Tag:

Wheatley Heights, NY

Hempstead, NY
News
$44M COVID Tax Scheme: Long Island Trio Among 7 NYers Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever $44M COVID Tax Scheme: Long Island Trio Among 7 NYers Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever
$44M COVID Tax Scheme: Long Island Trio Among 7 NYers Nabbed In Largest US Case Ever Seven New Yorkers have been charged in a sweeping tax fraud scheme, accused of exploiting pandemic relief programs to steal over $44 million, federal prosecutors announced. The indictment by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, unsealed Wednesday, Jan. 22, alleges that the defendants filed over 8,000 fraudulent tax returns, seeking more than $600 million in COVID-19 relief funds through the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and related programs. Investigators determined the group successfully secured $44 million from the federal government. Defendants Long Island …

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by Joe Lombardi
Babylon, NY
News
Babylon Facebook Marketplace Scammer Admits Dragging Victim With Car, Breaking Man's Pelvis Babylon Facebook Marketplace Scammer Admits Dragging Victim With Car, Breaking Man's Pelvis
Babylon Facebook Marketplace Scammer Admits Dragging Victim With Car, Breaking Man's Pelvis A Long Island man admitted to a violent robbery stemming from a Facebook Marketplace scam that left the victim seriously injured. Jordan Behling, 23, of Wheatley Heights, pleaded guilty to robbery and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Dec. 19, in connection with the June 2023 incident Prosecutors said Behling arranged to sell a PlayStation 5 console to the victim through Facebook Marketplace. When he arrived at the victim’s home in an SUV, the victim handed him $280 in cash through the car window. But instead of handing over the PS5, Behling sped off while the victim wa…

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by Michael Mashburn
Mount Holly, NJ
Police & Fire
NY Man, 23, Dies When Car Crashed Into 18-Wheeler On NJ Turnpike In Westampton: Troopers NY Man, 23, Dies When Car Crashed Into 18-Wheeler On NJ Turnpike In Westampton: Troopers
NY Man, 23, Dies When Car Crashed Into 18-Wheeler On NJ Turnpike In Westampton: Troopers A Long Island man was killed when his car crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike, authorities said. Donald Butler of Wheatley Heights, died in the crash in Westampton Township on Tuesday, Oct. 15, a New Jersey State Police spokesperson said.  Troopers responded to the northbound side of the turnpike near milepost 43.9 at around 9:56 p.m. The crash happened just south of Exit 5, which is the interchange for Burlington-Mount Holly Road. Investigators said Butler was driving a Mercedes-Benz E400 when his car struck the back of a Fre…

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by Chris Spiker
Massapequa, NY
News
NYPD Detective From Long Island Helps Dozens Get Fraudulent COVID-19 Relief Loans, Feds Say NYPD Detective From Long Island Helps Dozens Get Fraudulent COVID-19 Relief Loans, Feds Say
Nypd Detective From Long Island Helps Dozens Get Fraudulent Covid-19 Relief Loans, Feds Say An NYPD detective from Long Island is among four defendants accused of helping dozens of people obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans. John Bolden, age 46, of Valley Stream, was indicted on wire fraud charges in Brooklyn federal court on Monday, Aug. 12. Prosecutors said Bolden and a second NYPD detective, Anthony Carreira, owned partnership interests in a franchise location for a tax preparation business. Together with clients and co-defendants, the pair helped more than 65 people submit fraudulent applications for loans under the US Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection P…

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by Michael Mashburn
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Drunk Driver Nabbed After Hit-Run Crash Injuring Wheatley Heights Boy In Patchogue Drunk Driver Nabbed After Hit-Run Crash Injuring Wheatley Heights Boy In Patchogue
Drunk Driver Nabbed After Hit-Run Crash Injuring Wheatley Heights Boy In Patchogue An allegedly drunk driver has been charged after a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a child on a Long Island roadway. It happened around 4:45 a.m. Sunday, July 21, in Patchogue. A 13-year-old boy from Wheatley Heights was riding an e-bike eastbound on East Main Street when an eastbound Audi struck him in front of 350 East Main Street and fled the scene, according to Suffolk County Police. The boy was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries. Following an investigation, Flavio Lituma, age 53, of Medford, was arrested in fron…

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by Joe Lombardi
Brentwood, NY
News
Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says
Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says A Long Island man is facing a host of charges in connection with an alleged Facebook Marketplace scam that left the victim confined to a wheelchair. Jordan Behling, age 23, of Wheatley Heights, was arraigned on assault and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Jan. 9. According to prosecutors, the victim agreed to meet Behling on Friday, June 16, 2023 to purchase a PlayStation 5 gaming console that Behling had listed on Facebook Marketplace. At around 7:15 p.m., Behling pulled up to the victim’s home in an SUV and the victim handed him $280 in cash through the window. Once h…

