A man was charged with murder after twice plowing his car over a family of eight — killing the mother – outside a 7-Eleven in Rockland County because the father had told him not to smoke in front of their six children, police said.
An enraged Jason Mendez, 35, jumped inside his car about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday and rammed the family – then reversed and struck them a second time after hitting the building, police said.
“His cigarette smoke was in the vicinity of the family and it seems to be the catalyst,” Haverstraw Police Capt. Martin Lund told The Post on Thursday.
Mendez brandished a knife and refused to comply with responding officers’ commands to drop the weapon before they tased him into submission at gunpoint, police said.
A 32-year-old woman died from her injuries at a hospital, police said.
Police have not yet released her name, but a GoFundMe page set up by a cousin identified her as Melissa Castillo DeLoatch.
Her 35-year-old husband and a 2-year-old child were rushed to Westchester Medical Center with serious injuries, according to WNBC.
The other children – ranging in age from a few months to 10 years old — were treated at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in Rockland.
Mendez, of Washingtonville, NY, was charged with second-degree murder and seven counts of second-degree attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment late Wednesday.
He is being held at the Rockland County jail.
Witnesses Cindy Schnalzer told WNBC: “The baby was crying, and there was like an 11-year-old girl that came out, and she was with her father out here, and the father was going ballistic wanting to know where the guy was.”
She added: “I heard the father, he was telling the cops, ‘I told him not to blow smoke in front of my kids.’”
A 7-Eleven worker also told WABC that a man smoking outside went ballistic when the father asked him not to light up around the children.
“The investigation is still ongoing and it is anticipated that several additional charges will be filed,” police said in a Facebook post. “The names of all involved parties are being withheld at this time due to the ongoing investigation.”
The damage to 7-Eleven was serious enough to cause the Town of Haverstraw Building Department to close the business and issue an order to vacate.
Mendez’s attorney said in court that his client had lost his cell phone repair job a week ago, the news outlet reported.
His vehicle, a white Infiniti, had Texas plates, but authorities said he has roots in Rockland County.
Lund said Mendez has a criminal record in Texas.
In 2012, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a public officer. In 2014, he was charged with domestic violence but the charge was dropped when his wife refused to testify, according to the Rockland Times.
“Melissa did what any mother would have done and tried to protect her children. She was a true hero,” her cousin Adrienne Rodriguez wrote in her GoFundMe drive, which raised almost $3,900 as of Thursday morning.
“I will be giving the funds to her mom (who is taking care of some of the children currently), children, and husband for the burial and care of the children,” she added.
“Melissa was full of love, smiles, life and so much more. All of us are going to miss you beyond words can explain.”