The 16-year-old twin daughters of U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) called 911 the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 9, after two people were shot outside his home in a drive-by shooting.
Zeldin and his wife, Diana, were returning home from the Bronx Columbus Day Parade in Morris Park, according to a statement from the congressman, when his daughters, who were home in Shirley, heard gunshots and screaming outside at approximately 2:19 p.m.
“After my daughters heard the gunshots and the screaming, they ran upstairs, locked themselves in the bathroom and immediately called 911,” Zeldin said in the statement. “They acted very swiftly and smartly every step of the way, and Diana and I are extremely proud of them.”
Two individuals were shot and laying under Zeldin’s front porch and the bushes in front of his porch.
“My understanding is that they have been transported to area hospitals,” Zeldin said. “I do not know their identities.”
The congressman said he and his family were working with investigators, and he would provide security footage from his home cameras.
“My daughters are shaken, but OK,” he said. “Like so many New Yorkers, crime has literally made its way to our front door. My family is grateful to all who have reached out and we will provide another update when we can.”
Later that day Suffolk County Police Department released a press release about the Shirley shooting. Two teenagers from Mastic and Mastic Beach were injured during the incident, according to SCPD.
Three teenagers were walking on the street “when a dark-colored vehicle went by and an occupant fired multiple gunshots through the vehicle’s window at 2:19 p.m.,” the statement read. “Two 17-year-old males were struck and attempted to hide in the yard of a residence on the street. The third teen fled the scene on foot.”
SCPD said they do not “believe there is any connection between the shooting and the residence” in Shirley.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact 7th Squad Detectives at 631-852-8752 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS (8477). All calls will remain confidential.
Zeldin is the Republican gubernatorial candidate. He marched in the New York City annual Columbus Day Parade on Monday.
This post was updated Oct. 10 to add information from the SCPD.
Frederick Staria III and Jason Kinlaw. Photos from SCPD
Suffolk County Police have arrested two Selden men in connection with multiple robberies that occurred earlier this week.
Following an investigation by Sixth Squad detectives, Frederick Staria III and Jason Kinlaw were arrested in connection with three robberies and an attempted robbery. Staria entered businesses, threatened the use of a weapon and demanded cash. He fled with an undisclosed amount of money. In one incident, the employee did not comply and Staria fled without proceeds. During two of the crimes, Kinlaw drove Staria to the locations.
The following businesses were robbed:
Gorgeous Salon, located at 1232 Middle Country Road in Selden, Feb. 12
QuickChek, located at 2686 Middle Country Road in Lake Grove, Feb. 13
Pizza Hut, located at 534-1 William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, Feb. 13
The attempted robbery occurred at:
Milk and Things, located at 815 Middle Country Road in Selden Feb. 13
Staria, 35, was charged with three counts of third-degree robbery, third-degree attempted robbery and four warrants. Kinlaw, 24, was charged with third-degree robbery and third-degree attempted robbery. They were held overnight at the Sixth Precinct for arraignment Feb. 14 at First District Court in Central Islip.
Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Smithtown on the morning of Dec. 5.
Gregg Mofle, of Smithtown, was driving a 2012 Chevrolet van west on Jericho Turnpike, near Wyandanch Boulevard, when he hit Vito Dispigna, of Shirley, who was standing in the right lane at approximately 5:45 a.m.
Dispigna, 59, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Mofle, 47, was not injured.
The Chevrolet was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this crash to call theFourth Squad at 631-854-8452.
The Girls Scouts of Suffolk County and County Executive Steve Bellone (D) will present a Holiday drive-thru Light Show at Smith Point County Park, County Road 46, Shirley through Dec. 23. Now in its 13th year with a new location, the light show is better than ever with more lights, more displays and more festive family fun! Hours through Dec. 17 are Monday to Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Hours from Dec. 18 to 23 are 5 to 11 p.m. $20 per car. Credit card only at the gate. For more information, call 631-543-6622 or visit www.holidaylightshow.org.
Many of us may think that black-and-white photographs are not interesting. Mimi Hodges, an enthusiastic photographer and Sound Beach resident, doesn’t agree. She likes to take black-and-white photographs of local places. As she puts it, “color can sometimes be a distraction.”
