New York's controversial mask ban used for first time to make arrest

Aug. 28 (UPI) -- New York authorities arrested an 18-year-old undocumented migrant in Nassau County under its controversial masks ban law on Sunday.

Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo became the first person arrested in connection with what is believed to be the first law in the nation that bans wearing masks in public. Police said Castillo was carrying a 14-inch knife when they spotted him wearing a ski mask in the Levittown neighborhood.

"Our police officers were able to use the mask ban legislation, as well as other factors, to stop and interrogate an individual who was carrying a weapon with the intent to engage in a robbery," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told the New York Post.

"Passing this law gave police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal," he said.

Nassau County Police said in a statement on Tuesday that Castillo, from Hicksville, was picked on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a weapon, along with the violation of the Mask Transparency Act.

Officers said Castillo displayed suspicious behavior and then refused to comply with the officer's demands when he was confronted. They said he tried to conceal his knife in his waistband.

The mask ban was signed into law on Aug. 15 in Nassau County, which covers part of Long Island. Local officials said that, while the law is meant to help identify criminal suspects, it does have health and religious exemptions.

Violators can receive fines up to $1,000.

Nassau County lawmaker Howard Kopel said masks have been increasingly used in anti-Semitic incidents in connection with the Israel- Hamas war being waged in Gaza .