On January 22, a distressing incident occurred involving a 78-year-old woman from Queens who tragically lost her life following a mishap in a North New Hyde Park shopping complex parking area, as reported by the local police department of Nassau County. The unfortunate woman named, Diane Russ, hailing from Springfield Gardens was taking a stroll in the parking lot, located at 2201 New Hyde Park Road, when she experienced a fall. Immediately after this, she was inadvertently run over by a 2019 Nissan vehicle driven by a 49-year-old male. Subsequent to the event, the driver chose to stay at the scene. The woman was hastily taken to a nearby hospital but, regrettably, she could not survive her injuries and was declared dead upon arrival. An investigation regarding this issue is currently being conducted by the police department.
In a separate incident, 56-year-old Lonnie Poindexter from Freeport was handed down a sentence on January 22 registering six months’ imprisonment and five years of probation. His charges relate to the breeding and trading of pit bulls with the purpose of their participation in dog fights. According to police reports, Poindexter entered a plea of guilty to one count of Prohibition of Animal Fighting/AML 351, on September 18, 2024. During the span of his probation period, he is strictly forbidden from owning any kind of animal. This condition will be maintained through periodic inspections by the probation officers for the succeeding five years.
Relying on the facts uncovered in the investigation, attention was drawn to the defendant in 2020 when investigators stumbled upon several posts made by him online, involving videos, pictures, and detailed information of dog pedigrees. These were combined with the offer of selling pit bulls. Following this, he was apprehended in October 2021. A search warrant issued later allowed for the recovery of items including six pit bulls utilized for breeding, a rape stand, a treadmill, thoroughly kept pedigree paperwork, and heavy chains.
In an unrelated law enforcement effort involving the promotion of Quality-Of-Life on January 21, two individuals, Samantha Spinel, a 20-year rural resident of East Meadow, and Mackenzie Rae Kelly, an 18-year-old inhabitant of Wantagh, faced apprehension by the police force. Spinel was allegedly found selling tobacco/cannabis products at a shop known as Exotic Smoke Shop at 796 Carmen Ave, located in Westbury. She has been charged with the illegal possession and illicit selling of cannabis.
Kelly, on the other hand, has been implicated in similar activities, and she was also identified for selling tobacco/cannabis products. The suspected location for these activities was 2125 Hempstead Convenience situated at 2125 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow. She stands accused of charges including possession and sale of a controlled substance and the illegal trade of cannabis.
In another case, Alvin Tirado, a 38-year-old denizen of Far Rockaway, found himself sentenced to two months of incarceration with three years of probation for causing disturbances and trying to instigate physical altercations with worshippers departing from a Cedarhurst Synagogue. Furthermore, he was also guilty of spitting upon a victim and threatening them, along with making antisemitic comments. The sentencing occurred on January 22 as Tirado decided to admit to his guilt for the crime of Aggravated Harassment PL 240.30(3), a special section in the law carved out to address hate crimes before Judge Anthony Paradiso on November 25, 2024.
According to reports, Tirado was on the drive when he chose to stop near the intersection of Lincoln Street and Oakland Avenue located in Cedarhurst. Disturbingly, he exited his vehicle, proceeded to engage in an aggressive verbal dispute with the group exiting Shaare Emunah, Sephardic Congregation of The Five Towns. His aggression grew as he clenched his fists and attempted to incite fights with multiple individuals all the while hurling antisemitic slurs such as ‘the Jews are taking over’ and ‘I know this building; I’m going to run all the children over’.
Media reports on recent incidents involving law enforcement also mention the case of a New York State Trooper who was apprehended following an unusual sequence of events. The trooper, identified as Thomas Mascia, a 27-year-old resident of West Hempstead, allegedly shot himself in the leg and preceded to concoct a falsified account where an unidentified ‘dark-skinned man’ was the shooter.
The alleged shooting took place at Hempstead State Lake Park on October 30. Mascia had reported that he was shot at, with the supposed culprit making an escape ‘near Malverne’. This claim spurred a widespread search effort spanning multiple states for a gunman, who was later discovered to be non-existent. The action unfolded on what was Mascia’s maiden day of duty at work.
Mascia officially resigned from his position as a state trooper effective January 24. He now stands accused of charges including false crime reportage, evidence manipulation, and official misconduct. His parents have found themselves implicated in the incident too, and have been charged with illicit firearm possession. They are all slated to appear before a Nassau County judge on January 27.
Furthermore, on January 26, reports emerged involving the arrests of two individuals, 18-year-old Robert Nemtzian and Edward Nemtzian, 23, both hailing from Queens. The arrests were subsequent to a robbery incident reported at The Nutty Irishman, a popular bar situated in Farmingdale.
According to the police, the aforementioned accused attempted to gain access to the bar, where Robert was caught trying to use a counterfeit NYS driver’s license. When he was denied entry, he reacted by shoving an employee and swiping around $100 from the bar’s cash register. An additional attempt was made to snatch more cash from an employee by forcefully pushing him to the floor. Following this incident, both individuals made a swift exit from the scene.
However, their escape was short-lived as they were soon discovered by local law enforcement officials. As a result of the incident, both offenders face charges of second-degree robbery. Additionally, Robert has been slapped with an extra charge involving possession of a fraudulent instrument, law enforcement officials informed.