Bill > S01042

This bill amends the New York penal law to create new criminal offenses related to deliberately striking someone on the head with the intent to render them unconscious. Specifically, the bill adds new provisions to assault, gang assault, and manslaughter statutes that make it a crime for a person 14 years or older to intentionally strike an unsuspecting person on the head, or to aid or encourage another person to do so, causing physical injury or serious physical injury. The bill also modifies sentencing guidelines for juvenile offenders convicted of these new offenses, increasing the potential maximum consecutive sentence from 15 to 25 years for certain serious head-strike related crimes committed by juveniles. Additionally, the bill expands the definition of juvenile offender crimes to include these new head-strike offenses, which means younger offenders could be tried as adults for these specific types of assaults. The changes appear designed to address dangerous social media-driven assault trends and provide stronger legal consequences for intentional head strikes that could cause serious harm.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1042