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Vengeful LI Arsonist Who Torched Bar After Being Booted Takes Plea Deal: Authorities Vengeful LI Arsonist Who Torched Bar After Being Booted Takes Plea Deal: Authorities Vengeful LI Arsonist Who Torched Bar After Being Booted Takes Plea Deal: Authorities
Vengeful LI Arsonist Who Torched Bar After Being Booted Takes Plea Deal: Authorities A Long Island man who tried to torch a local bar after he was kicked out has admitted to arson, authorities said. Paul Lucia, 60, of Islip Terrace, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Oct. 13 in the fire at Riley Fibbers in East Islip, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. He faces a maximum prison term of 10 years after taking a plea deal, authorities said. Lucia was asked to leave the bar around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2025, after taking a picture of a staff member, authorities said. He drove away in a white Jeep Patriot but returned with a gas can and a lighter around 7:30 p.m., investig…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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LI Drunk Driver Escapes Injury — But Not Cuffs — After Crashing Into Pole: Police LI Drunk Driver Escapes Injury — But Not Cuffs — After Crashing Into Pole: Police LI Drunk Driver Escapes Injury — But Not Cuffs — After Crashing Into Pole: Police
LI Drunk Driver Escapes Injury — But Not Cuffs — After Crashing Into Pole: Police A Long Island drunk driver was arrested after crashing into a utility pole, police said. Ethan Endress, 22, of Middle Island, was traveling on Schwenks Road in Water Mill on Sunday, Oct. 11, the Southampton Town Police Department said. Endress crashed his car into the pole but avoided serious injury, and no other vehicles were involved in the wreck, police said. However, investigators on the scene determined Endress was drunk and took him into police custody, officials said. He was charged with misdemeanor DWI and held overnight for arraignment Monday, Oct. 12, according to police.

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by Joe Wilkinson
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NY Customers Targeted In NJ Bank Fraudster’s $1.8M Scheme, Prison Follows: Feds NY Customers Targeted In NJ Bank Fraudster’s $1.8M Scheme, Prison Follows: Feds NY Customers Targeted In NJ Bank Fraudster’s $1.8M Scheme, Prison Follows: Feds
NY Customers Targeted In NJ Bank Fraudster’s $1.8M Scheme, Prison Follows: Feds A notorious bank fraudster from New Jersey is headed to federal prison after ripping off customers, businesses, and banks across the tristate area, federal investigators said. Laquan Williams, 42, of Florham Park, was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 13 to 16 years and eight months in prison, the Justice Department said. Williams stole at least $1.8 million from various financial institutions through three overlapping schemes that ran from October 2021 to May 2024, the feds said. The most lucrative operation involved stolen U.S. Treasury checks, in which Williams and co-conspirators impersonated le…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Drunk LI Driver Arrested At Crash Scene After Slamming Into Retaining Wall, Cops Say Drunk LI Driver Arrested At Crash Scene After Slamming Into Retaining Wall, Cops Say Drunk LI Driver Arrested At Crash Scene After Slamming Into Retaining Wall, Cops Say
Drunk LI Driver Arrested At Crash Scene After Slamming Into Retaining Wall, Cops Say A drunk driver on Long Island plowed into a retaining wall and was arrested at the scene, police said. Gerber G. Xuya, 31, of Riverhead, was traveling northbound on Pegs Lane in Riverside just before 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, the Southampton Town Police Department said. Xuya’s vehicle left the roadway and collided with a retaining wall in front of a house on the residential street, police said. As cops were investigating the crash and interviewing Xuya, they determined he was drunk and placed him under arrest, authorities said. Officers took Xuya to Southampton police headquarters for proces…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Drunk Driver, 21, Was Also High When He Killed LI Dad In Parked Car, Authorities Say Drunk Driver, 21, Was Also High When He Killed LI Dad In Parked Car, Authorities Say Drunk Driver, 21, Was Also High When He Killed LI Dad In Parked Car, Authorities Say
Drunk Driver, 21, Was Also High When He Killed LI Dad In Parked Car, Authorities Say A Long Island driver was drunk and high when he plowed into a parked car and killed a man earlier this year, authorities said. Noah Slusser, 21, of Holtsville, was indicted and arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 14 for the crash that killed James Baldassarri in Middle Island on Thursday, Aug. 27, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. Baldassarri, 44, of Holtsville, was sitting in a parked 2025 Toyota Crown on Wilson Avenue near Adams Lane around 12 a.m. Aug. 27, police said. Slusser came up speeding south on Wilson Avenue in a 2017 Ford Taurus, prosecutors said. He drove into a marked…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Fugitive ‘Blood Feud’ Murderer Captured In New York After 25 Years On The Run: Authorities Fugitive ‘Blood Feud’ Murderer Captured In New York After 25 Years On The Run: Authorities Fugitive ‘Blood Feud’ Murderer Captured In New York After 25 Years On The Run: Authorities
Fugitive ‘Blood Feud’ Murderer Captured In New York After 25 Years On The Run: Authorities A murderous fugitive from Albania wanted for two “blood feud” murders and another killing has been arrested in New York, authorities said. Valentin Ftoni was on the run for more than 25 years before law enforcement caught up with him Thursday, Oct. 8, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Ftoni had been convicted in absentia for killings in 2000 and 2001, according to Albanian news outlet CNA. He murdered a husband and wife in 2000 for “blood feud reasons” and another man in 2001, CNA reported. Upon his return to Albania, Ftoni faces 25 years in prison on both convictions, the U.S. Marshals sai…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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LI Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say LI Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say LI Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say
LI Arsonist On The Lam After Torching Vacant Home With Fireworks, Police Say An arsonist set off fireworks at an abandoned house on Long Island just days before Independence Day, starting a house fire, police said. The blaze on Louise Drive in North Bay Shore was reported Thursday, July 2 shortly after 2:30 p.m., the Suffolk County Police Department said. Video captured a man walking into the vacant garage, then placing a firework in the driveway and setting it off, police said. He also set off fireworks inside the attached garage, then left the scene on a red motorcycle, according to authorities. Cops are offering a cash reward for any tips that lead to an arrest …

