43 Long Island Street Names That Make Us Hungry

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June 25, 2017

Whether stuck in rush hour traffic on the Long Island Expressway or making the long haul from Montauk to Malverne, it’s easy to work up on appetite while driving on the Island.

Adding to those hunger pangs is a cornucopia of amusingly delicious-sounding street names found in neighborhoods across Nassau and Suffolk counties, such as the multiple Candy Lanes that conjure up mental images of roads paved with sweets.

So next time your stomach starts rumbling while cruising down Hungry Harbor Road, set your GPS for one of these mouthwatering LI roads named for foods.

43. Chestnut Street
The most abundant road named for a food on Long Island is the snack-inducing Chestnut Street. We found more than 50, including those in Port Jefferson, Shirley, Woodbury, Cedarhurst, Mineola and Old Westbury.

42. Walnut Street
Driving motorists nuts for nuts are plenty of streets named for walnuts, too. We found over 40 of them, including Walnut Streets in Massapequa, Coram, Kings Park, Greenvale, East Norwich, Uniondale and Manhasset.

41. Cherry Street
By far the most plentiful fruit street on the Island is cherry, with about as many of those as there are Walnut Streets, with Cherry Streets found in Calverton, Selden, Wyandanch, Port Jefferson Station, Oceanside, Lattingtown, Valley Stream, Inwood, Carle Place, Bayville, Hempstead and Bellerose. East Quogue and Sag Harbor bucked the trend with Wild Cherry Lane.

40. Apple Street
As for tree fruits, streets aplenty on the Island are named for them. There are a half dozen Apple Streets, including those in Southampton, Oyster Bay and East Meadow.

39. Peach Drive
We got a hankering for peach cobbler just thinking about Peach Drive in Roslyn and Peach Street in Bethpage and Wading River.

38. Orange Street
Some folks prefer citrus fruits, in which case they can drive over to Orange Street in Bellmore or Stony Brook.

37. Lime Avenue
Considering how delicious it is, it was surprising that the only Lime Avenue is in Brookhaven.

36. Strawberry Lane
Judging by the local festivals celebrating this fruit, Long Island loves strawberries, which may explain Strawberry Lanes in Levittown, Roslyn Heights, Brookhaven and on Shelter Island. Fort Salonga also has a Strawberry Knoll Court.

35. Cranberry Street
Hungry for some craisins? Not surprising if you just drove by Cranberry Street in Islip, Cranberry Drive in Mastic Beach, Cranberry Lane in Plainview or Cranberry Hole Road in East Hampton.

34. Blueberry Lane
Even more popular than strawberries and cranberries are blueberries. We found Blueberry Lanes in East Hampton, Patchogue, Hicksville, Stony Brook, Oyster Bay, on Shelter Island and a Blueberry Court in East Quogue.

33. Pear Street
Fruit lovers partial to pears can take a bite out of Pear Court in St. James and Pear Street in Brentwood or Pear Road in Dix Hills.

32. Plum Street
Prefer plums? Drive on down to Plum Place in Islip, Plum Lane in East Meadow and Westbury or Plum Island Lane in Orient.

31. Grape Lane
Surprisingly, the only grape-related road on LI isn’t on the North Fork in wine country. Grape Lane is in Hicksville.

30. Blackberry Lane
The blacktop matches the color of the berry it’s named for at Blackberry Lane in Huntington and Center Moriches.

29. Berry Town
Riverhead has a bunch of berry-related streets. Blackberry, Strawberry and Blueberry Commons are in the same condo complex and across town is Cranberry Street.

28. Fruit Town
The fruity street capital of Long Island is Central Islip, which has a whole neighborhood named for fruits. There’s Apple Street, Apricot Street, Banana Street, Cocoanut Street, Cherry Street, Orange Street, Cranberry Street, Lemon Street, Peach Street, Pear Street, West Plum Street and Fig Street, with most all next to one another. Nom, nom, nom!

