTA employee in Ossining, damaging the MTA vehicle and forcing it off the road. He then exited his vehicle and approached the MTA vehicle on foot, banging on the driver-side window until he shattered it.

When Ossining Police Department officers arrived at the scene, Skulstad yelled at an officer, "I'm Jesus Christ! You are going to die today! Are you ready to die?" He then charged a police vehicle, throwing his body into the driver-side door and yelling threats at an officer inside. Skulstad resisted officers' attempts to subdue him, before ultimately being taken into custody.

After taking Skulstad into custody, law enforcement found in his vehicle, among other things, a shell casing and a notebook with a page entitled, "List – To Kill," which listed the names of various current and former public officials and other public figures.

Skulstad will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison.

"As alleged, Nicholas Skulstad used his vehicle as a weapon, repeatedly ramming it into an occupied MTA vehicle, then shattering the driver's window," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. "Thanks to the combined response of law enforcement officers and agents, Skulstad is in custody and facing a serious federal charge."

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea added, "Attacks against public servants, as alleged in this federal complaint, endanger not only those who work to maintain public safety, but all of society. I commend our investigators in the NYPD and our partners in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the United States Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York for working closely to ensure this individual would be brought to justice."

Skulstad is charged with destruction of a motor vehicle employed in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/dobbs-ferry-man-charged-white-plains-federal-court-destruction-mta-vehicle