Westbury man charged with making bomb threats

A Westbury man reported falsely to police early Monday that he planted bombs at a convenience store and a hospital, Nassau County detectives said.

Marc J. Gatchalian, 27, of 1140 Bernard Dr., called police at about 5:42 a.m. and said he had placed a bomb at the 7-Eleven store at 4220 Hempstead Tpke. in Bethpage. He also said he had put another bomb at the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, police said.

Gatchalian is charged with two counts of falsely reporting an incident and menacing. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Third Precinct officers and the Canine Unit responded to the hospital but did not find any explosives, police said.

Second Precinct officers went to the 7-Eleven store and did not find a bomb, but they did find and interview Gatchalian, who was arrested, a police spokesman said.

The spokesman did not say whether Gatchalian used a pay phone or a cellphone to make the false reports, but said he was arrested based on the information he provided when questioned by the Second Precinct officers.

No injuries were reported, police said.