Cops: Priest threatened at Lynbrook church

A Lynbrook man is to be arraigned Friday for allegedly threatening a parishioner and a priest at Our Lady of Peace Church in Lynbrook last week, Nassau County police said.

Victor Tosner, 57, of 25 Washington Ave., was charged with stalking, third-degree, and harassment, first degree, for two separate incidents on June 24 and June 25.

According to detectives, Tosner called the church and demanded to speak to a priest, whom he had threatened in the past. Police did not explain the nature of the threat. Police said Tosner later arrived at the church and handed a 54-year-old woman a greeting card containing a "threatening message," which police did not describe.

On June 25, police said Tosner again went to the parish and prevented a woman from entering her car. Later that afternoon, police said Tosner called a female parishioner and threatened one of the parish's priests.

The church was the scene of a fatal shooting in 2002 when Peter Troy gunned down the Rev. Lawrence Penzes, 50, and parishioner Eileen Tosner, 73. A Newsday article at the time quoted a Victor Tosner Jr., a nephew of victim Eileen Tosner, who was in the church during the shooting. It could not be determined if he is the same person arrested Thursday.

Troy was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.