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.”
Mount Siani senior midfielder Chris Marrs squeezes between Miller Place senior midfielders Daniel Meneses and Carter Contreras to gain possession of the ball in the Panthers' 2-0 blanking of the Mustangs on Oct. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan
By Desirée Keegan
The Miller Place boys’ soccer team had yet to allow an opponent to score at home all season, and continued that streak with a 2-0 blanking of Mount Sinai on Monday.
The victories were not only a result of the team’s strong defensive line, but also because of the efforts of senior forward John Murphy, who scored at least one goal in all three of the team’s home clean sheets.
Miller Place senior forward John Murphy dribbles the ball downfield in the Panthers’ 2-0 win over Mount Sinai on Oct. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Miller Place started off with two quick opportunities at a goal, but one hit off of the far left post and the other went through the field goal post above the net, and Murphy saw two of his own opportunities thereafter that just went wide. Despite a 0-0 score at the end of the first half, the Panthers were still able to get the job done in the second.
“We saw the game out,” Miller Place first-year head coach Kenny Lake said. “One of the biggest things we’ve been focusing on is shutouts more than anything else, and making sure we’re not giving up any cheap goals. We’ve kind of eliminated that since the beginning of the season, so I thought they did a great job.”
With 26:04 left to play in the game, senior defender Alex Moschella dribbled the ball all the way down the right sideline from Miller Place to Mustangs territory, and crossed the ball in front of the net to Murphy, who knocked it in for the team’s first point on the board.
“It felt good,” Murphy said of the goal. “Especially when I got the ball and went down the line; beat out the whole defense.”
Less than two minutes later, Moschella did it again, but this time, the cross opportunity was initially missed. And although a shot on goal was made, it went off of the top crossbar. A rebound was attempted, and Mount Sinai senior goalkeeper Nicolas Jensen was able to come up with the save, but couldn’t maintain possession of the ball. After it bounced out of his hands and rolled out in front, the Panthers found themselves with another opportunity at a goal, and Miller Place senior midfielder Daniel Meneses rocketed the ball just left of a diving Jensen.
Mount Sinai senior goalkeeper Nicolas Jensen punts the ball into play in the Mustangs’ 2-0 loss to Miller Place on Oct. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan
“They played tough,” Mount Sinai head coach Dave Herrschaft said of his team. “Definitely, they had a great first half, and then let up two in the second half and it was tough for them to really bounce back after that. I think they played a solid game. Offensively, they’ve got to get a little more creative and start finishing.”
With the win, Miller Place improved to 5-2-1 in League VI, while Mount Sinai dropped to 1-6-1.
While Lake is in his first year with the program, his team is already on pace to surpass the feats the team has been able to achieve over the last few years.
“They were business from day one — I didn’t have to do a whole lot of changing,” Lake said of his initial encounters with the team. “They came in as disciplined soccer players and that’s something that has been a pleasure. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids — mature, well-mannered, hard-working; they’ve given me everything they have to give.”
