Son of Malverne's former top cop facing gun-related menacing charges

The son of Malverne's recently retired police chief surrendered to authorities Tuesday over allegations he pulled his NYPD service gun on two village firefighters last year, according to prosecutors and his lawyer.

 Robert Aresta, 23, who resigned recently from both the NYPD, where he was a probationary officer, and the Malverne Fire Department, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday in Nassau County District Court in Hempstead to three misdemeanor counts of menacing in the second degree.

Aresta was released on his own recognizance and ordered to stay away from the alleged victims, according to court records.

He allegedly pulled his service weapon out in the Malverne firehouse locker room at midnight on Sept. 22 and walked toward the two other volunteer firefighters while holding the gun, causing them to fear for their lives, the court records say.

Minutes later, outside the firehouse at 30 Broadway, Aresta pulled his gun out again and pointed it at one of the firefighters, according to the court records.

The men reported the incident to Malverne Village police, which was headed at the time by Chief John Aresta, the former NYPD officer's father.

The older Aresta, who served as the village chief of police for 18 years, turned the case over to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office on Sept. 26, according to village lawyer Ben Truncale.

Robert Aresta's surrender Tuesday, more than three months later, followed "an extensive and thorough investigation conducted by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office," said Nicole Turso, the district attorney spokeswoman, in a statement

Nassau County prosecutor Heather Kalachman said that there are video recordings of the incidents that support the witnesses' claims.

Aresta's defense attorney, Marc Gann, said his client did nothing wrong.

"I think these charges are overblown," Gann said. "I don’t think there was any attempt to menace anybody. ... It appears that Mr. Aresta pulled his gun out to look at it for a second."

He added: "No video depicts anyone with a gun."

Gann said his client resigned from the NYPD, where he'd worked for less than two years, because he expected to be fired over the gun allegations.

"Whatever the beef was with my client, it certainly cost him significantly," Gann said.

The elder Aresta retired from the police department on Dec. 31, unrelated to the incident involving his son, the village lawyer said.

Truncale said the former chief’s contract had expired in May and he stayed on until the end of the year. The ex-chief remains a member of the village fire department.

No replacement has been named.