The offense of engaging in conduct that creates a substantial and unjustifiable risk of serious physical injury or death to another person, prosecuted even where the conduct does not actually cause any injury, distinguishing it from assault or battery, which generally require an actual application of force or a specific intent to cause harm. It is commonly charged in connection with conduct such as firing a weapon in a populated area, leaving a young child unsupervised in a dangerous situation, or engaging in extremely dangerous driving, and its statutory definition and required mental state vary considerably between jurisdictions, with some requiring proof the defendant was aware of and consciously disregarded the risk their conduct created.
Facts
Classification CodeNew York Penal Law section 120.20 defines reckless endangerment in the second degree as a class A misdemeanor 1 Typical PenaltyIn the United States, endangerment can range from a misdemeanor to a felony 1 Elements of OffenseA person commits reckless or wanton endangerment by recklessly engaging in conduct that creates substantial jeopardy of severe bodily harm to another person 1 Jurisdiction VariationPublic endangerment prosecutions of this kind are pursued most frequently in Canada 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Reckless endangerment (Wikipedia)
New York Penal Law citation
the New York Penal Code Sec120.20 defines reckless endangerment in the second degree (class A misdemeanor)
U.S. penalty range statement
In the U.S., endangerment can range from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Definition of reckless endangerment
A person commits the crime of reckless endangerment or wanton endangerment if the person recklessly engages in conduct which creates substantial jeopardy of severe corporeal trauma to another person.
Public endangerment jurisdiction note
It is punished most frequently in Canada.
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