Fair 67°
Police & Fire
Fatal Long Island Expressway Crash: 45-Year-Old Driver ID'd As Victim Fatal Long Island Expressway Crash: 45-Year-Old Driver ID'd As Victim
Fatal Long Island Expressway Crash: 45-Year-Old Driver ID'd As Victim Police are investigating a deadly highway crash on Long Island that killed a 45-year-old man. The incident happened at around 2:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23, on the Long Island Expressway in Holtsville, according to Suffolk County Police. An investigation found that Matthew Pawlak, of Riverhead, was driving a Jeep eastbound on I-495 when he lost control between exits 62 and 63, crashing head-on into the center median. Pawlak was pronounced dead at the scene by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, police said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and nobody else was injured. S…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing Long Island Teen Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing Long Island Teen
Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing Long Island Teen Authorities have issued an alert for a missing Long Island teenager who has been missing for over three days. Carmello Edmonds, age 17, went missing from Riverhead on Thursday, Oct. 5, according to the New York State Missing Persons Clearinghouse. When he was last seen, he was wearing a black shirt, black sweatshirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. Edmonds is described as 5-foot-10 with black hair and brown eyes. He weighs approximately 180 pounds. He has a scar on the top of his right hand. Anyone with information regarding Edmonds’ location is encouraged to contact the New York St…

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by Sophie Grieser
Police & Fire
Fatal Crash: 31-Year-Old Bay Shore Man ID'd As Victim In Bohemia Fatal Crash: 31-Year-Old Bay Shore Man ID'd As Victim In Bohemia
Fatal Crash: 31-Year-Old Bay Shore Man ID'd As Victim In Bohemia Police are investigating a two-vehicle crash that killed a 31-year-old Long Island man shortly before daybreak. It happened around 5:40 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 in Bohemia. The victim was riding a 2019 Honda motorcycle westbound in the middle lane of Sunrise Highway, west of Lakeland Avenue, when the vehicle struck the rear of a 2021 Freightliner box truck, according to Suffolk County Police. The driver of the motorcycle, Brandon Schwartz, of Bay Shore, was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore where he was pronounced dead.  The driver…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
'We Love You All': Beloved Diner Closes After 30 Years On Long Island 'We Love You All': Beloved Diner Closes After 30 Years On Long Island
'We Love You All': Beloved Diner Closes After 30 Years On Long Island Following a run of over three decades, a family-owned Long Island restaurant abruptly announced its immediate closure. “Today…will be our last day. It is with heavy hearts we have made the most difficult decision to permanently close.” In a Facebook post on Saturday, Sept. 30, the owners of Peconic Bay Diner – mother Chrissy and daughters Eleni and Chloe – announced that the Riverhead staple would be closing for good. “There are multiple factors involved” in the family’s decision to close shop, including the “astronomical” cost of goods, staffing troubles, and the uncertainty of the futu…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
'Meet Me Outside': Heated Phone Call Led Long Island Man To Gun Down 37-Year-Old, Jury Finds 'Meet Me Outside': Heated Phone Call Led Long Island Man To Gun Down 37-Year-Old, Jury Finds
'Meet Me Outside': Heated Phone Call Led Long Island Man To Gun Down 37-Year-Old, Jury Finds What began as an argument over the phone ended with a 37-year-old Long Island man shot to death, and now, two years later, his killer is facing decades in prison. A Suffolk County jury found Michael Gilbert, age 29, of Riverhead, guilty of murder and related charges Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the shooting death of Tyrell Durham in Moriches. According to prosecutors, on Nov. 26, 2021, Gilbert overheard a phone call in which his girlfriend, Lashonda Coles, asked Durham’s girlfriend why she was with “the guy that knocked her teeth out.” The conversation was also overheard by Durham, who began yel…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Early-Morning Thief Nabs Work Truck From Long Island Municipal Building Early-Morning Thief Nabs Work Truck From Long Island Municipal Building
Early-Morning Thief Nabs Work Truck From Long Island Municipal Building Police are investigating the early-morning theft of a work truck from a Long Island municipal building. The incident happened at around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Riverhead, at the Riverhead Water District Garage located on Pulaski Street. According to Riverhead Town Police, someone broke into the building before making off with a 2002 white Chevrolet work truck. The culprit also stole various copper pipes and tools, and damaged a fence while fleeing. Investigators later found the truck abandoned in Coram thanks to the help of an onboard GPS system. No arrests had been made as of …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Razor-Wielding Man Who 'Terrorized' Long Island Family, Disfigured Victim's Face Gets 18 Years Razor-Wielding Man Who 'Terrorized' Long Island Family, Disfigured Victim's Face Gets 18 Years
