On Memorial Day Weekend, the Ocean Beach Police responded to a distressed call about a violent bar fight. They arrived on the scene to find two men unconscious and bleeding on the sidewalk outside of the Sandbar.
Both men had apparent head wounds. One of the victims regained consciousness. The other did not – at least not right away.
“On Saturday, May 25 at about 4:10 p.m., we got a call at headquarters about a fight at the Alligator,” said Sgt. Eric Kirchner.
Response was momentarily delayed because the Police dispatcher was new to Ocean Beach and was initially confused, not realizing that the Sandbar was known as the Alligator over a decade ago. Sgt. Kirchner overheard the conversation and clarified the location. He and several other Officers then hurried to the scene where they found a chaotic situation.
“People were yelling and there was blood on the sidewalk,” Kirchner said.
The injured parties were initially unresponsive and EMS was summoned to the scene while officers isolated the participants and initiated an investigation.
“The more seriously injured guy didn’t come to for 3-4 minutes”, said Kirchner. “We really couldn’t interview the victims at the time, but we talked to witnesses and pieced it together.”
He added that at least one witness provided video from a cellphone.
The melee began inside the bar and spilled into the street. Village Trustee Ian Levine witnessed the event.
“Two bouncers were escorting some guy out. He was loud and kept yelling back into the bar. About six more men came out of the bar and the yelling came to blows.”
The spark behind the event remains unclear. Police would only say that two of the combatants were acquainted with one another and the taunting concerned a “very personal” matter.
Ian said that one of the bouncers shielded one of the unconscious victims from further attack while, according to Police, the other victim was kicked in the head while down on all fours.
The five alleged attackers all 19 years of age and all from Massapequa were arrested and charged with various offenses: Anthony R. Veltry, disorderly conduct fighting, assault 3; Anthony Desousa, disorderly conduct and assault 3; Carter Desousa, disorderly conduct, and assault 3; Kai Solik, disorderly conduct and assault 3; and Nicholas Piccione, disorderly conduct.
The event took an odd turn the next day when the Ocean Beach Police were contacted by the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad enquiring about “the murder” in town.
Somehow a rumor was circulating that a man was killed in the brawl and that rumor reached the Homicide office.
“Yes”, said Sgt. Kirchner, “And my old partner from Brooklyn Transit [Police] also contacted me a few days later and asked if I was there when the guy got killed. He’s retired but somehow, he got wind of the rumor.”
When discussing the matter at the June 15 Village of Ocean Board of Trustees meeting, Ocean Beach Police Chief George Hesse said “Rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated.”
Sandbar management did not respond to requests for comment.
The victims were treated and released from South Shore University Hospital in Bayshore. One was kept overnight and released the next day.
The case remains under investigation and the arrested parties may face additional charges when they appear in Ocean Beach Village Justice Court on June 22.
Shoshanna McCollum also contributed to this report.
