Long Beach man had altered semi-automatic rifle, cops say

A Long Beach man was arrested Thursday after detectives said they found an altered semi-automatic rifle with fully loaded magazines inside his home, Nassau County police said.

Justin Taylor, 25, of West Hudson Street was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Nassau police said they responded to an “incident” involving Taylor on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Coast Guard Station in Jones Beach. Detectives said a subsequent investigation led to the discovery of the altered weapon at Taylor’s home.

Taylor was arrested without incident.

Nassau police did not provide details.

Taylor is an active duty Coast Guard seaman apprentice stationed at the Jones Beach site, said Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier, a Coast Guard public affairs officer. “We’re working jointly with [Nassau police] to ensure the safety and security of our Coast Guard members.”

Strohmaier said he was unable to provide details about the incident, which he said was still under investigation.

At the arraignment, Taylor was held on $10,000 bond or $5,000 cash, according to records. He is due back in court on Tuesday. No information was on file for a defense attorney.

With Nicholas Spangler

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.