27. Fig Drive
Speak of figs, another local street named for these tasty fruits is Fig Drive in Dix Hills.

26. Bread and Cheese Hollow Road
Arguably the most delicious-sound snack street on the Island is Bread and Cheese Hollow Road in Northport.

25. Olive Street
And what goes better with bread and cheese than olives? There are lots, with Olive Street in Central Islip, Huntington Station, West Sayville and Great Neck, Olive Court in Bethpage and Rockville Centre, Olive Lane in Shirley, Olive Drive in Lynbrook and East Olive Street in Long Beach.

24. Lobster Way
This being an island, much of the main course food streets are seafood. So who could be blamed for wanting a lobster roll after rolling down Lobster Way in Asharoken?

23. Tuna Walk
Since there are virtually no cars in the residential section of Fire Island, odds are you wouldn’t drive to this one. Still, strolling down Tuna Walk in Fire Island Pines may similarly inspire thoughts of eating tuna salad, tuna steak or spicy tuna rolls.

22. Crab Avenue
Mmmm, nothing like driving down Crab Avenue in Lynbrook or Crab Creek Road on Shelter Island on your way to get crabs for dinner.

21. Lamb Place
Sorry, red meat lovers, we didn’t find a local Beef Street. But can we interest you in a delicious Lamb Place in Dix Hills?

20. Quahog Lane
Saddling up to shuck some shellfish at one of Long Island’s many clam bars would not be unheard of after passing through Quahog Lane in Cold Spring Harbor.

19. Chicken Valley Road
Who wouldn’t want buffalo wings after driving from Old Brookville to Matinecock on Chicken Valley Road?

18. Fish Street
What’s the catch of the day? Ask the residents of Fish Street in Alberton.

17. Bacon Street
Don’t worry, pork fans, LI’s street namers didn’t forget you. Get your fill on Bacon Lane in Babylon and Bacon Road in Old Westbury or St. James.

16. Rice Drive
Riceroni may be the San Francisco treat, but some on LI may like a side of rice with their meal after a ride on Rice Drive in Farmingville, Rice Circle in Garden City, Rice Street in Plainview and Rice Lane in Smithtown.

15. South Potato Barn Road
Even vegetarians would get hungry at the thought of mass quantities of spuds inspired by South Potato Barn Road in Water Mill.

14. Turnip Hill Street
Despite the many farms on Long Island, the only other veggie-named local road making tummies rumble is also a root vegetable: Turnip Hill Street in Northport.

13. Pumpkin Road
Bet you can’t wait for the return of pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie after a trip down Pumpkin Road in St. James and Pumpkin Street in East Northport.

12. Pudding Lane
Speaking of desert, chocolate, rice and tapioca puddings come to mind after passing through Pudding Lane in Dix Hills or Pudding Hill Lane in East Hampton.

11. Gingerbread Road
Just try not thinking about biting the heads off of gingerbread cookies after driving on Gingerbread Road in Kings Park or Gingerbread Lane in East Hampton.

10. Muffin Meadows Road
The muffin man of nursery rhyme fame should probably relocate from Drury Lane to Muffins Meadow Road in St. James, and give us some muffins while he’s at it.

9. Candyland
Many a sweet tooth has surely been triggered by a trip to this neighborhood in Commack, where the streets are named for confections. They include Candy Lane, which is a block over from Marshmallow Drive. Both intersect with Caramel Road and Peppermint Road.

8. Candy Lane
Commack isn’t the only LI town sending junk food junkies running to the candy store. Candy Lanes are also found in Great Neck, Syosset, Roslyn Heights and Huntington Station.

7. Apple Cider Lane
Local streets aren’t just making people hungry, they’re also working up thirsts that need quenching, like on Apple Cider Lane in Center Moriches, the only local street we found named for a non-alcoholic beverage.

6. Riesling Court
Surprisingly, this street named for a popular white wine and sending oenophiles popping corks isn’t on the North Fork Wine Trail. Riesling Court is in Commack.

5. Chardonnay Drive
This street may make visitors want some white wine, but they should not take its name as permission to drive after sipping chardonnay on Chardonnay Drive in East Quogue or Coram.

