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LI Town Officials Admit Pocketing Fast-Track Bribes While Others Waited Months: Authorities
Two Long Island town officials pleaded guilty to bribery charges this week, authorities announced Thursday, Oct. 1.
Evelyn Calderon, 47, of Mastic, and Ryan Benitez, 38, of East Hampton, admitted taking bribes to fast-track building permits through the Town of East Hampton, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Building permits in East Hampton could take months for approval, and the office was understaffed and overworked, according to prosecutors and prior reporting from Newsday.
But if you knew the right people — namely Calderon and Benitez — you could get permits in days fo…
14-Year-Old LI Girl Stopped, Offered $300 By Creep In SUV: Police
A 14-year-old Long Island high school student was accosted by a bald man in an SUV, and now police are searching for the man.
The female student at Smithtown High School East was walking home Friday, Sept. 11 when she reached Lincoln Avenue and 6th Street in St. James, the Suffolk County Police Department said Thursday, Oct. 1.
At the intersection, a bald man between 40 and 50 years old driving a black Audi SUV parked in front of her, made an "inappropriate comment,” and offered her $300, police said.
Traffic cameras captured the man’s SUV on video, and he is wanted for child endangerment,…
Drunk LI Driver Who Killed Pedestrian After Stealing Car Cuts Plea Deal: Authorities
A young Long Island man who killed a pedestrian while driving drunk in a stolen car took a plea deal Wednesday, Sept. 30, authorities said.
Alexander Cerda, 23, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and several more charges in the death of Eric Perez in March 2025, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
In exchange, Cerda is expected to get between six and 18 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on Jan. 8, 2027, according to the DA’s office.
“Every decision this defendant made on March 8, 2025, was worse than the next,” District Attorney Ray Tierney s…
Drunk Driver Slams Utility Pole Near Long Island Airport, Gets Cuffed: Police
A Long Island drunk driver slammed into a utility pole near East Hampton Airport, leading to his arrest, police said.
Fredy Tezen Paredes, 38, of Flanders, was traveling northbound on Daniels Hole Road near Hedges Lane in Wainscott around 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, the East Hampton Town Police Department said.
Tezen Paredes’s crash into a utility pole sparked a police response, and officers smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, authorities said.
When cops put Tezen Paredes through field sobriety tests, he “performed poorly” on the “horizontal gaze” an…
LI Man Pulls $3M-Winning Lottery Ticket Against 1-In-5 Million Odds
A Long Island man won a $3 million prize on a lottery scratch-off ticket, officials announced.
Cesar Martinez Alas, of Huntington Station, claimed the top prize in the $3 Million Max Multiplier game on Wednesday, Sept. 23, the New York Lottery announced.
Martinez Alas chose to receive a one-time lump sum payment of $1,328,043, after required withholdings, lottery officials said.
He bought his winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 247 Broadway Greenlawn in Huntington, according to the New York Lottery.
Martinez Alas was the first to claim the top prize in the statewide scratch-off game, and tw…
13 Animals Rescued From ‘Deplorable’ Long Island Home, Three Arrested: Police
Thirteen animals living in “deplorable” conditions were rescued from a home on Long Island on Monday, Sept. 28, police said.
Brian Burden, 50, and Nicole Ramunni, 44, of Port Jefferson, and Timothy Burden, 55, of Stony Brook, were arrested following an investigation, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Firefighters initially responded to reports of a roof fire on Willis Avenue in Port Jefferson around 9:45 a.m. Monday, authorities said.
But when they arrived, they also found “several different species of animals without food or water in the residence, and living in deplorable condit…
Two Teens Nabbed Mid-Tire Theft In Nassau County, Hit With Seven Charges Each: Cops
Two teens trying to steal tires off a car on Long Island were caught red-handed early Tuesday, Sept. 29, police said.
Starling Flores, 19, of Freeport, and Christopher Vinson, 18, of Lindenhurst, were nabbed following a theft report around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Cops responded to the call on Mack Avenue in Hicksville and saw a 2020 Honda resting on a carjack and two men trying to remove the tires, authorities said.
Flores took off on foot, but officers quickly tracked him down and arrested him, police said. Other canvassing officers found Vinson and ca…
