Ex-Adelphi University president Christine Riordan co-owns new gym with ex-convict, records show

The co-owners of an exclusive new gym in the heart of Garden City’s business district are Adelphi University’s former president, who pleaded guilty last month to crashing her car into a LIRR platform, nearly injuring commuters, and a Nassau County man once charged with murder and who served time for burglary, assault and sexual abuse, records show.

In recent weeks, Dimensional Training on Franklin Avenue has slowly opened its doors to the public, promising tailored personal workouts, state-of-the-art facilities and expert fitness guidance.

The website for Dimensional Training identifies its founder and chief executive as "celebrity trainer" Andrew Oliver McCreary, 58, most recently of Hewlett, while its president and managing partner is former Adelphi president Christine Riordan, 61, of Garden City. Dimensional Training previously occupied a site on Nassau Boulevard in Garden City South.

In a statement to Newsday last week, Riordan said Dimensional Training has served the Garden City community for more than a decade under McCreary’s leadership and that more than $2 million has been invested in the new facility. 

"Much of what has been presented is inaccurate, incomplete, or framed in a way that does not reflect the full context of events — some of which date back decades," Riordan said when questioned about McCreary's criminal past. "Andrew McCreary has been a dedicated business owner, coach, and mentor in this community for 11 years. His work has helped hundreds of clients improve their health, confidence, and quality of life. Like many individuals, he has faced challenges in the past, but they do not define the person, professional, or leader he is today."

McCreary and his attorney in his most recent case, in which he has been charged with criminal contempt, did not respond to requests for comment.

Records show Riordan and McCreary own a home together in Florida.

Crash 'narrowly' misses commuters

On Sept. 30, Riordan drove her BMW through the metal fencing at the Long Island Rail Road station, "narrowly" missing commuters, striking two vehicles before landing on the tracks and causing an electrical explosion from the third rail, Newsday reported at the time.

A police officer at the scene described Riordan as having "bloodshot, glassy eyes" with "a strong odor of alcohol" on her breath and "swaying while walking" after the incident. The officer wrote in his report that Riordan failed several field sobriety tests and refused to have her blood or breath tested for alcohol.

Riordan, the first woman to lead Adelphi before abruptly stepping down in June, was charged with driving while intoxicated. In February, she pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree reckless endangerment and fourth-degree criminal mischief, both misdemeanors.

Riordan's attorneys contend she was not intoxicated and pointed to potential vehicle malfunction as the cause of the crash.

She is due back in court on April 13 for the disposition of her case, records show.

Multiple convictions

While Riordan’s case was highly publicized, McCreary’s criminal history has garnered significantly less attention.

Court records show McCreary was arrested in 1991 and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree burglary. He pleaded guilty to the burglary charge and was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison, records show.

Following his release from prison, McCreary was charged in Queens with third-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment, records indicate. He pleaded guilty to the assault charge and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, court records indicate.

In 2014, McCreary was arrested by Nassau police and charged with forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse, records show. He pleaded guilty to the latter charge and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and a 1-year protective order was put in place preventing him from contacting the victim, court records show.

Details about the criminal cases were not made available to Newsday.

Most recently, McCreary was arrested by Garden City police on Nov. 21 and charged with second-degree criminal contempt for violating a protective order against an ex-girlfriend, records show. He is due back in court on that charge on April 1.

McCreary’s LinkedIn page states that he has a National Academy of Sports Medicine Master Certification as a personal trainer. But NASM’s database indicates the certification expired on Nov. 25, 2015.

It is not clear if the Village of Garden City was aware of McCreary’s criminal background when they granted him permits to open his new gym.

The village’s mayor and board of trustees did not return calls seeking comment.

A 2024 Newsday story stated that McCreary trademarked and branded Dimensional Training, a method he developed as a personal trainer and has been teaching since 2014.

"We don’t exercise. We train," McCreary said at the time. "Exercise is when you don’t put any thought into it. Training means you mark it, measure it and repeat. No one at Dimensional is unguided. We motivate people to do things they don’t know how to do."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.