4. Sherry Street
Sorry, red wine fans, we only found thirst-inspiring local streets named for white wines, including Sherry Street in East Islip and Sherry Avenue in Wantagh.

3. Brandy Road
Don’t know about you, but we’ll take a snifter after stopping by Brandy Road in Cold Spring Harbor.

2. Gin Lane
Located on the oceanfront in The Hamptons, we’re going to go out on a limb and guess that plenty of gin has been drunk on Gin Lane in Southampton.

1. Whiskey Road
No better adult beverage to indulge in than whiskey after driving the twists and turns on Whiskey Road running from Coram to Brookhaven.

MS-13 Gang Member from Freeport Gets 40 Years for 2 Murders

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 22, 2017

An admitted MS-13 street gang member from Freeport was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in federal prison for killing two other gang members in a two-week span five years ago.

Melvin Marquez-Sanchez pleaded guilty to murder and racketeering charges last year at Central Islip federal court for the Aug. 25, 2012 murder of Douglas Martinez in Brentwood, the Sept. 8, 2012 murder of Jose Vallejo in Hempstead as well as a conspiracy to kill a rival gang member in Maryland in early 2013.

“This defendant killed two young men here on Long Island, before fleeing to Maryland, where he sought to continue the murderous agenda of the MS-13,” said Bridget Rohde, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Prosecutors said the 22-year-old, who is not a citizen, shot Martinez multiple times at point-blank range with a .38 caliber revolver, killing him. The gang targeted the victim, a fellow MS-13 gang member, for not committing violence against rival gang members, not sending enough money to gang leaders in El Salvador and because he was suspected of being an informant, authorities said. Marquez-Sanchez is one of seven MS-13 members charged in connection with the Martinez murder.

Two weeks after that slaying, Marquez-Sanchez and several other MS-13 members killed Vallejo, a suspected rival gang member who was selling drugs in Kennedy Park in Hempstead, which the MS-13 considered to be its turf, according to investigators. The gang lured the victim to the park under the guise of buying marijuana from him when Marquez-Sanchez shot Vallejo multiple times with the same .38 caliber revolver and another MS-13 member attacked Vallejo with a machete, slashing his throat and face, prosecutors said. Four other MS-13 members were also charged in the Vallejo murder.

After committing those two murders, Marquez-Sanchez fled to Maryland, where he and other members of MS-13 conspired to kill a suspected member of the rival 18th Street gang, authorities said. Marquez-Sanchez and others set out to kill their target, but were unable to locate him. His co-conspirators eventually did murder that victim after Marquez-Sanchez was arrested on March 12, 2013.

Nassau Legis. Carrié Solages Arrested for Assaulting Girlfriend, Cops Say

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 21, 2017

Nassau County Legis. Carrié Solages (D-Elmont) was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in Valley Stream, Nassau County police said, sparking swift and bipartisan calls for his immediate resignation.

Solages, who is running for his fourth term this fall, was charged with assault and child endangerment after he allegedly grabbed the victim by the arm and neck, then threw her against a wall while her daughter jumped on his back to get him to stop, according to court documents. He is among the Democratic legislative minority’s most vocal critics of the GOP-controlled county legislature and Republican administration of County Executive Ed Mangano. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle wasted no time in demanding that he step down.

“All domestic violence incidents should be taken seriously, and we work each day to ensure all families in Nassau feel safe in their homes,” said Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport). ”If the allegations are true, we find them reprehensible and Leg. Solages should remove himself from office immediately.”

The 38-year-old lawmaker, a partner in his law firm, Solages & Solages, is a former Bronx prosecutor who won his seat in a 2011 upset when he unseated his predecessor, the late Legis. John Ciotti (R-Valley Stream), who had served 16 years on the legislature since its formation in 1996. Solages’ sister is New York State Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont). The Nassau Republican Committee nominated Paul A. Sapienza to challenge Carrié this fall.

