Surveillance Cameras To Be Installed At Massapequa Preserve

MASSAPEQUA, NY - Officials recently announced that over 20 surveillance cameras will be installed within the Massapequa Preserve following a homicide and several cases of indecent exposure in the area.

During a press conference announcing the new initiative on Wednesday, acting Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the idea for the cameras came after several local residents "expressed concern" for their safety in the area, Newsday reports.

In April, a 19-year-old Julio Cesar Gonzales-Espantzay, of Valley Stream was found dead in the preserve.

In addition, in October there were several incidents of naked men approaching women in the area. One man, 57-year-old Andrew Parrucci, of Amityville was charged with indecent exposure for allegedly exposing himself to a woman.

The total cost to install the cameras is $50,000, which will be funded by the Community Revitalization Program through the County Legislature's office, with each camera costing about $2,000.

"The Massapequa Preserve is a jewel for all residents to enjoy, and this program will help ensure the safety of anyone who wants to use it," local Legislator James Kennedy wrote on his Facebook page.

The cameras will be scattered across the 400 acre preserve with some in plain sight while others will be more hidden.

“We will not give those locations. We are not giving the bad guy an education on what we are doing,” Ryder said according to a CBS2 report. “But the message to be sent today to the bad guy is: We are watching.”