Gun Found In Shooting Near Gov Hopeful Lee Zeldin's Suffolk Home; 1 Arrested

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Shirley man who posted a photo of himself pointing a gun on social media was found with one of the guns used in the shooting outside gubernatorial hopeful and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin's home in Shirley last month, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Noah Green, 18, was arrested at his home just after 1 p.m. Monday in Shirley and was found with a loaded 9MM Taurus handgun, as well as a stolen 2022 Honda, authorities alleged in court documents.

At the time of his arrest, Green told an officer, "I just got that gun, I'm carrying it for protection," according to a felony complaint filed in court.

Whether Green was involved in the shooting remains under investigation, according to his bail application. He was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, both felonies.

Over the past three weeks, investigators with the district attorney's office worked with police detectives to solve the shooting outside Zeldin’s home, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's office said.

"Through that collaborative and diligent police work, we have now recovered one of the firearms used in that dangerous shooting," he said. "The investigation is continuing and we expect that will have more developments in the future."

Around 2:19 p.m. Oct. 19, three teens walked along Saint George Drive West in Shirley when a dark-colored sedan drove by and someone fired multiple shots through the vehicle’s window, police have said.

Two 17-year-old boys were shot, and they tried to hide in the yard of a home on the street, police said. A third teen ran.

Zeldin later identified the home as his own and said his twin daughters were home at the time doing homework at the kitchen table. No one has been charged with the shooting.

Investigators have said previously that they do not believe the shooting was aimed at Zeldin or his family.

Patch has reached out to Zeldin for comment. He told Fox News that it's "important to note that this is the gun that was used in the shooting, not necessarily the person who committed this shooting."

He went on to say that his daughters were "shaken, but okay."

Law enforcement conducting surveillance Monday outside Green's home saw him leave his home and get behind the wheel of a stolen black 2022 Honda CRV, according to his bail application.

When they approached Green, he got out and tried to run, jumping onto the hood and the roof of the law enforcement vehicle, damaging it, the application said, noting that law enforcement then tried to place him in custody and "he began to reach for his pants pocket."

"Law enforcement was able to grab [Green’s] hand and recovered a loaded Taurus 9MM pistol from the pocket the defendant was reaching into," the application said. "A forensic analysis of the pistol recovered from the defendant’s pocket was performed, revealing that the defendant’s fingerprint was present on the fully-loaded magazine that was loaded inside the weapon."

Ongoing social media surveillance of accounts belonging to Green showed a photo of what appears to be a gun posted to his Snapchat account, "Noah Might Slime You," on Friday, the application said.

Green, who was wearing white, can be seen in the photo pointing what appears to be a gun at the lens, according to Tierney's office. The gun appears "similar to the gun that was recovered off him" but investigators can't say "definitively that it is the same gun," a spokeswoman said.

The photo is captioned, "Catch me a 4 bet it's a good day."

The application doesn't indicate the item was the same gun that was recovered by law enforcement.

More images and videos posted to Snapchat showed Green riding around in the Honda, consistent with the stolen vehicle, and Green was arrested, according to the application.

A "microscopic analysis of the pistol" taken from Green showed it was used in the shooting, in which "two people were shot in the chest and both victims were hospitalized," sustaining non-fatal injuries, the bail application said.

Surveillance video and eyewitness statements also showed the vehicle used in the shooting "appeared to be a recent model black Honda CRV with a white New York license plate consistent with the stolen vehicle" that Green was seen Monday, according to the application.

If convicted on the top weapon possession count, Green faces a minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison. If consecutive sentences are imposed, which he is eligible to receive, he faces an additional sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced a strike force to investigate the shooting the day after, and a patrol car was stationed outside the congressman's house.

Green was ordered held on $750,000 cash, $1.5 million bond, and $7.5 million partially-secured bond. He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society and is due back in court on Friday.

Bryan Browns, chief legal operations officer for the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, told Newsday the case against Green is “nothing more than” an allegation “and he has pled not guilty and deserves the assumption of innocence at this point.”