Good Police Work – If You See Something, Say Something
By Dan Murphy
Good police work and a tip from a concerned resident avoided a tragedy in Tuckahoe earlier this month. Matthew Bonnano, 47, was arrested by Tuckahoe police Aug. 12, leading police to find an arsenal of guns and ammunition.
The arrest resulted from an investigation into a report that the defendant had made threats against his estranged wife, a Tuckahoe resident, and her family. The police were contacted by someone who heard the threats and believed the defendant to be armed.
Tuckahoe police responded to the defendant’s location, Growler’s Beer Bistro, where he was found to be illegally in possession of a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun. Bonanno, who was recently living on Long Island, was taken into custody without incident.
Police searched Bonanno’s car and found five assault rifles that were fully loaded with high-capacity magazines, three handguns, 29-high-capacity loaded magazines, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, a stun gun, heavy ballistic body armor, a ballistic helmet, handcuffs, full head cover face masks, multiple military-style knives, four brass knuckles, a pepper spray fogger, scopes, binoculars and other paraphernalia.
The Tuckahoe Police Department, working closely with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, obtained search warrants for the defendant’s known residences – one in the Town of Mount Pleasant and one in Great Neck. Three additional unlicensed handguns were recovered in Mount Pleasant, and the residence in Long Island yielded another large cache of assault rifles, a shotgun, handguns, high-capacity magazines, body armor, hundreds of rounds ammunition, smoke grenades and other weapons that were all turned over to the Nassau County Police Department.
Bonanno was charged with nine counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and 32 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. He was arraigned by Village Judge David Fuller on Aug. 13 and held without bail at Westchester County Jail.
At his next appearance Aug. 20, Bonnano’s attorney, Paul Gentile, called the charges against his client and the case “completely out of proportion.” Gentile added that Bonnano is a “well-known, respected plastic surgeon” who has no prior criminal record, and added that Bonanno used his firearms at firing ranges.
Bonanno spent the day he was arrested at his ex-wife’s home in Tuckahoe and his car was parked in her garage when he was arrested. While there was no history of violence between Bonanno and his wife, an order of protection was filed but had expired.
Tuckahoe Mayor Greg Luisi praised the quick work of the police department and district attorney’s office.
“We all heard that cliché, ‘If you see something, say something,’” said Luisi. “Well, we cannot understate what that individual did when he contacted the Tuckahoe Police Department. Without this individual coming forward, this amount of weaponry would have been out on the streets and who knows what would have happened.”
“The guy that came forward really was very heroic in my eyes and possibly thwarted a real tragedy,” added Tuckahoe Police Chief John Costanzo. “This was a perfect example of ‘see something, say something,’ and we’re very grateful that this person came forward.”
Westchester District Attorney Anthony Scarpino said the investigation is continuing and will now focus on how Bonanno obtained many of the guns that he had in his car and home – most of which are illegal in New York State.
“We can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that these weapons are out of the hands of someone who might cause harm to others or possibly himself,” he said, noting that additional charges might be coming.
Scarpino and Costanzo held a press conference with a table filled with the weapons and ammo from Bonanno that were eerily reminiscent of the arsenals of other persons arrested, or belonging to those who have perpetrated mass shootings across the country recently.