Queens woman run over by car dies in North New Hyde Park
A 78-year-old Queens woman died after falling and being run over by a car in a North New Hyde Park shopping center parking lot on Jan. 22, according to Nassau County police.
Police said Diane Russ of Springfield Gardens was walking in the parking lot at 2201 New Hyde Park Road when she fell. A 49-year-old man driving a 2019 Nissan then ran her over. The driver remained at the scene.
Russ was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Freeport man sentenced for breeding and selling dogs for fighting
Lonnie Poindexter, 56, of Freeport was sentenced Jan. 22 to six months in jail and five years’ probation for breeding and selling pit bulls for use in dogfighting, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.
He pleaded guilty on Sept. 18, 2024, to one count of Prohibition of Animal Fighting/AML 351, police said.
Poindexter is prohibited from possessing any animals during the probation period, which will be enforced through spot checks by probation officers for the next five years, according to the DA’s office.
According to the investigation, in 2020 investigators became aware that the defendant was posting videos, photos and dog pedigree information online and offering pit bulls for sale. He was arrested in October 2021 and as a result of a search warrant, investigators recovered six pit bulls used for breeding, a rape stand, a treadmill, detailed pedigree paperwork and heavy chains, according to the DA’s office.
Two Nassau women charged with selling substances
Samantha Spinel, 20, of East Meadow and 18-year-old Mackenzie Rae Kelly of Wantagh were arrested during a Quality-Of-Life initiative on Jan. 21, according to police.
Spinel allegedly sold tobacco/cannabis products at Exotic Smoke Shop located at 796 Carmen Ave. in Westbury and is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful sale of cannabis, according to police.
Rae Kelly allegedly sold tobacco/cannabis products at 2125 Hempstead Convenience located at 2125 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow and is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a controlled substance and unlawful sale of cannabis.
Far Rockaway man sentenced for antisemitic actions
Alvin Tirad0, 38, of Far Rockaway was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years’ probation for attempting to start fights with worshippers outside a Cedarhurst Synagogue, making antisemitic remarks toward them, and later threatening and spitting in the face of another victim on Jan. 22, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.
He pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony Paradiso on Nov. 25, 2024, to Aggravated Harassment PL 240.30(3), a subsection specifically designed to address hate crimes.
The defendant was driving his vehicle near the intersection of Lincoln Street and Oakland Avenue in Cedarhurst when he stopped, got out of his vehicle, and got into a verbal argument with a group of people that had recently left Shaare Emunah, Sephardic Congregation of The Five Towns, the DA said.
Tirado became aggressive, clenching his fists and attempted to fight multiple people while screaming antisemitic remarks, including “the Jews are taking over” and “I know this building; I’m going to run all the children over,” according to the DA’s office.
Ongoing investigation into October Trooper Shooting
A New York State Trooper has been arrested after allegedly shooting himself in the leg and fabricating a story in which he was shot by a “dark-skinned man” in Hempstead State Lake Park, according to the Nassau County DA.
Thomas Mascia, 27, of West Hempstead, allegedly shot himself in the leg on Oct. 30, called in shots fired, and told his fellow officers he was shot by a man who fled “near Malverne.” His claim launched a multi-state manhunt for a shooter that did not exist. It was his first day on the job.
“It didn’t take long for everyone to uncover that his harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction,” Nassau County District ttorney Anne Donnelly said at a Jan. 27 news conference.
Thomas Mascia has resigned as a state trooper, effective Jan. 24, and has been charged with false reporting of a crime, tampering with evidence and official misconduct. His parents have also been charged with criminal possession of a firearm, the DA said. All three are expected to face a Nassau County judge on Jan. 27.
“Whether for sympathy, attention, to ease a wounded ego, what he did is unconscionable,” Donnelly said. “His selfish act wasted extraordinary resources across several police departments. It pulled law enforcement officers away from actual emergencies, and he put people at risk.
“Most of all, he failed his brothers and sisters in law enforcement, and he failed his oath as an officer, but today, he finds himself on the other side of the law.”
Mascia reported being shot at 11:41 p.m. Oct. 30 near exit 17 on the Southern State Parkway, Hempstead State Lake Park. Mascia described the shooter as a “dark-skinned man” who drove a Dodge Charger and had a temporary New Jersey license plate, and said the shooter fled “near Malverne,” the DA said.
A $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case was issued after he was treated and released from Nassau University Medical Center, where troopers had lined up to support him upon his release. The ensuing investigation spanned New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
Inconsistencies in Mascia’s story quickly raised red flags. Nine shell casings were found at the scene, but no projectiles. There were no tire marks indicating a Dodge Charger was ever at the scene, nor was the car seen on any surrounding surveillance footage. Further, Mascia’s body camera did not activate at the appropriate time, and when it did, he took measures to cover it, Donnelly said.
The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents 7,000 active and retired troopers statewide, had helped secure an additional $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case on top of the $5,000 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers’ reward.
Two Queens men arrested in Farmingdale robbery
Robert Nemtzian, 18, and 23-year-old Edward Nemtzian of Queens were arrested Jan. 26 in a robbery that occurred at The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale, according to police.
The two men entered the bar, and Robert Nemtzian was denied entry when trying to use a forged NYS driver’s license, police said. He then pushed an employee, took roughly $100 from the cash register and then tried to grab more cash from the employee by pushing him to the ground, police said. The two were later found by officers after they fled the scene, according to police.
Both defendants are charged with second-degree robbery, and Robert Nemtzian was also charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, police said.
