Which way would you write this sentence?

[Kro92813]

Which way would you write this sentence? Which is grammatically correct?

1.) This was not the first encounter John had found himself in with members connected to the mob – and it certainly would not be his last.

2.) This was not the first encounter John had found himself in, with members connected to the mob, and it certainly would not be his last.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Both are acceptable.

[bespectacledpetal]

I'd normally use the 2nd one but I believe both are acceptable

[michaelasunomeh]

i do go with the secoond one

[Juliet+1]

I see I'm in the minority, but I would go with the first sentence. The phrase "with members connected to the mob" qualifies "encounter" and thus does not need to be set off by commas. It could be placed right after "encounter" too.

[LindsayC11]

I believe both are acceptable as well. I do like the first one better though.

[MorganDenton]

The first sentence would be the best option. The comma provides an unnecessary break in the statement.

[Trill98]

The second one is most acceptable.

[Viharika]

I prefer the first sentence

[Nikolas Farmakis]

Intuitively, I would use the second sentence, but I think that both are equally correct grammatically.

[pawahida]

i normally use 1) but personally, i think both are acceptable

[grace11cephas]

I guess the first sentence is grammatically correct compared to the second.

[SallyH55]

What about rewriting it for clarity?

This was not John's first encounter with the mob – and it certainly would not be his last.

[Nidhi-Kalia003]

I think second one is acceptable.

[Crissy2019]

Number 2