Solages represents the county’s third legislative district, which is made up of communities in southwestern Nassau, including Elmont, Valley Stream, South Floral Park Inwood as well as parts of Lawrence and North Woodmere. Calls to Solages’ office seeking comment were not immediately returned.

During his tenure, Solages helped broker a deal to re-staff the Nassau police Fifth Precinct station house—where his arrest was processed—that had been downgraded in a consolidation initiative. He also fought plans to build a mini-casino and soccer stadium at Belmont Park and most recently had led rallies opposing tax breaks for Green Acres Mall.

Both major party nominees in the Nassau County executive race called for Solages to resign less than an hour after news of his arrest broke.

“There is zero tolerance in society for domestic violence,” said former State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury), the GOP nominee for the county’s top job. “And there is no place in public office for anyone who would raise their hand to a woman.”

Martins’ Democratic rival, Legis. Laura Curran (D-Baldwin), also questioned her colleague’s ability to govern in wake of the allegations.

“No person should ever commit violence against another individual and Legislator Solages’ actions have completely undermined his ability to appropriately represent the people of his district,” she said. “Elected officials need to be held to the highest standards and must be held accountable for their actions.”

A spokesman for Mangano, who has rebuffed calls to resign and not said whether he will run for a third term after pleading not guilty to federal corruption charges in October, did not respond to a request for comment.

Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who declined to run for an 11th term this fall after her campaign was recently fined for financial reporting violations, told reporters that if Solages refuses to resign, he should be barred from the Democratic caucus and stripped of his committee assignments.

“The acts he is charged with committing disqualify him from holding high public office,” she said, adding that she is calling for a special prosecutor to try his case.

Solages is not the first sitting Nassau legislator to be arrested in the past two decades since the panel was formed. Former Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) served three months in federal prison in 2015 after pleading guilty to bilking $2 million from a client of his law firm. And ex-Nassau Legis. Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), who was released from federal prison in 2011 after being sentenced to 18 months behind bars for tax evasion, is appealing his 2014 conviction for taking more than $200,000 in bribes.

Solages pleaded not guilty and was released without bail following his arraignment at First District Court in Hemsptead. The victim was treated at the scene. Her daughter was not injured.

Ex-Suffolk Conservative Party Chair Ed Walsh Sentenced to 2 Years

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 20, 2017

Ed Walsh Trial — Ed Walsh leaving court on Monday, March 21, 2016. (Timothy Bolger/Long Island Press)

Ex-Suffolk County Conservative Party Chairman Edward Walsh was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison for golfing, gambling and politicking while he was on the clock at his county jail job.

Walsh, a former corrections lieutenant, had been convicted of wire fraud and theft of government services following a three-week-long trial at Central Islip federal court in the spring of 2016. Judge Arthur Spatt also ordered Walsh to pay $202,225 in restitution for time he was paid for while not at work.

“What Walsh did was steal taxpayer money, plain and simple,” said William Sweeney, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York office. “He misrepresented the hours he worked with the intent of deceiving his employer, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s office…We certainly expect more from our public servants.”

Prosecutors said the 51-year-old East Islip man, who retired shortly before the trial began, routinely left work to golf or conduct party business between 2011 and ’14. His defense attorneys argued that he was free to come and go as he pleased and make up the hours later.

The trial featured testimony from a who’s who of local political elite, including Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman Richard Schaffer, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), Suffolk County Judge Anthony Senft and Frank Tinari, who succeeded Walsh was head of the Suffolk Conservative Party, which boasts the largest membership of the influential minor party statewide.

The prosecution’s star witness was Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, Walsh’s former boss who Walsh helped get elected since DeMarco is a Conservative. DeMarco testified that when he learned Walsh was being paid for time he was supposed to be at the jail, he launched an intern investigation and presented the findings to Suffolk County District Thomas Spota, who declined to prosecute. DeMarco then took the case to federal authorities, who had him indicted in 2015.

Federal prosecutors made their case by comparing Walsh’s time sheets to his billing records and cell phone data that indicated he was not at the county jail in Riverhead when he was on the clock. The jury convicted him after about an hour of deliberations.

