LI Man Faces Upgraded Hate Crimes Charges In Hispanic Attacks: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Long Island man is facing upgraded charges after being indicted on hate crime charges after prosecutors say he lured Hispanic men to isolated locations under the pretense of offering them work and then beat them — placing one in a chokehold and then strangling another until he lost consciousness.

Suffolk prosecutors say that at about 7:25 a.m. on Sept. 17, Christopher Cella, 19, of Selden drove near La Placita in Farmingville, and picked up a 52-year-old man under the pretense of hiring him as a day laborer, and he then brought him to an abandoned construction site on Blue Point Road where he tried to kiss him “and assaulted him, including putting him in a chokehold.”

About two hours later at 9:15 a.m., Cella allegedly drove home and switched vehicles and then drove near 7-Eleven in Farmingville, where he picked up a 60-year-old man and allegedly brought him to a side street near the Blue Ridge Condominium Complex in Medford, where he beat and “strangled the man until he lost consciousness,” and then fled, prosecutors said.

At about 7:10 a.m. on Sept. 18, Cella returned to the 7-Eleven and picked up a 47-year-old man, and attempted to bring him to an unknown location, but the man became suspicious and was able to get out of the vehicle, according to prosecutors. He then attempted to strike the man with his car, prosecutors said.

Prosecutor Sheetal Shetty said Cella “gave a written confession detailing his crimes” and it included that "he hated illegal Spanish people,” Newsday reported.

The outlet reported that Cella said, “that he wanted to do this to Spanish guys because they always would talk [expletive] about him when he worked with them because he was a white guy.”

Cella has been charged with second-degree strangulation as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime, as well as two counts of second-degree unlawful imprisonment. He is facing additional charges of second-degree reckless endangerment as a hate crime, two counts of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and two counts of aggravated harassment.

He was arrested on Sept. 19 following an investigation by Suffolk police’s Hate Crimes Unit and 6th Precinct detectives and officers.

District Attorney Tim Sini said the victims were merely looking for work, but instead they were abducted and attacked “all because of their ethnicity.”

“Racism has no place in our communities, and these acts will not be tolerated,” he said.

Sini went on to say that it’s a top priority for his office and that of Suffolk police to investigate “and, where appropriate, prosecute hate crimes, and we will work together to stand against hate.”

Acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron called Cella “clearly a very dangerous individual” who targeted people based on their ethnicity “in a very prolific manner.”

He commended “the great work” of the Hate Crimes Unit “for rapidly recognizing this pattern and launching an investigation very quickly” with assistance from the 6th Precinct’s officers and detectives.

He also commended prosecutors for getting Cella “remanded and taken off the streets,” saying they did “great work on this case.”

Cella entered a not guilty plea before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice John Collins who set his bail at $75,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $500,000 partially-secured bond.

Cella is a lifelong Suffolk resident who lives with his parents and is in outpatient treatment for both mental health issues and substance abuse, according to his attorney, Richard Toscani of Hauppauge, Newsday reported.

"There's some potential mental health issues at this point that my client is suffering from that need further investigation," he said.

If convicted, Cella, who is due back in court on Nov. 5, faces a maximum sentence of up to 15 years.