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Long Island 'Dance Instructor' Sought Sexual Photos From 10-Year-Old Girls, DA Says Long Island 'Dance Instructor' Sought Sexual Photos From 10-Year-Old Girls, DA Says
Long Island 'Dance Instructor' Sought Sexual Photos From 10-Year-Old Girls, DA Says A Long Island man is accused of posing as a dance instructor in order to solicit sexual photos from young girls. Taner Ocal, age 22, of Lindenhurst, was arraigned on 30 criminal counts, including possessing child pornography, in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, July 11. According to prosecutors, Ocal contacted two 10-year-old girls in Texas on Instagram in June 2024 while pretending to be a dance instructor.  He allegedly asked them to film themselves dancing and later requested that they send him sexually explicit photos of themselves, prosecutors said. The children blocked his acc…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Mother’s Intestines, Son’s Spleen Removed After Hit-Run Crash Caused By Long Island Man: DA Mother’s Intestines, Son’s Spleen Removed After Hit-Run Crash Caused By Long Island Man: DA
Mother’s Intestines, Son’s Spleen Removed After Hit-Run Crash Caused By Long Island Man: DA An accused hit-and-run driver who seriously injured a mother and her teenage son on Long Island was formally charged. Jamal Graham, age 30, of Central Islip, was indicted on assault and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, July 8, in connection with the May 2023 crash. Prosecutors said Graham was speeding in an Infiniti sedan on Hale Street in Brentwood when he ran a stop sign at Lincoln Avenue and crashed into a Nissan SUV at around 11:30 p.m. on May 29, 2023. The driver of the Nissan, her teenage son, and her son’s friend, all suffered injuries in the crash. The woman and h…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Teen Airlifted After Crash At Long Island Gas Station Teen Airlifted After Crash At Long Island Gas Station
Teen Airlifted After Crash At Long Island Gas Station A person was seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash in front of a Long Island gas station. It happened around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10. A 19-year-old was riding a motorized scooter northbound on the sidewalk of Route 112 in Medford when he crashed into the passenger side of a 2021 Dodge Durango.  The Durango was idling and attempting to make a right turn out of Speedway Gas, according to Suffolk County Police. The teen, a resident of Brentwood, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries.  The driver of the Dodge Durang…

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by Joe Lombardi
Weather
New Rounds Of Storms Headed To Region Before Much-Awaited Change In Weather Pattern New Rounds Of Storms Headed To Region Before Much-Awaited Change In Weather Pattern
New Rounds Of Storms Headed To Region Before Much-Awaited Change In Weather Pattern Separate rounds of thunderstorms with heavy downpours are possible through the end of the week before a change in the weather pattern will finally bring drier, less humid air. According to the National Weather Service, investigations are underway in parts of upstate New York and northern New England after possible tornadic activity occurred during a storm system on Wednesday, July 10, fueled by the remnants of Beryl. Thursday, July 11 will become partly to mostly sunny after a cloudy start to the day with lingering showers pushing east. The high temperature will be in the upper 80s. It sho…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Using Prop Money At Long Island 7-Eleven Man Accused Of Using Prop Money At Long Island 7-Eleven
Man Accused Of Using Prop Money At Long Island 7-Eleven Police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who used prop money to make a purchase at a Long Island store. The man used it to make a $20 purchase at 7-Eleven in Selden, located at 648 Middle Country Road, on Wednesday, June 19, at approximately 10:15 p.m.  Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for any information that leads to an arrest. If you have any information about these incidents, you can submit an anonymous tip to Suffolk County Crime Stoppers.  You can call 1-800-220-TIPS, use a mobile app called P3 Tips (available for download in …

