Two more arrested for Roxen Road assault

More than six months after an assault on Roxen Road sent a man to the hospital with serious injuries, the Rockville Centre Police Department believe the final two arrests have been made in connection to the incident.

According to RVCPD Commissioner Charles Gennario, Nolan Kelly, 18, and William Nelson, 18, turned themselves into the police on Dec. 27 and were arraigned after they were indicted by a grand jury and charged with gang assault for the beating that took place on June 18.

William Moore, 18, of Broadway was arrested on June 20, Matthew DiPerna, 18, of Hempstead Avenue, was arrested the following day and Kevin Coyle, 18, also of Hempstead Avenue, was taken into custody on July 12.

According to police, the alleged beating took place after a group of local teenagers verbally harassed a resident, shouting obscenities as she walked her dog on Nottingham Road. The woman grew fearful, police said, and ran home and told her husband about the incident. The two then drove around the neighborhood looking for the teens, planning to demand an apology from them, and found the group on Roxen Road.

When the woman’s husband confronted the teens, they allegedly attacked and injured him, police said, adding that a second man, who lives nearby, was also attacked when he attempted to help his neighbor, and the woman was thrown to the ground during the altercation.

The husband was taken by police to nearby Mercy Medical Center, where police said he received 15 stitches and was treated for a fractured rib, multiple contusions, a laceration on his face and an injury to his jaw. Neighbors who heard the disturbance called police, but the teens had fled before they arrived. Nassau County detectives were called in to join the investigation.

“Sometimes investigations are lengthy,” Gennario said. “There were many people in the community that had a rush to judgment and were making allegations that were false. The investigation was ongoing and was completed methodically.”

Gennario added that he would like to give his thanks to the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Brian Lee, for his work with the case.