Where To Find Us Page 3
Thursday, April 2, 2026 ~ Volume 138 ~ Issue Number 20 ~ $1.00
D.A. Tierney Brings
Indictments Against Riverhead-Based Gang By Matt Meduri
On Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) announced the 57-count indictment against 18 alleged members and associates of a Riverhead-based gang, which refers to itself as the “48 Gang.” Charges include a 2021 murder of a Mastic Beach woman and a 2023 murder of a Riverhead man, while a Mount Vernon Police Detective is charged with Conspiracy to Possess Weapons for allegedly providing firearms to gang members in 2021 and 2022. The multi-year investigation was conducted by the Suffolk D.A.’s office, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Town Police of Riverhead and Southampton, the FBI, Nassau County P.D., and the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force. Continued on page 5
D.A. Ray Tierney in Brentwood, December 2025 (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Islip, Smithtown, and Babylon Celebrate 2026
Law Enforcement Academy
Graduates By Madison Warren
This week, the Towns of Islip, Smithtown, and Babylon celebrated the graduation of their 2026 Law Enforcement Academy recruits. The graduating class, made up of 17 park rangers, fire marshals, and security guards, spent the past 14 weeks dedicating their time and energy to rigorous training in preparation to serve and protect their communities. Hosted by Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip), the ceremony was attended by members of the town board, Public Safety Commissioner Anthony Prudenti, Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer (D-North Babylon), Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park), Babylon Public Safety Commissioner Gerard Gigante, Lieutenant Craig Cain, instructors from the law enforcement academy, as well as community members, and the recruits’ friends and family. Continued on page 10
FULL STORIES ON:
Town Touts TNR Program Page 10
The Mattera Report Page 15
‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Nesaquake Page 24
(Credit - Town of Smithtown)