On a Saturday afternoon, November 24, 2018, a dispute at a West Nyack auto dealership turned fatal, ending the life of its 37-year-old Black / African American owner, Joseph Youbens. The tragic incident unfolded at Youbs Auto Sales on Route 59 when a customer, upset about a recently purchased vehicle, confronted Youbens. The argument escalated, and the customer drew a handgun, shooting Youbens multiple times.
Despite being rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, he succumbed to his injuries.
The shooter fled the scene, prompting an extensive five-day investigation by the Clarkstown Police Detective Bureau and other law enforcement agencies. The suspect was identified as Eric Hue Ross, Jr., a 24-year-old man from Wilmington, Delaware. Authorities apprehended Ross at a residence in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. The confrontation stemmed from issues Ross was having with a Hyundai Sonata he had purchased from Youbens' dealership. When Youbens stated there was nothing he could do, Ross fatally shot him.
In March 2022, a Rockland County jury found Eric Ross, Jr. guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Following the conviction, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and a concurrent sentence of 15 years for the weapon charge. The senseless act of violence, which occurred just across the street from one of the busiest malls in the Hudson Valley, shocked and angered the local community.