Spatt additionally ordered Walsh to forfeit $245,811 and sentenced him to three years of post-release supervision.

Huntington Station Man Convicted of Killing Woman

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 20, 2017

A man was convicted Monday of killing a 23-year-old woman whose body was found in the Froehlich Farm Nature Preserve in Huntington four years ago.

A Suffolk County jury found Fernando Romualdo guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Sarah Strobel. Both the killer and the victim were from Huntington Station.

A person walking on a nature path found her body on Oct. 3, 2013, authorities have said. Romualdo had strangled the victim and was linked to the crime via DNA evidence, prosecutors said.

Romualdo was serving three years in upstate Mohawk Correctional Facility for an unrelated second-degree rape conviction at the time of his arrest last year.

He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 1 by Judge Barabara Kahn.

22% of Long Island Villages Don’t Hold Pledge of Allegiance

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 13, 2017

One-fifth of villages on Long Island don’t hold the Pledge of Allegiance to start off their monthly board meetings, contrary to the traditional routine at most local government meetings, the Press has found.

At least 22 of the 97 villages in Nassau and Suffolk counties skip the salute to the flag that is common practice at other legislative bodies locally and nationwide. The revelation comes on the eve of Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the stars and stripes as the national symbol 240 years ago.

Dennis Dietrich, commander of Massapequa American Legion Post 1066, said he was shocked to hear the statistic. His veterans group is among organizations nationwide that host an annual “Pause for the Pledge,” scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, in honor of Flag Day.

“To me, that’s really being unAmerican,” he said of villages skipping the pledge. “This is the United States of America. People died for their freedom…and to not say the Pledge of Allegiance at municipal meetings is disgraceful.”

Voluntarily spending about 10 seconds standing to face the flag and recite the 31-word pledge of allegiance is how board meetings begin at the 13 towns on LI, Glen Cove and Long Beach cities, the Nassau and Suffolk county legislatures, the New York City council, both chambers of the state legislature as well as both chambers of Congress.

Of course, neither American governments nor their residents are legally required to recite the pledge, although state law does mandate the patriotic oath be recited in classrooms at the start of each school day. Those in attendance at meetings or classrooms where the pledge is recited are free to abstain, as the courts have long settled the right to silently protest by not saluting the flag. Although not doing so has occasionally sparked local controversy, such as in the case of two Copiague High School teachers that knelt during the pledge on President Donald Trump’s inauguration day.

“To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds,” the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson famously wrote in the landmark 1954 ruling that found students cannot be compelled to recite the pledge.

Still, most villages on LI consider the pledge important enough to document it in either their board meeting minutes or agendas, sometimes both. Those that don’t hold the pledge are sometimes called out to publicly justify their decision.

“I am not going to do the Pledge of Allegiance,” Saltaire Mayor John Zaccaro told residents when one noted that it was Fourth of July weekend upon asking the mayor to lead the room in the pledge during a village board meeting on July 2, 2016. “Not that I’m not American or patriotic, but I don’t feel comfortable going forward doing that…I apologize if that offends your sensibilities, but that’s the way I’d like to proceed.”

That was one of the first village board meetings as mayor for Zaccaro, the son of the late U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-Queens), who went down in history in 1984 as the first female candidate female vice presidential candidate for a major political party. Saltaire officials historically did not recite the pledge at every meeting but it was a change from the prior village mayor, who had done so at each meeting for six years until being unseated last spring.

When the change in practice was reported in the Fire Island News, Zaccaro wrote a letter to the editor defending his decision.

“My choice of meeting procedures is in no way a reflection on my patriotism or love of this country, both of which are deeply-felt and undivided,” he wrote.

Other local villages where officials have said they do not regularly hold the pledge at their meetings are Belle Terre, Centre Island, Cove Neck, Great Neck Plaza, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Neck, Hewlett Harbor, Kensington, Kings Point, Lattingtown, Lawrence, Lloyd Harbor, Mattinecock, Munsey Park, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Russel Gardens, Sands Point, Thomaston, Upper Brookville and Woodsburgh. East Hills was the only village on LI that did not answer repeated requests for comment on whether it holds the pledge.