Razor-Wielding Man Who 'Terrorized' Long Island Family, Disfigured Victim's Face Gets 18 Years A Long Island man who viciously attacked his ex-girlfriend’s family with a razor blade in a desperate attempt to get to her will serve nearly two decades in prison. Guillermo Ayala Jr., age 30, of Calverton, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Sept. 20. According to prosecutors, Ayala and the mother of his children were returning home from dinner on Dec. 2, 2022, when Ayala began demanding that she show him her cell phone to see who she’d been talking to. Earlier Report: Calverton Man Admits Slashing Ex-Girlfriend's Family With Knife When sh…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Employee At Teen Center On Long Island Rapes 16-Year-Old, Police Say Employee At Teen Center On Long Island Rapes 16-Year-Old, Police Say
Employee At Teen Center On Long Island Rapes 16-Year-Old, Police Say An employee at a teen rehabilitation center on Long Island has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an underage resident. Manuel Roias, age 51, of Miller Place, was arrested on rape and related charges Thursday, Sept. 21, following an investigation by the Riverhead Police Department. Roias is an employee at Timothy Hill Ranch in Riverhead, described as a Christian rehabilitation center for troubled teens and young adults.  He works as an assistant director of maintenance at the facility, according to his LinkedIn page. Investigators determined that Roias had a sexual relation…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
New Details: Teacher Repeatedly Raped 16-Year-Old Student At Long Island School, DA Says New Details: Teacher Repeatedly Raped 16-Year-Old Student At Long Island School, DA Says
New Details: Teacher Repeatedly Raped 16-Year-Old Student At Long Island School, DA Says A teacher accused of repeatedly raping an underage student at a Long Island school has been formally charged. William Sperl, age 60, of Deer Park, was arraigned on seven counts of rape and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Sept. 12. According to prosecutors, Sperl met the victim in 2019 when she was 15 years old and a student in his audio production class at the Eastern Suffolk BOCES campus in Riverhead. Earlier Report: Teacher Sexually Abuses Underage Student At Riverhead School, Police Say The two began communicating through an application used by the school fo…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
ID Released For Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail ID Released For Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail
ID Released For Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail Authorities have identified a man whose body was found in a wooded area near a Long Island jail. The discovery was made at around 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, in Riverhead near Center and Nugent drives, located just yards from the Suffolk County government campus. According to Southampton Town Police, a passerby spotted the man while walking in the woods and called 911. Earlier Report: Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near County Jail In Riverhead On Tuesday, Sept. 12, police identified the man as 39-year-old Adam Jackson. No hometown was provided. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s O…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Man Hospitalized After Being Struck By Car Outside Long Island Fitness Center Man Hospitalized After Being Struck By Car Outside Long Island Fitness Center
Man Hospitalized After Being Struck By Car Outside Long Island Fitness Center A man is recovering after being struck by a car in the parking lot of a Long Island fitness center. The incident happened at around 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, in Riverhead, just outside the Planet Fitness on Old Country Road. According to Riverhead Police, a 52-year-old woman was driving a Honda pickup truck through the parking lot when she struck the victim, identified as a 68-year-old Aquebogue man. The man was initially taken by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and was transferred to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.  Police did not elaborate on the…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail
Man Found Dead In Wooded Area Near Long Island Jail Police are investigating after a man’s body was found in a wooded area near a Long Island jail. The discovery was made at around 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, in Riverhead near Center Drive, located just yards from the Suffolk County government campus. According to Southampton Town Police, a passerby spotted the man while walking in the woods and called 911. Multiple agencies responded, including Suffolk County homicide detectives. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine an official cause of death. Police said no foul play is suspected. So far, the m…

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by Michael Mashburn