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by Michael Mashburn
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
1 Killed, 3 Hospitalized In Crash Near Wyandanch Intersection 1 Killed, 3 Hospitalized In Crash Near Wyandanch Intersection
1 Killed, 3 Hospitalized In Crash Near Wyandanch Intersection One person was killed and three others hospitalized after a crash near a Long Island intersection. It happened around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, July 16 in Wyandanch. A 44-year-old Wyandanch man was driving a 2016 Honda CRV westbound on Long Island Avenue when his vehicle collided with an eastbound 2021 Toyota Camry, driven a 30-year-old Wheatley Heights woman, Suffolk County Police said. The Wyandanch man's brother, the passenger in the CRV, Jose Sanchez Benitez, age 62, of Wyandanch, was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore where he was pronounced dead. …

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by Joe Lombardi
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Armed Man Carjacks Long Island Woman, Rams Police Cruiser, Cops Say Armed Man Carjacks Long Island Woman, Rams Police Cruiser, Cops Say
Armed Man Carjacks Long Island Woman, Rams Police Cruiser, Cops Say A 21-year-old homeless man was nabbed after allegedly carjacking a Long Island woman at gunpoint and ramming a police vehicle before running away on foot. The incident took place in Wheatley Heights, a hamlet of Babylon around 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 14. Suffolk County Police detectives said Kwaisi McCorvey, homeless, approached a 2016 Hyundai Tuscan that had just pulled into a driveway on Main Avenue, near Sunset Avenue.  He pointed a handgun at the driver and told her to get out of the vehicle. McCorvey then got in the Hyundai and drove away, police said. Patrol officers …

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by Kathy Reakes
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Police Search For Driver Who Struck SUV In North Amityville, Pedestrian In Wyandanch Police Search For Driver Who Struck SUV In North Amityville, Pedestrian In Wyandanch
Police Search For Driver Who Struck SUV In North Amityville, Pedestrian In Wyandanch An investigation is underway after a driver crashed into an SUV and then struck and seriously injured a 60-year-old woman on Long Island. The incident happened at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, the Suffolk County Police Department said. SCPD said officers tried to pull over a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV that had just left a known drug location in the area of Sunrise Highway and Bayview Avenue in Amityville.  The Mercedes fled from police and struck a Subaru on County Line Road and Francine Avenue in North Amityville, according to the report. The driver of the Su…

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by Nicole Valinote
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Threatening Mass Harm At Islandia Hotel Man Accused Of Threatening Mass Harm At Islandia Hotel
Man Accused Of Threatening Mass Harm At Islandia Hotel A man has been accused of threatening mass harm at a Long Island hotel. Joshua Hurt, age 28, of Wheatley Heights, wrote a comment on a travel website on Saturday, July 30 threatening to bring a gun to Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel, located in Islandia at 3635 Express Drive North, with the intent of hurting the staff at the gaming facility, Suffolk County Police said. Following an investigation by Suffolk County PD Fourth Precinct Crime Section and Anti-Crime Unit officers, Hurt was arrested on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 6 on Straight Path in Dix Hills.  Hurt was charged with making a thre…

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by Joe Lombardi
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Suspect Charged With Murdering 34-Year-Old Centereach Man, Police Say Suspect Charged With Murdering 34-Year-Old Centereach Man, Police Say
Suspect Charged With Murdering 34-Year-Old Centereach Man, Police Say Police arrested a suspect in the murder of a Long Island man whose body was found in a wooded area earlier this year. Glenn Seejattan, age 34, of Wheatley Heights, was arrested on Tuesday, March 22, and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 34-year-old Centereach resident Justin Lee, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.  Lee's body was found on Jan. 28 in a wooded area west of Brookhaven Drive near the North Shore Rail Trail in Rocky Point, SCPD reported. Justin LeeSuffolk County Police Department He was reported missing on Jan. 21, police said. SCP…

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by Nicole Valinote
Brentwood, NY
Police & Fire
Suffolk County Man Accused Of Stealing Three Vehicles In Two Days Suffolk County Man Accused Of Stealing Three Vehicles In Two Days
Suffolk County Man Accused Of Stealing Three Vehicles In Two Days A 25-year-old Long Island man was arrested after police said he stole three vehicles over the course of two days. Officers responded to the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station on Monday, Jan. 17, after receiving a report that a vehicle in the parking lot had been stolen from Southampton earlier that day, the Suffolk County Police Department reported. At about 1 p.m., officers found a 2017 BMW and saw a man get in the SUV and drive away, SCPD said. Police stopped the BMW near the mall and arrested the driver, who was identified as Claudy Fleury Jr., of Wheatley Heights, autho…