Villages skipping the pledge had irked State Assemb. Gary Finch (R-Springport) so much that he passed a resolution proclaiming June 14 as Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Day in the state in 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of the oft-debated decision to add the words “under god” to the pledge. Critics argue those two words violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

Finch said: “As I stood at the Capitol listening to the pledge reverberate through the great halls, I grew perplexed as to why anyone would want to deny this great oath.”

First Cop in Shootout With Pulse Gunman is a Long Island Native

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 12, 2017

Orlando Police Det. Adam Gruler, the first member of law enforcement to exchange fire with the Pulse nightclub shooter a year ago Monday, is a Long Island native, the Press has learned.

Gruler’s local ties deepen the region’s link to the nation’s deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman, who killed 49 people before he was fatally shot by police after a three-hour standoff. The mass murderer, Omar Mateen, 29, grew up in Westbury before moving to Florida. And among the 58 wounded survivors was 29-year-old Marissa Delgado of Glen Cove.

“He’s on the patio!” Gruler yelled to two fellow officers who responded after he first confronted Mateen at 2:02 a.m. June 12, 2016, according to Orlando Police Department documents on the case published in April by WKMG-TV. Moments later, as he and team of four officers tried to apprehend the shooter, he was seen and heard on video yelling, “Guys, approach, let’s go!”

The revelation that Gruler is a native Long Islander, first reported by the Press, comes amid remembrances honoring the victims nationwide during LGBT pride month celebrations. During one such event Sunday in Long Beach, 49 surfers representing the victims paddled out into the Atlantic while mourners gathered on the shore tossed flowers into the ocean.

Gruler, who joined the Orlando police force in 2001, was an off-duty officer moonlighting in uniform as security for the Pulse nightclub on the night of the shooting. His search of the parking lot for an underage patron with fake ID was interrupted when he heard the first shots ring out, ran inside and got into a brief shootout with Mateen before retreating and calling for backup, the Orlando Sentinel reported. In the year since, Gruler became a detective and was awarded by police brass for valor on that night, according to the department.

The detective was unavailable for comment because the investigation into the massacre is continuing, said Lt. Wanda Miglio, an Orlando police spokeswoman. He was born and lived on LI for several years before moving to Florida, according to his family.

Delgado, the Pulse victim from LI, was reportedly still reeling from survivors guilt six months after the shooting.

“I got shot 12 times and there’s people that just got shot once and didn’t get to make it,” she told WPTV in December. “Especially my best friend who I came in with. We were supposed to leave together and I couldn’t really do anything to save him.”

Mateen, who was born in New York, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during the massacre. His widow, Noor Salman, pleaded not guilty earlier this year to federal charges of obstruction of justice and aiding a foreign terrorist organization. Authorities alleged that she misled investigators and aided an abetted Mateen before the shooting.

Survivors and the victims’ families are also suing Salman and Mateen’s former employer, G4S Security, for allegedly ignoring signs that Mateen was a threat, although the company defended its background check on the gunman, WPEC reported.

NYC Man Kidnapped Teen Girlfriend in Elmont, Cops Say

By

Timothy Bolger

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June 9, 2017

A man was arrested for kidnapping his girlfriend from Elmont, locking her in the trunk of his car and driving her to his hometown of Brooklyn this week, Nassau County police said.

Arturo Gurley, 20, was charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, obstruction of breathing and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Fifth Squad detectives alleged the suspect met the 19-year-old victim on Navy Walk, convinced her to exit his vehicle, took her cell phone and keys away before pushing her into the trunk, closing it and driving off at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

When Gurley let the victim out of the trunk 45 minutes later, she noticed she was in Brooklyn, police said. He then walked the victim inside his apartment, placed a sock inside her mouth and duct taped her mouth shut, police said. She was in the apartment for about five hours before she was finally released, drove home and notified police.

Gurley was arrested Friday will be arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead.

