‘HASIDIC’ HIT MAN NABBED
Accused of shooting ex-gang guy while wearing Orthodox disguise
Cops say they have nabbed the Queens hit man who donned a Hasidic disguise when he shot a reformed gangbanger in a shocking caught-on-video 2021 Queens execution.
Ron Reeder, arrested Thursday in New Jersey, was charged with murder and weapon possession for the Sept. 6, 2021, slaying in Ozone Park. Reeder, 53, lives in Teaneck, according to cops.
Victim Jermaine Dixon — a former member of the “Patio Crew” in Brooklyn — had been out of federal prison for less than a year when he was murdered.
Surveillance video from S. Conduit Ave. near 132nd St. in South Ozone Park captured what appeared to be a planned hit around 8 a.m. Police believe the violence stemmed from the narcotics trade, sources revealed Thursday.
Video released by the NYPD shows the shooter dressed in a Hasidic-style hat and long black robe near Kennedy Airport, working on a white sedan with the hood up while keeping an eye out for his target.
As Dixon, 47, approached his Ford Edge SUV, the killer ran over and shot him in the back of the head, the video shows.
The gunman ran back to his car, dropped the hood and drove off down 132nd St., the video shows.
Witnesses told police the gunman, who was wearing white gloves and a white face mask, had pretended to work on the car for several hours before ambushing Dixon.
Police identified Reeder after reviewing multiple surveillance cameras, tracing his movements to before he put on the Hasidic disguise, sources said. He has three sealed arrests in the city, cops said.
Reeder has done two previous stints in state prison.
In 1986, he was sentenced to four to six years behind bars for Brooklyn robbery and weapon-possession charges. He did three years before he was released.
A few years later, Reeder was hit with manslaughter and weapon-possession charges. He was imprisoned for 21 years, gaining parole in 2012.
The ruthless cut short Dixon’s redemption.
The ex-con had once rolled with the “Patio Crew,” a name referring to a Flatbush restaurant where the gang hung out.
Dixon served 19 years for drug charges and the 1992 murder of Alphonso Gooden, a case execution efforts at in which prosecutors said that Dixon was the triggerman. His brother, Emile Dixon, was also convicted for the killing and is serving a life sentence.
Papers in Brooklyn Federal Court show that Jermaine Dixon considered cooperating with the feds, but the deal fell apart after prosecutors learned of his role in the Gooden slaying.
Facing a life sentence that was later reduced to 30 years, Dixon became a model prisoner. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in business and filed for compassionate release.
“It is clear that I am not the young man that your honor sentenced 20 years ago,” Dixon wrote to Judge Raymond Dearie.
“I am now asking your honor to again take a chance with me and let me re-enter society to prove to myself, my mother, children, family and also the court that I can and will do the right thing upon release,” he added. “I blame no one but myself for the road I chose that put me in my current situation.”