Security guard arrested for assaulting man at Mount Sinai gated community
Suffolk County NY Aug 16 2019
Police arrested a 50-year-old security guard at a gated Mount Sinai community Wednesday after they said he assaulted a 68-year-old man attempting to enter the property to visit a friend.
Suffolk County police said the security guard, John Ruggiero, of Port Jefferson Station, would not allow the man to enter The Ranches of Mount Sinai condominium complex at about 2:55 p.m. The two men “exchanged words followed by a physical altercation, during which the 68-year-old man sustained serious injuries,” police said.
Ruggiero was charged with second-degree assault. He was transported to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, where police said he was treated for undisclosed injuries and released to police custody.
Held overnight at the Sixth Precinct, Ruggiero is scheduled for arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Central Islip. It was unclear if he is represented by counsel.
The victim, whose name was not released, was unconscious when he was transported via Port Jefferson EMS ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital with unspecified serious injuries, police said. His condition was not immediately known Thursday. Police initially said he was 69.
Police have not released additional details of the dispute. An email to The Ranches management seeking comment was not immediately answered Thursday.
According to its website, The Ranches, one of several Long Island properties built by the same developer, consists of 186 condominiums set on 33 acres. The site said The Ranches “has earned 11 LIBI [Long Island Builders Institute] Awards as well as Community of the Year.”
newsday
