Crime & Safety
LI Man Arrested With Large Weapons Cache: Police
Police said the investigation into the man began because of a report of threats against his estranged wife.
TUCKAHOE, NY — A 47-year-old Long Island man was arrested Monday on multiple criminal possession of weapons charges. The Tuckahoe Police Department said the arrest was the result of an investigation into a report that Matthew J. Bonanno, of Great Neck, Nassau County, had made threats against his estranged wife, who is a Tuckahoe resident, and her family.
Police said they were contacted by someone who heard the threats and believed Bonanno, a plastic surgeon, was armed.
Tuckahoe police went to Growler's Beer Bistro in Tuckahoe, where Bonanno was at the time, and found him to be illegally in possession of a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun.
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He was taken into custody without incident, police said.
A subsequent search of Bonanno's car led to the recovery of the following:
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- Five assault rifles, fully loaded with high capacity magazines
- Three handguns
- 29 high capacity loaded magazines
- More than 1,600 rounds of ammunition
- Stun gun
- Heavy ballistic body armor
- Ballistic helmet
- Handcuffs
- Full head cover face masks
- Multiple military style knives
- Brass knuckles
- Pepper spray fogger
- Scopes, binoculars and other paraphernalia
The Tuckahoe police worked with the Westchester County District Attorney's Office to obtain search warrants for Bonanno's known residences: one in the Town of Mount Pleasant and one in Great Neck.
Three additional unlicensed handguns were recovered in Mount Pleasant.
The search of the Long Island residence yielded another large cache of assault rifles, a shotgun, handguns, high-capacity magazines, body armor, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, smoke grenades and other weapons, police said. Those were turned over the the Nassau County Police Department.
Bonanno was arraigned Tuesday and sent to the Westchester County Jail without bail.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 20 in Tuckahoe Village Court.
The investigation is ongoing.
Watch part of the press conference below with Tuckahoe Police Chief John Costanzo and Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr.
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