Off-duty Suffolk cop pointed gun at 3 women, police say

A Suffolk County police officer surrendered Tuesday and faces a charge of menacing after he pointed a handgun at three women in Patchogue while off-duty earlier this month, police said.

Gregory Hanrahan, 32, a two-year veteran of the department assigned to the Seventh Precinct in Brookhaven Town, has been suspended without pay since Nov. 7 and was forced to surrender his handguns, Suffolk County police said.

Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday, Hanrahan surrendered at the Fourth Precinct in Hauppauge and was charged with three counts of second-degree menacing. He appeared for arraignment later Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip, where Suffolk County District Judge Gaetan Lozito set bail at $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash for each charge.

Hanrahan left the courthouse Tuesday afternoon after his wife posted $4,500 cash bail.

Hanrahan’s attorney, Sean Lenihan of Islandia, and the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association did not return requests for comment.

Police said Hanrahan was “immediately suspended” and an internal investigation is underway.

“These allegations are extremely disturbing and will never be tolerated,” Asst. Police Commissioner Justin Meyers said in a statement. “This type of misconduct is taken very seriously and was vigorously investigated by the Suffolk County Police Department. . . . and the SCPD will continue to take all appropriate actions.”

The menacing occurred on West Main Street at 1:44 a.m., Nov. 5, police said. Hanrahan was off-duty when he encountered the three women in Patchogue, police said. A surveillance video camera filmed the encounter, according to court papers.

“A verbal interaction occurred between the victims and Hanrahan on the sidewalk as the three women were walking away from a local establishment, after which Hanrahan pointed his weapon in their direction,” Meyers said in another statement. “There is no indication at this time that the women knew him prior to the incident.”

The women named as the complainants in the case did not respond to requests for comment.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com,michael.okeeffe@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”