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept Husband Of Harvard-Stanford UPMC Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept
Husband Of Harvard-Stanford Upmc Doctor Charged With Murder, Arson As Daughter Slept A Harvard and Stanford graduate who became a UPMC pediatrician was killed by her husband, who then set her body on fire inside their Harrisburg home while their 7-year-old daughter slept upstairs, police said. Jonathan Alan Gatto, 41, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated arson, arson, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the killing of his wife, Dr. Julia Pederson, 41, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice. Gatto is being held at Dauphin County Prison without bail following his arrest on Tuesday, Oct…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert
Power Grid Emergency Issued In NY: What To Know About Unusual October Alert The world's largest power grid operator has issued an emergency alert as unusually warm October weather and widespread equipment outages put pressure on electricity supplies across the region, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PJM Interconnection issued a Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert for Tuesday, Oct. 13, as higher electricity demand and planned equipment outages put pressure on the regional power supply. The alerts mean power companies are being asked to keep as much equipment running as possible, including postponing maintenance that could take power plants or t…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison
Duct-Taped Passenger Facing Federal Prison The American Airlines passenger who had to be restrained with duct tape and zip ties during a flight that was diverted to Maryland is now facing a much bigger problem on the ground. Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, Arizona, was indicted on charges stemming from a confrontation aboard a Dallas-to-Newark flight that was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Anne Arundel County on Thursday, Sept. 3. Federal prosecutors announced the indictment on Tuesday, Oct. 13, alleging that Lundeen assaulted a fellow passenger and interfered with flight attendants and cre…

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by Zak Failla and Cecilia Levine
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Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA
Drunk LI Driver Who Left Passenger To Die Adds Two Years To Prison Term With Witness Threat: DA A Long Island man who fled a drunken crash that killed his passenger got an extra two years on his prison term Tuesday, Oct. 13 after threatening a witness, authorities said. Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz, 35, of Hempstead, was sentenced to 21 years behind bars, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office said. He was initially supposed to get 19 years as part of a plea deal, according to authorities. However, Ortiz’s long list of crimes grew even further when he was charged with witness intimidation, which tacked on the extra two years, the DA’s office said. Investigators said Ortiz threatened t…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate
LI Drug Dealer Who Sold Weed Gummies To Middle Schoolers And Fled For Canada Learns His Fate The man who sold weed gummies that sent 12 Long Island middle schoolers to the hospital has been sentenced to prison time Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 24, of Mastic, got two years behind bars at his sentencing hearing Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. His sentence was part of a plea deal he took on July 23, according to authorities. Castillo Garcia was selling the THC gummies through Instagram when a student at William Floyd Middle School purchased them and distributed them to classmates in March 2025, investigators said. All 12 students received medical atten…

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by Joe Wilkinson