Manorville man arrested for alleged hate crime

Suffolk County Police arrested a Manorville man on Nov. 13 for harassing and intentionally damaging a
man’s vehicle in Manorville due to the man’s race.

A subcontractor for a cellular company was working in a GMC Terrain at the corner of Sylvan Court
and Weeks Avenue on November 3 at 7 p.m. when he was approached by a man who questioned what
the subcontractor was doing in the area. The man, who identified himself as a law enforcement officer,
refused to look at the worker’s credentials. The man then kicked the GMC, causing damage, ripped off
the light affixed to the top of the vehicle and threw it at the worker, who is Black, while using a racial
slur.

Following an investigation by Hate Crimes Unit detectives, John Murphy, 40, of Manorville, who is a
Rockville Centre Police Department detective, was charged with two counts of Criminal Mischief 4th
Degree as a Hate Crime, a felony, and Aggravated Harassment 2nd Degree, a misdemeanor. Murphy will
be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on November 13.

Regarding the incident, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said, “The victim here was just trying to do his job, when the defendant allegedly harassed him and damaged his vehicle. To make matters worse, the defendant is a sworn law enforcement officer, responsible for protecting the rights of citizens, rather than violating them, as is alleged here. I thank the Suffolk County Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit for taking this crime seriously and following the evidence no matter where it led. Such conduct will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”