Paul Albinagorta, of Central Islip, indicted in stabbing of co-worker at Gino's of Nesconset, DA says

A Central Islip man was indicted on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed his co-worker at the Nesconset pizzeria where they worked, prosecutors said Friday.

In a release, Suffolk prosecutors said Paul Albinagorta, 34, allegedly used a hunting knife on Nov. 24 to repeatedly stab a 60-year-old co-worker who was preparing a pizza at Gino’s of Nesconset on Smithtown Boulevard. Prosecutors said Albinagorta then chased his alleged victim and other workers out of the pizzeria while threatening them.

Suffolk police arrested Albinagorta at the pizzeria and recovered the knife and its sheath, which an investigation showed he had bought the night before at an Islandia Walmart, prosecutors said.

A police spokeswoman declined to comment Friday on a possible motive for the alleged attack, which they have previously said occurred after the two men argued. A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office also declined to comment on motive, citing office policy. 

Albinagorta's alleged victim was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for his injuries, prosecutors said.

In addition to the attempted murder charge, Albinagorta also faces two counts of assault and one count of menacing. He pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned Thursday before Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, and is being held on $250,000 cash bond, according to court records and his attorney. He is due back in court Jan. 7.

His lawyer, Central Islip-based Ira Weissman, said in a phone interview that Albinagorta’s family “is very concerned about his mental health, and we’re trying to make an assessment of what exactly happened here and why.”

A man who answered the phone at Gino’s on Friday morning declined to comment.