Long Beach man pleads guilty in rant against fellow LIRR rider, DA says
A Long Beach man accused of directing a racist rant at a woman on the Long Island Rail Road in April has pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct, officials said.
Edward Ruggiero, 58, entered the plea Thursday in a Queens court and will have to take a 12-week bias incident course and pay a $250 fine, the Queens district attorney’s office said Friday.
Ruggiero, who is white, was seen on a viral video shouting at a black Lynbrook woman as she talked on her cellphone on April 19 between the Jamaica and Forest Hills stations.
“Get off at Jamaica. Get off in the ghetto,” Ruggiero shouted at the woman. He then began to imitate the sounds of a monkey and yelled other racial slurs, officials said at the time.
Ruggiero had faced up to a year in jail on the original charges, which included third-degree menacing as a hate crime. His attorney, Joseph Donatelli, did not respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
