Suffolk DA Ray Tierney: Optimum cable repairman helped armed man escape from police

A Mastic man who was working as a repairman for Optimum cable decided to help a friend escape from police after the friend tossed a loaded 9 mm “ghost gun” in some woods, authorities said Friday.

There was one problem: Much of the episode was filmed by a camera inside the repair truck, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference.

The video captures the gun suspect, Borndivine Intelligence Jackson, 26, recounting his encounter with police in detail, Tierney said.

And the repairman, Danyel Anderson, 21, “is seen, on video, intentionally aiding a suspect who had allegedly been carrying a loaded handgun,” Tierney said. “This is all while he is on his job, in uniform, in his Optimum van.”

Both were arraigned on Friday in State Supreme Court in Riverhead. Jackson was held on $1 million cash bail, while Anderson was released because the charges against him were not bail-eligible.

Lawyers for the two suspects did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Altice USA, which owns Optimum, said Anderson was employed by a third-party contractor and was “immediately removed from the field following notice of the event.” Altice said it connected police with the contractor.

Jackson was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and obstructing governmental administration. Anderson was charged with second-degree hindering prosecution and obstructing governmental administration.

The incident started June 22 in the parking lot of a deli on Neighborhood Road in Shirley. Police were searching for a suspect in a separate shooting investigation when they saw Jackson apparently with a gun in his hand, Tierney said.

Jackson took off and darted into some woods, where he tossed the gun, which had no serial numbers, Tierney said.

A short time later, in a residential neighborhood, he encountered Anderson in his van, according to another video that came from a Ring camera of a residence, the district attorney said.

As the two recognized each other, Anderson invited him into the van.

They took off driving, and Jackson went on to explain in detail — and using extensive street slang — what had happened, authorities said.

“He’s explicitly describing in detail the location where he threw the handgun in attempting to get that third party to recover the handgun before the police found it,” Tierney said, referring to someone else Jackson had called.For instance, Jackson said, “I threw the grip,” which Tierney said means “I threw the gun.” Tierney identified Jackson as a member of a street gang, although he would not identify which one.

Another video appears to show Anderson later dropping off Jackson in what Tierney said was the Poospatuck reservation in Mastic. He was seen jogging into what appears to be a mobile home.

Asked why Anderson would engage in such a detailed conversation about criminal activity if he was being filmed by the camera inside the Optimum van, Tierney said he didn’t know.

“I can’t get inside his head,” Tierney said. “For whatever reason he either wasn’t aware or didn’t consider the fact that Optimum has this capability inside their vans.”

Bart Jones has covered religion, immigration and major breaking news at Newsday since 2000. A former foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in Venezuela, he is the author of “HUGO! The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution.”