Off Duty Officer Charged For Punching Linsday Lohan's Cousin

FENWAY, MA — Two men, including an off-duty New Jersey Police officer were indicted Tuesday for a January assault that sent a Boston College Hockey Player (who happens to be singer Linsday Lohan's cousin) to the hospital and sidelined him with serious injuries.

A Suffolk County grand jury yesterday returned indictments charging a New Jersey off-duty police officer Daniel Hunt, 27, of Barrington, N.J., with assault and battery and Ian Salerno, 29, of Philadelphia with aggravated assault and battery in connection with a fight at a Domino's Pizza in the Fenway area.

According to prosecutors, Hunt and Salerno were among a group visiting Boston for a gathering that lasted into the early morning hours of Jan. 19, when they arrived at a Domino's on Boylston Street.

Graduate student Kevin Lohan, a defenseman on the Boston College hockey team, then 24, a resident of Chestnut Hill at the time, was also at the restaurant with a separate group.

Hunt, the off-duty Haddon Heights, N.J., police officer, confronted and then allegedly pushed the victim, starting a physical altercation. As members of both groups attempted to break up the fight, Salerno allegedly came behind Lohan and punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor.

That hit sent Lohan to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery. As a result of the blow, the hockey player's jaw had to be wired shut for three weeks and permanent metal plates were implanted in his jaw and cheek.

Boston College said in a statement he was out indefinitely. The Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. native had skated in 14 games for Boston College until then. Lohan transferred to BC following a four-year stint at the University of Michigan, where he was an assistant captain as a senior. Lohan played in 64 games in Ann Arbor, Mich. and had one year of eligibility remaining after redshirting his junior season.

Boston Police reviewed security camera footage and a receipt from the nearby bar where Hunt, Salerno, and others had been drinking before the fight, photos from social media, witness statements, and other evidence to identify Hunt and Salerno, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office.

Hunt and Salerno face arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court on Aug. 1.

Sign up for the free newsletter and get more breaking Boston news and news alerts like this direct to your inbox. Did we mention it was free?

Got something to add?
Sign up to post to Patch and tell your neighbors what's going on in and around Boston. Post anything from calendar events to a column about a need in your neighborhood to a public meeting folks should know about. Our philosophy is the more neighborhood watchers the better

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch