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Former Bucks County prison guard charged with murder in New York City

Aaron Mayer was arrested in the Oct. 20 killing of Francisco Ortega in the Astoria section of Queens. Prosecutors say he helped another man run Ortega over with his own car.

Aaron Mayer, 25, was arrested at the Bucks County Correctional Facility earlier this month as he worked his shift.
Aaron Mayer, 25, was arrested at the Bucks County Correctional Facility earlier this month as he worked his shift.Read more

A former guard at the Bucks County Correctional Facility was charged with murder in New York City on Friday for his role in killing a man during a dispute there, according to prosecutors.

Aaron Mayer, 25, was also charged with first-degree gang assault and robbery in the death of Francisco Ortega, 50, who died after being run over with his own car as it was driven by Zahir Williams, 24, Mayer’s codefendant in the case.

Mayer, of Doylestown, was arrested on Dec. 2 as he worked his shift at the county jail. He was suspended without pay until Dec. 11, when he was terminated from his position, according to Jim O’Malley, a spokesperson for the county commissioners. Mayer was hired by the county on July 11, 2022.

Ortega was attacked by Mayer, Williams, and a third, unidentified man on Oct. 20 in the Astoria section of Queens, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

About 3:30 a.m. on the day of the killing, Ortega drove his BMW sedan near where a group of men including Mayer and Williams were standing, Katz said. Surveillance footage from the area shows that Ortega and Williams appeared to be arguing.

During their dispute, an unidentified man sucker punched Ortega from behind, knocking him to the ground, prosecutors said.

As Ortega lay unconscious, Williams and Mayer stomped on him and slammed his head into the passenger door of his BMW, prosecutors said. Mayer then dragged the injured Ortega into the road as Williams got into the car and drove it around the block.

When Williams returned, he slowed to angle the vehicle in the direction of Ortega’s body. He then “abruptly accelerated,” driving over him, according to prosecutors. Williams crashed into a parked car a few feet away, and then fled the scene on foot.

Katz, the prosecutor, said that Ortega was still alive when Williams ran over him.

“An outnumbered victim was sucker punched, viciously beaten unconscious, and then mercilessly run over,” she said in a statement. “We need to get people capable of such cold-blooded brutality off our streets as soon as possible.”

Williams and Mayer face life in prison, if convicted. The two men are in custody in New York and are scheduled to appear in front of a judge for a hearing in February.