Daniel Escobar, 33, was arrested roughly two hours after allegedly plunging a blade into a 65-year-old man’s neck during a basement meeting at a Suffolk County church.
The Bay Shore resident is accused of attacking the older man during a scuffle inside First United Methodist Church in Amityville around 8:30 p.m. Last Friday, according to police. Authorities said Escobar fled the scene but was tracked down and taken into custody shortly after 10:20 p.m. The same night.
The victim was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. His current condition has not been disclosed.
Escobar was led out of the First Precinct in handcuffs Saturday and transported to Suffolk County court for arraignment. Judge Mary Catherine Mullen ordered him held on $150,000 cash bail or a $300,000 bond.
He faces first-degree assault charges in connection with the attack. Police have not revealed what triggered the violent confrontation between the two men.
The nature of the meeting that brought both men to the church basement remains unclear. First United Methodist Church hosts a variety of community groups, though authorities did not specify which, if any, was gathered when the stabbing occurred.
The church sits in the village of Amityville, a community of roughly 9,500 people on Long Island’s south shore that has drawn outsized attention since the 1970s murders at 112 Ocean Avenue inspired books and films. Friday night’s violence unfolded in a more ordinary setting, the basement of a congregation founded in 1825 and located on Broadway near the village center.
Suffolk County police have released few details about how they located Escobar so quickly after the attack. The two-hour gap between the reported stabbing and his capture suggests investigators may have had identifying information from witnesses at the scene.
The case now moves through the Suffolk County court system with Escobar in custody. Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys have publicly discussed potential trial dates or whether Escobar has entered a plea.