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A sundial at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown. Photo by Mimi Hodges
An arch bridge at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley. Photo by Mimi Hodges
A Celtic cross at Little Portion Friary in Mount Sinai. Photo by Mimi Hodges
The exterior of the Brewster House in Setauket, circa 1665. Considered to be the oldest house in the Town of Brookhaven, the Brewster House was home to six generations of Brewsters and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Photo by Mimi Hodges
The interior of the Brewster House in Setauket, circa 1665. Considered to be the oldest house in the Town of Brookhaven, the Brewster House was home to six generations of Brewsters and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Photo by Mimi Hodges
The interior of the Brewster House in Setauket, circa 1665. Considered to be the oldest house in the Town of Brookhaven, the Brewster House was home to six generations of Brewsters and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Photo by Mimi Hodges
Dave Calone has had his eye on the 1st Congressional District representative since the election last November, and he has already seen enough.
Challenger Dave Calone wants to unseat Congressman Lee Zeldin. Photo from Maria Hoffman
U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) unseated six-term Democrat Tim Bishop by a wide margin — 54 percent of the vote to 45 percent — but Calone, a Setauket native and Port Jefferson high school graduate, said the new congressman’s voting record has motivated him to throw his hat into the ring.
“He’s out of step with Long Island and what we need to do to grow this economy,” said Calone, who works as CEO of Jove Equity Partners LLC, a venture capital firm that helps start and build technology companies. “I was disappointed to see Tim lose because I thought he had done a good job. When I saw the [floor] votes Zeldin was taking, I felt it was very partisan voting.”
Government tracking website OpenCongress reported Zeldin has voted along party lines 94 percent of the time since taking office in January. Of those votes, Calone said he took issue with Zeldin’s positions in favor of Republican budget plans that cut Homeland Security funding, and he disagreed with the congressman’s remarks referring to President Barack Obama as a monarch.
Jennifer DiSiena, a spokeswoman for Zeldin, said with 17 months until the next election, the congressman would be focusing his efforts on improving the lives of the middle class and not engaging in politics.
“Congressman Zeldin has been working across party lines since day one,” she said in a statement. “He has been recognized as the top Freshman Republican likely to co-sponsor legislation with members of the opposite party. He has also broken from party lines on critical votes to protect working class residents of Long Island. While people make false accusations regarding the congressman, Lee Zeldin is working tirelessly for the residents of Long Island. These people can continue to throw mud and lies about the congressman, but the residents of the First [Congressional] District are smarter than that.”
Calone is director of six privately held companies throughout the country and has helped organize the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. House of Representatives, advocating federal policies that promote job creation through the development of startups and other small businesses.
In that role, he helped launch Startup Day Across America, an event to connect federal officials with early-stage companies in their region. He also founded the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund, which provides funding to six early-stage companies based on technology developed at Long Island’s research institutions.
Congressman Lee Zeldin. File photo
Calone said his hands-on experience helping Long Island businesses thrive was a driving force behind his decision to challenge Zeldin, and he hoped to apply his experience working to keep his hometown attractive, and retain residents living there.
“What I want to bring is someone who helped start and grow businesses across Long Island,” he said. “This area was a great place to grow up and a lot of my classmates have already left and don’t come back. We need to be a leader in the economy of New York and worldwide.”
Since 2008, Calone has worked as chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Commission. He also helped initiate the county’s first comprehensive plan effort in nearly 40 years.
On the local level, Calone has already garnered support from various political leaders and community activists. His campaign committee is headed by Virginia Capon, president of the Three Village Democratic Club, and he has received early support from Tony Parlatore, chair of the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee.
“Dave Calone has never run for office before, but he is a lifelong supporter of Democratic values,” Parlatore said. “His father was an engineer and local chamber of commerce leader and his mother was an elementary school teacher here in our community. He is well respected in our region for his work to cut government red tape and enact policies that support job growth. He also has been a leader in protecting Suffolk County’s natural environment by fighting to protect our waters and has been nationally recognized for creating policies that promote renewable energy usage across Long Island.”
As a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program, Calone worked on prosecuting cases involving international economic crime and terrorism — efforts for which he was named a recipient of the 2003 Attorney General’s Award.
Calone is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He lives with his wife Kate, a Presbyterian minister, and their three children.