Hempstead Man Filmed Himself Raping Unconscious Women, DA Says

By

Timothy Bolger

-

June 9, 2017

A Hempstead man was indicted for allegedly raping two unconscious women on several occasions in Manhattan after investigators found video footage of the attacks on his computer earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Cameron McDermott was charged in Manhattan court with predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, sexual abuse and unlawful surveillance. Garden City village police had uncovered the footage while executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home following his arrest in January for allegedly flashing several women and possession of child pornography.

“Cameron McDermott is accused of brutally raping and sexually assaulting two vulnerable victims who were incapable of giving consent,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said. “He is accused of further violating these women by recording the acts without their knowledge.”

Prosecutors said the 31-year-old man sexually assaulted an unconscious woman inside apartments in the Murray Hill and Gramercy neighborhoods of Manhattan on eight occasions in 2010, and recorded and photographed the sexual assaults. He also recorded and photographed himself raping and sexually assaulting a second unconscious woman inside an apartment on the Upper East Side on five occasions in 2013, authorities said.

McDermott was initially arrested in Garden City on Jan. 19, when police found him in possession of a cell phone and a laptop that contained several pictures and videos of him exposing himself, police have said. One video depicted two girls under the age of 16 engaging in a sex act, authorities have said. There were at least half dozen incidents in which he allegedly exposed himself to women over a five-month span, according to investigators.

McDermott allegedly approached a 21-year-old woman at Adelphi University, exposed himself and urinated on her leg on Sept. 25, police have said. Five days later, he allegedly exposed himself to a 20-year-old woman he called over to his car on Hamilton Place, authorities have said. A month after that, he similarly victimized a 44-year-old woman on 9th Street, according to investigators.

In two incidents a half hour apart on the evening of Nov. 23, the suspect allegedly started speaking to women before they realized he had no pants on in Parking Field 7N, police have said. And on Jan. 5, he asked a 15-year-old girl a question on Chestnut Street while he was exposing himself, authorities have said.

He was previously charged with possessing sexual performance of a child, public lewdness and endangering the welfare of a child in those cases.

Manhattan prosecutors ask anyone who may have also been victimized by the suspect to call their Sex Crimes Hotline at 212-335-9373.

Driver Admits to Fatal Franklin Square Hit-and-run

By

Timothy Bolger

-

June 8, 2017

A Queens man who killed a 47-year-old taxi cab driver in a Franklin Square hit-and-run crash last year admitted to the crime on Wednesday, the day his trial was set to begin.

Duke Obule pleaded guilty at Nassau County court to second-degree manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license.

“Duke Obule’s outrageous conduct, driving his BMW at more than 100 miles per hour, cost an innocent man his life,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.

Prosecutors said the 24-year-old man was speeding eastbound on Hempstead Turnpike with a 20-year old woman in the front seat after leaving a hookah lounge in Farmingdale when he crashed into a taxi cab at the corner of Lincoln Road, killing the cabbie, Paul Mitacek, of Elmont, at 4:16 a.m. on April 23, 2016.

The victim, who was a father of three, was pronounced dead at the scene. Obule ran from the scene, abandoning his passenger who was not able to move because of her injuries, but he was apprehended nearby, authorities said.

Obule faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Christopher Quinn.

Timothy Bolger

43 Long Island Street Names That Make Us Hungry

MS-13 Gang Member from Freeport Gets 40 Years for 2 Murders

Nassau Legis. Carrié Solages Arrested for Assaulting Girlfriend, Cops Say

Ex-Suffolk Conservative Party Chair Ed Walsh Sentenced to 2 Years

Huntington Station Man Convicted of Killing Woman

22% of Long Island Villages Don’t Hold Pledge of Allegiance

First Cop in Shootout With Pulse Gunman is a Long Island Native

NYC Man Kidnapped Teen Girlfriend in Elmont, Cops Say

Hempstead Man Filmed Himself Raping Unconscious Women, DA Says

Driver Admits to Fatal Franklin Square Hit-and-run

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