Teen, preteen arrested in attack on ex-Gov. David Paterson, stepson, in Manhattan, police say

A teenager and a preteen were arrested Saturday in an attack on former New York Gov. David A. Paterson and his stepson as they walked a Manhattan street on Friday, police said.

Two male juveniles, identified only as a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old, were arrested at 8:15 p.m., roughly 24 hours after the Upper East Side attack, the New York Police Department confirmed. The 12-year-old was charged with second-degree gang assault and the 13-year-old is facing a single count of third-degree gang assault.

The 70-year-old former governor, a Democrat, and his 20-year-old stepson, Anthony Sliwa, were walking on East 97th Street on Friday when they were attacked, the NYPD and a spokesperson for Paterson said.

Paterson and Sliwa were treated at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for minor injuries to the face and were released early Saturday, authorities said.

Paterson, who is legally blind, also sustained minor injuries to his body.

Sean Darcy, a spokesperson for the former governor, said the boys turned themselves into police with the help of their parents.

"We hope that the young people involved learn something from this unfortunate encounter," Darcy said in a statement. "The governor is grateful to see the kids' parents hold them to account and would also like to thank the NYPD for their strong work."

In a statement before the arrest, police sought help from the public to learn more about the attack, which they said involved "four men and a woman."

At a news conference Saturday near the scene of the attack, Paterson said his stepson was walking the family dog when he first encountered some of the assailants. He told them he would call the police if they did not stop climbing the fire escape of a building on Second Avenue.

Later, Paterson said, he and Sliwa, the son of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, went for a walk and encountered the group again near East 97th Street at about 8:30 p.m. They argued with the individuals before two of them attacked Paterson and Sliwa. The Guardian Angels is an anti-crime group.

Paterson said his stepson fought off multiple attackers, but he ended up with a cut to his face that required several stitches.

Paterson was governor from 2008 to 2010. He was sworn in after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. Paterson was the state's first Black governor.

With AP

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.