News Briefs From Around Huntington (Week Of June 17)
/Compiled by Andrew Wroblewski
State Police Seek Answers In 18-Year-Old Homicide Case
Left: A facial reconstruction image of the victim, whose identity remains unknown. Right: State police said this shirt was worn by the victim. (Images/New York State Police)
Eighteen years after the body of an unidentified man was found in a wooded Dix Hills area, state police continue to look for answers.
As part of the New York State Police Department’s Cold Case Tuesday initiative, in which the department shines a light on unsolved cases, the nearly two decades’ old homicide was again in the spotlight earlier this week.
State police are asking the public’s help in identifying the victim, who is described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic male who was around 35 to 45 years old, stood at 5-foot-10 and weighed 140 pounds. The man had no visible tattoos or scars.
The man was clothed in Levi’s blue jeans, a navy blue bathing suit, an olive-colored Levi’s short-sleeve shirt and olive-colored t-shirt with a multi-colored picture and the words “New Jersey.”
The man’s body was found March 9, 2000 in a wooded area beside the eastbound shoulder of a span of the Northern State Parkway in Dix Hills, police said. Highway contract workers discovered the remains in a black plastic bag.
State police said the victim was shot in the face and torso, and that it’s estimated he died sometime between January and March that year.
To date, state police said, the victim has not been identified and the case remains an open homicide. A facial reconstruction image was created in hopes of identifying the man.
State police ask anyone with information on this case to call 631-756-3300 and reference “SJS# 3023503.”
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest of the person or persons responsible for the crime.
Bicyclist Hurt In Collision With Car In Melville: FD
The car, left, and bicycle, right, collided in Melville at Bagatelle Road and the Long Island Expressway North Service Road on Tuesday. (Photos/Melville FD)
A bicyclist was injured Tuesday in Melville after colliding with a car, fire officials said.
The Melville Fire Department responded to assist the bicyclist, who was injured in the collision at Bagatelle Road and the Long Island Expressway North Service Road, at around 1:50 p.m.
The bicyclist suffered serious injuries, fire officials said, and was brought to Stony Brook University Hospital by Suffolk Police helicopter, which landed at nearby Chestnut Hill School.
Melville Fire Rescue volunteers were on the scene with three ambulances, an engine, paramedic unit and fire police that were under the direction of Assistant Chief David Kaplan and Bill Schmitt.
FD: Injuries, Trapped Driver After Crash On Long Island Expressway
Wreckage from one of the cars involved in the crash last Thursday between exits 48 and 49 on the L.I.E. (Photo/Melville FD)
A crash in Melville last Thursday resulted in injuries and a trapped victim, fire officials said.
The crash occurred at around 3:37 p.m. on the eastbound side of the Long Island Expressway between exits 48 and 49.
Melville firefighters used heavy rescue “Jaws of Life” tools to extricate one of the drivers, fire officials said.
The male victim was assisted by Melville Rescue Squad emergency medical crews and airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital by Suffolk Police helicopter.
The second driver was brought by Melville FD Rescue Squad ambulance to Plainview Hospital, fire officials said.
Around 25 Melville volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel were dispatched with three ambulances, heavy rescue truck, two engines, paramedic unit and fire police that were under the direction of First Assistant Chief David Kaplan.
Suffolk Marine Bureau Rescued Stranded Boaters In Huntington
Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers rescued two boaters who were stranded on the rocks at Huntington Lighthouse in Huntington Harbor on Sunday, Suffolk police said.
The Huntington Harbormaster requested assistance from the marine bureau for a boat that had become lodged in the rocks by the Huntington Lighthouse on June 17 at around 8 p.m. Marine Bureau officers Terence McGovern and Kevin Yoli responded aboard Marine Bravo.
The officers tied a line to the stern of the 38-foot sailboat in an attempt to free it, police said. A boat from Sea Tow arrived and workers secured a second line to the mast of the boat and rolled it on its side allowing Marine Bravo to pull it away from the rocks to safety.
After the boat was freed from the rocks, officers did a visual inspection of the boat and conferred with the boat’s owner, 71-year-old Jorge Schneider, of Huntington. It was determined the boat was undamaged and Schneider and a female passenger were unharmed, police said. The pair remained aboard the sailboat and were escorted by Sea Tow to shore.