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Pair Of Long Island Restaurants Close After Decades In Business: 'Bittersweet, Difficult' Pair Of Long Island Restaurants Close After Decades In Business: 'Bittersweet, Difficult'
Pair Of Long Island Restaurants Close After Decades In Business: 'Bittersweet, Difficult' Loyal patrons are saying goodbye to a pair of Long Island restaurants boasting a combined nearly half century of culinary expertise. In Huntington, both House of India and Osteria Da Nino announced their closures in late June and early July 2024. Italian eatery Osteria Da Nino, located at 292 Main Street in Huntington, announced its closure on Tuesday, June 18, after 20 years in business. “Our little Italian restaurant has truly been an amazing part of our family and we are ever grateful for all those who brought it to life… we ate well, we drank wine, we laughed and cried, we exchanged st…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
'Unfathomable': 23-Year-Old Long Island Man Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Hard Worker' 'Unfathomable': 23-Year-Old Long Island Man Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Hard Worker'
'Unfathomable': 23-Year-Old Long Island Man Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Hard Worker' Support is pouring in for the family of a 23-year-old Long Island man who was killed in a car crash over the Fourth of July weekend. Joshua Perez-Rodriguez, of Brentwood, died following a two-vehicle collision in Central Islip, at the intersection of East Suffolk Avenue and Carleton Avenue, on Friday night, July 5. Suffolk County Police said he was driving a 2009 Honda Accord northbound on Carleton Avenue when he failed to stop at a red light at the intersection of East Suffolk Avenue and crashed into a 2007 Toyota SUV. Earlier Report: 23-Year-Old Killed, 2 Others Hospitalized Afte…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Man Dives Off Boat, Injures Neck In Wantagh: Police Man Dives Off Boat, Injures Neck In Wantagh: Police
Man Dives Off Boat, Injures Neck In Wantagh: Police A man was airlifted to a nearby hospital with injuries after he dove off the front of his boat in a Long Island bay. It happened in Wantagh on Sunday, July 7, Nassau County Police said. That day, a 47-year-old man was on his boat in Zach’s Bay. At about 4:20 p.m., he dove off the front of the boat into the shallow water and hit his head, injuring his neck. He was found by the Nassau County Marine Bureau and transported to the Jones Beach Theater, where he was then airlifted to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. Additional details have not been released. 

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by Sophie Grieser
Weather
Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes Fueled By Beryl's Remnants To Hit Northeast: Timing, Track Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes Fueled By Beryl's Remnants To Hit Northeast: Timing, Track
Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes Fueled By Beryl's Remnants To Hit Northeast: Timing, Track Numerous clusters of severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and possible isolated tornadoes fueled by the remnants of Beryl are headed to the Northeast. Beryl, which made landfall along the Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, July 8, will move into upstate New York and northern New England on Wednesday, July 10, starting late in the afternoon and continuing overnight. The most severe storms on Wednesday are expected in areas marked in orange and yellow in the image above, mainly farther north and west of the I-95 corridor. In those areas farther inland, storms will also be…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Alert Issued For Long Island Teen Missing A Week Alert Issued For Long Island Teen Missing A Week
Alert Issued For Long Island Teen Missing A Week Police are asking for the community’s assistance in locating a 16-year-old who has been missing for days from her Long Island home. Katherine Monterosa-Herrera, age 16, was last seen on Wednesday, July 3 in Lindenhurst, the Suffolk County Police Department said. That day, she was leaving her home with her belongings and passport. Monterosa-Herrera is 5-foot-4 and weighs approximately 120 pounds. Authorities said she has brown eyes and brown hair. When last seen, she was wearing a tan shirt and blue jeans. She is Hispanic and Spanish-speaking. Anyone with information regarding Montero…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Gang Member 'Hunted Down,' Shot Victim 4 Times In Westbury Over Social Media Post: DA Gang Member 'Hunted Down,' Shot Victim 4 Times In Westbury Over Social Media Post: DA
Gang Member 'Hunted Down,' Shot Victim 4 Times In Westbury Over Social Media Post: DA A 21-year-old will spend two decades in prison after he attempted to kill a perceived gang enemy and hid hundreds of fentanyl pills during his arrest. Elijah Giron, a member of the Latin Kings gang, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars on Tuesday, July 9 for the Westbury incident, the Nassau County District Attorney announced. At around 11:15 p.m. on January 9, 2023, the 21-year-old got out of the driver’s seat of a Dodge Challenger on South Fulton Street and started shooting. He fired four rounds from a 9mm pistol at a person standing outside of a different car before fleeing the scen…

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by Sophie Grieser
Police & Fire
Seen These? $17K Worth Of Artwork Stolen From Long Island Storage Unit Seen These? $17K Worth Of Artwork Stolen From Long Island Storage Unit
Seen These? $17K Worth Of Artwork Stolen From Long Island Storage Unit Police are asking for the community’s help after thousands of dollars' worth of artwork was stolen from a storage unit on Long Island. Suffolk County Police said the paintings, valued at approximately $17,000, were taken from Life Storage, located on Mariner Drive in North Sea, sometime between Friday, Jan. 26 and Wednesday, May 29. Crime Stoppers of Suffolk County is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.  Anonymous tips can be called in to 1-800-220-TIPS or provided on the organization’s website.

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by Michael Mashburn