John Murphy, age 41, of Manorville, a detective with the Village of Rockville Centre Police Department, was indicted on aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, June 3, in connection with a disturbing incident in his neighborhood in November 2024.
The cellphone worker was inspecting cell towers near Sylvan Court and Weeks Avenue as part of a routine network check on Nov. 3, 2024, when he and Murphy got into an altercation, as Daily Voice previously reported.
Murphy, alerted by a neighbor, confronted the man in his vehicle and began yelling at him, prosecutors said. When the worker attempted to show his identification, Murphy allegedly reached through the open window, opened the vehicle door, and grabbed the man’s laptop. The worker managed to take it back.
That’s when Murphy slammed the door and told the employee he wasn’t welcome in the neighborhood, saying, “get out of here, we don’t want you or your like in the neighborhood,” and used a racial slur towards the employee, according to prosecutors.
He then ripped the amber light from the top of the car, throwing it at the vehicle, before kicking the driver’s door, causing damage, prosecutors alleged. He reportedly threw the light again as the victim drove off and called 911.
“The victim in this case was just doing his job… when the defendant allegedly attacked him and damaged his vehicle,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “Even more troubling is that the defendant is a sworn police officer.”
Murphy was arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Hate Crime Unit a week after the alleged attack. In court Tuesday, he was indicted for two counts of felony criminal mischief as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor.
He was released on his own recognizance, as the charges are not bail-eligible under New York law. If convicted of the top charge, he faces up to 2⅓ to 7 years in prison.
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