A man in Wantagh, New York, has been hit with hate crime charges after allegedly throwing barbells through a woman’s window and wielding a shotgun at her and her grandson.
Documents obtained by Long Island News 12 state Joseph Magistro tossed the gym equipment into the home of his 62-year-old neighbor, who was inside with her 17-year-old grandson. Magistro, who is white, also allegedly threatened the woman and the teen, who are Black, with a shotgun and said he’d “put a bullet” in them.
The incident occurred as part of a tense confrontation that neighbors heard on Monday, Sept. 23.
“You n—ers don’t belong in this neighborhood,” Magistro said according to the Nassau District Attorney’s Office. “This is a white neighborhood. I’ll put a f–king bullet in you right now.”
The grandmother and grandson had come outside their house to investigate the commotion, according to Patch.com. They then reportedly ran back into their home and called local authorities. A complaint obtained by Newsday stated Magistro had used the butt of the gun to break an additional window and destroyed blinds and walls, which amounted to $2,000 worth of damage.
Police arrived at the scene and apprehended Magistro with no unexpected trouble. The 33-year-old is up against felony charges of criminal trespass, criminal mischief and menacing with a weapon as a hate crime. Additionally, he also faces several misdemeanor charges. They include criminal possession of a weapon with intent to use and aggravated harassment based on race or religion, Patch.com reported.
Magistro was arraigned in Nassau First District Court Sept. 24, and Judge Andrea C. Phoenix ordered him held on $30,000 bond or $15,000 cash bail, Newsday reported. The judge also retained an order of protection. Court documents show Magistro has obtained counsel from Guy J. Allen, who had no comment for the outlet.
Magistro was remanded, as he did not post bail.
Debbie Loughman, a neighbor who lives across the street from the alleged victims, told News 12 the teenager posted about the incident on Facebook.
“I guess they’d just moved in here a couple weeks ago, he said, and they’ve already was fighting with the neighbor who I believe maybe was accusing him of stealing a package and was being attacked by him,” Loughman said.
Online court records show Magistro is due back in court on Dec. 13, 2019.
