Man killed in Huntington Station stabbing
The SCPD homicide unit investigating after Second Precinct police officers were called to West 13th Street, west of New York Avenue, in Huntington Station. (Aug. 20, 2011) Credit: Steve Pfost
Suffolk County police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in Huntington Station early Saturday.
Police received a 911 call about a man lying on the ground on West 13th Street west of New York Avenue at 4:42 a.m.
Juan Carlos Benitez-Garcia was taken to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He had suffered stab wounds during a fight with a group of men, police said.
Police were not immediately able to identify Benitez-Garcia, 31, of Huntington Station. Det. Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky said he wasn't carrying any identification.
Nearly half of violent crimes -- assaults, robberies and homicides -- in the Town of Huntington occur in Huntington Station, a fact that has prompted police to increase patrols in the area.
Pelkofsky said the stabbing did not appear to be gang-related.
But Lino Rivera, 33, and his companion, Zulma Martinez, 31, who live near the crime scene, are on edge.
"We thought this was a safe place," said Rivera, a six-year resident. "Now I am scared to go out of the house."
Peggy Monitto, a neighborhood resident since 1978, also was taken aback.
"There are gang problems all around Huntington Station, but this is basically a quiet street," she said.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to contact Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-220-TIPS.
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