Huntington Man Accused of Bias Crimes in Attack on Muslims

A Huntington man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly rammed a vehicle carrying four Muslim men and threatening to kill them, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.

Brendan Marchetti, 35, of Huntington, was arrested on charges of Criminal Mischief in the
Second Degree, as a Hate Crime, and other related charges.

According to the investigation, at about 9 a.m. June 17,  four Muslim men dressed in traditional Muslim attire were in a car on their way to a mosque. The men’s vehicle came to stop at a red light at an intersection in Huntington. Marchetti was in the driver seat of a
vehicle that was stopped at the same red light. Marchetti allegedly told the Muslim men  that he wanted to kill all Muslims, that all Muslims should die, and that he wanted to blow them up. Marchetti then allegedly drove his vehicle into the side of their car, causing damage exceeding $1,500.

As the victims began to drive away to flee, Marchetti allegedly attempted to strike their car a
second time. In fear for their lives, the victims immediately called 911 and reported Marchetti’s
license plate to the police. Law enforcement located Marchetti and his vehicle at an auto body shop a short time later and transported him to a hospital for mental health treatment.

On Wednesday, Marchetti was arraigned on the following charges before District Court Judge Rosann Orlando:
 Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, as a Hate Crime, a Class C felony;
 Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, as a Hate Crime, a Class E felony; and
 Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, as a Hate Crime, a Class A
misdemeanor.

All three charges that Marchetti faces are considered non-bail eligible under current New York
State law, meaning that prosecutors could not ask for bail, nor could a judge set bail at the time of arraignment. The District Attorney’s Office requested that Marchetti be placed on supervised released with GPS monitoring and mental health conditions. Judge Orlando ordered Marchetti to be placed on supervised released with mental health conditions.

He is due back in court on  July 24.