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by Nicole Valinote
Massapequa, NY
News
Suspect Arrested With Stolen Honda In Nassau After Driving Erratically With Missing Tires Suspect Arrested With Stolen Honda In Nassau After Driving Erratically With Missing Tires
Suspect Arrested With Stolen Honda In Nassau After Driving Erratically With Missing Tires A Long Island man who was driving erratically before being tracked down by investigators was busted in an allegedly stolen vehicle, police said. Officers from the Nassau County Police Department responded to a stretch of Long Beach Road shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12 in Island Park, where there were reports of a man speeding and driving a gray Honda CRV with no tires on the driver’s side. Police said that officers were able to locate the vehicle parked outside the parking lot of an Outback Steakhouse on Long Beach Road, and witnesses were able to provide investigators a des…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Nassau County Woman Charged With DWI After Fatal Crash Nassau County Woman Charged With DWI After Fatal Crash
Nassau County Woman Charged With DWI After Fatal Crash A woman has been charged with driving while intoxicated following a single-vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian on Long Island overnight. Shawnet Earle, age 30, of Hempstead, was driving a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander in Wheatley Heights eastbound on Main Avenue at North 26th Street, when the vehicle struck a female pedestrian walking along Main Avenue at approximately 12:10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 6, Suffolk County Police said. The victim, Blanche Pope, age 60, of Wheatley Heights, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examin…

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by Joe Lombardi
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Suspect At Large After Long Island Man Shot In Broad Daylight Suspect At Large After Long Island Man Shot In Broad Daylight
Suspect At Large After Long Island Man Shot In Broad Daylight A suspect is at large after a Long Island man was shot in broad daylight. It happened on Monday, June 1 just after 5:30 p.m. in Wyandanch Suffolk County Police responded to Lincoln Avenue after a 911 call reported a man was shot.  First Precinct Patrol officers arrived and discovered a 33-year-old Wheatley Heights man with a gunshot wound to his head. The victim, whose identity is being withheld, was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the First Squad at 631-854-8…

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by Joe Lombardi
Massapequa, NY
News
ID Released For Victim In Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting ID Released For Victim In Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting
ID Released For Victim In Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting The victim of a fatal overnight shooting on Long Island has been identified. It happened on Saturday, Dec. 28 at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Wheatley Heights. First Precinct officers responded to Little East Neck Road, between Charlestown Place and Westmore Place, after a 911 caller reported a man lying on the side of the road, Suffolk County Police said. When officers arrived, they found the man, now ID'd as Frederick Delacruz, 30, of the Bronx, with a gunshot wound, police said. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where he was pronounced dead.&n…

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by Joe Lombardi
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Suspect On Loose After Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting Suspect On Loose After Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting
Suspect On Loose After Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting Click here for an updated story: ID Released For Victim In Fatal Overnight Long Island Shooting A suspect is on the loose after a fatal overnight shooting on Long Island. It happened on Saturday, Dec. 28 at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Wheatley Heights. First Precinct officers responded to Little East Neck Road, between Charlestown Place and Westmore Place, after a 911 caller reported a man lying on the side of the road, Suffolk County Police said. When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound, police said. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical C…

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by Joe Lombardi
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
21-Year-Old Long Island Man Intentionally Strikes Cruiser After Chase, Police Say 21-Year-Old Long Island Man Intentionally Strikes Cruiser After Chase, Police Say
21-Year-Old Long Island Man Intentionally Strikes Cruiser After Chase, Police Say A 21-year-old man attempted to run down a police officer after taking him on a high-speed pursuit that ended in a foot-chase before he was taken into custody. A Suffolk County Police officer on patrol on Lee Avenue in Wyandanch at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, when a driver - later identified as Bay Shore resident Daevon Cannon - changed lanes without signaling, prompting a traffic stop. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said that when the driver was signaled to stop, Cannon sped away and took the officer on a high-speed chase, “driving recklessly.” 
Cannon even…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
Lifestyle
Syosset HS Grad Natalie Portman Cast As Thor Syosset HS Grad Natalie Portman Cast As Thor
Syosset HS Grad Natalie Portman Cast As Thor Syosset High School graduate Natalie Portman has been cast to play female Thor in "Thor 4." The announcement came at San Diego Comic-Con from Marvel that "Thor: Love and Thunder" set to be out Nov. 5, 2021, according to multiple reports. The actress who graduated from Syosset High School in 1999 responded, on Instagram in this post,  "So thrilled to share the news with you today at #sdcc2019 that I’ll be returning to the @marvel #mcu as female Thor with legends @taikawaititi @tessamaethompson and @chrishemsworth." "Remember this as the before picture for when I get jacked," …

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by Donna Christopher
Newburgh, NY
Police & Fire
Suffolk County Stolen Car Suspect Tracked Down In Hudson Valley I-87 Stop Suffolk County Stolen Car Suspect Tracked Down In Hudson Valley I-87 Stop
Suffolk County Stolen Car Suspect Tracked Down In Hudson Valley I-87 Stop Eagle-eyed New York State Police troopers on patrol in the Hudson Valley busted a man who made it nearly 200 miles in a stolen vehicle. Troopers on patrol in the town of Catskill received a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) from the Suffolk County Police Department on Thursday night, for a car that was stolen on Long Island. While on patrol, the troopers stopped a motorist driving a vehicle on I-87 that matched the description given by police, which led to the arrest of Wheatley Heights resident Herby Legros, 40, who was taken into custody and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stol…

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by Zak Failla