Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Anthony Lanno was indicted on assault, vehicular assault, leaving the scene and other charges for a hit-and-run collision that seriously injured a 71-year-old pedestrian in College Point in January.

District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this defendant was speeding in his car while impaired by drugs when he struck and critically injured an elderly pedestrian in College Point. Anthony Lanno kept going until finally coming to a stop on the Belt Parkway where his car was parked facing the opposite direction of traffic. It was a miracle no one else was injured by the defendant’s reckless actions on that January morning.”

Lanno, 52, of Fairfield, NJ, was arraigned Thursday on a nine-count indictment charging him with assault in the second degree, vehicular assault in the second degree, two counts of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, two counts of operating a motor vehicle while impaired by use of drugs, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by combined use of drugs or of alcohol and drugs, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and reckless driving.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis ordered the defendant to return to court on September 17.  If convicted, Lanno faces more than seven years in prison.

District Attorney Katz said that, according to the charges and investigation, on January 18, 2026, at approximately 6:40 a.m., the defendant left an apartment building on 115^th Street in College Point and entered his gray 2007 Lincoln Town car, driving off at approximately 6:45 a.m. There were no visible signs of exterior damage to the vehicle.

Lanno then allegedly sped eastbound on 14^th Avenue in College Point. Ruiqin Liu, 71, was crossing the street at the intersection of 14^th Avenue and 120^th Street when she was hit from behind by Lanno. Lanno then sped off.

A good Samaritan called 911 and Liu was immediately transported to a local hospital where she was treated for injuries including bleeding on the brain, a pelvic fracture and a right shoulder fracture.

After striking Liu, Lanno continued driving eastbound on 14^th Street where he drove over a curb, crossed onto the sidewalk and crashed into a fence in front of 13-21 College Point Boulevard. After striking the fence, Lanno reversed onto the street and proceeded southbound on College Point Boulevard.

Lanno then drove onto the Whitestone Expressway at the intersection of 20^th Avenue and continued southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway until reaching the Belt Parkway.

At approximately 7:28 a.m., multiple 911 callers reported a male in the driver’s seat of a gray Lincoln Town Car who appeared to be asleep in the car, which was parked on the Belt Parkway near Farmers Boulevard in an eastbound lane of travel while facing the wrong direction. Medical personnel responded and removed Lanno from the driver’s seat of the vehicle.

Lanno was taken to the hospital and allegedly exhibited signs of impairment including slurred speech, droopy eyelids and unsteadiness on his feet. A court ordered search warrant resulted in the recovery of blood and urine samples which indicated that the defendant had amphetamines and Xanax in his system. He was allegedly found with nine Xanax pills in his possession, which he had attempted to flush down a hospital toilet.

Assistant District Attorneys Vivian Gonzalez and Angel Semerdzhiev of the Vehicular Homicide Unit in the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, and Jonathan Selkowe, Deputy Chief and Chief of the Vehicular Homicide Unit, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.