Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Councilman Neil Foley are asking residents to help identify three males, in their late teens or early 20s, who are responsible for vandalism at Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Park, located on the southeast shore of Lake Ronkonkoma. The vandalism, which included graffiti on the building and spray painting a security camera, occurred on the night of September 2 sometime after 8:00 pm. The suspects drove a dark colored sedan, unknown make and model. Anyone with information should call the Suffolk County Police Department 4th Precinct Crime Control Section Officer Eustache at (631) 854-8400.
Lt. Murphy, a Navy Seal from Patchogue, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the lives of his fellow Seals during an intense firefight in the hills of Afghanistan in 2005. On January 17, 2019, Dan Murphy, father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy and members of the Brookhaven Town Board led the rededication ceremony at the site of the memorial. The etched stone monument was donated by Lido Stone of Calverton after the original was destroyed by vandalism in July of 2018. The Town also partnered with Penn Globe to install two surveillance cameras and security lights to record any activity in the park.
Credit: Town of Brookhaven