Troy Arrighi, left, 37, of Manhattan, was arrested on Febtruary...

Troy Arrighi, left, 37, of Manhattan, was arrested on Febtruary 14, 2013 in connection with the death of mechanic Mario Andujarat, right, during an attempted robbery in West Babylon in 1994. Andujarat, a native of the Dominican Republic, came to the United States in 1974, working mostly as a truck driver and mechanic at Diamond Trucking Co.in West Babylon He was killed by two masked gunmen on March 22, 1994. Credit: SCPD / Newsday file

The accused triggerman in a cold case dating to 1994 has been jailed without bail -- nearly 19 years after he allegedly murdered a mechanic he was robbing in West Babylon, according to the authorities.

The man, Troy Arrighi -- now 37 and living in Manhattan -- was arrested Feb. 14 by Suffolk County police. At court the next day, Judge Paul M. Hensley of First District Court in Central Islip denied him bail.

Arrighi, of 400 E. 30th St., is charged with murdering the mechanic, Mario Andujar, 30, on March 22, 1994, at Diamond Trucking Co., police said.

Andujar and another mechanic, Juan Garcia, were working on a truck in a bay in back of the business when two men in black ski masks confronted them, police said in 1994.

The criminal complaint against Arrighi said he entered Diamond Trucking with a loaded .38 revolver and demanded money. Arrighi told investigators that he killed Andujar, shooting him twice in the chest, the complaint said. He is also charged with first-degree attempted robbery.

In a Newsday article about the shooting and attempted robbery, Garcia said he thought it was a joke when he saw the two masked men.

"I thought they were joking, so I said 'Yeah, right.' One of them said, 'You think I'm joking?' He shot me in the leg," said Garcia, who was washing a truck when he was shot in the right thigh.

Garcia said he was bleeding, lying in a chair, when the men shot Andujar, who died at the scene.

Andujar was married at the time of his death and had three daughters, ages 10, 5 and 2, the Newsday story said.

Arrighi was to be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip.

Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, head of Suffolk's Homicide Squad, wouldn't say what led them to Arrighi after all these years.

"Clearly, we are looking for a second guy," he said.

Fitzpatrick said that Arrighi also has used the last name of Schwartz and spent some time in California.

He also said police thought the company where Andujar had worked was "out of business."

A number listed for Diamond Trucking was not in service Friday.

Arrighi had used the last names of Schwartz and Cortez, said Robert Clifford, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. He also is known as "Red" for the color of his hair, Clifford said.

Under the Schwartz surname, Arrighi served nearly eight years in prison for burglary and attempted burglary, from June 2000 to March 2008, according to the New York State prison system. He also served more than two years, from September 2010 to November 2012, for auto stripping, records show.

With Ellen Yan

A winemaker. A jockey. An astronaut. We’re celebrating Women’s History month with a look at these and more female changemakers and trailblazers with ties to long Island. 

Celebrating Women's History Month at Newsday A winemaker. A jockey. An astronaut. We're celebrating Women's History month with a look at these and more female changemakers and trailblazers with ties to long Island. 

A winemaker. A jockey. An astronaut. We’re celebrating Women’s History month with a look at these and more female changemakers and trailblazers with ties to long Island. 

Celebrating Women's History Month at Newsday A winemaker. A jockey. An astronaut. We're celebrating Women's History month with a look at these and more female changemakers and trailblazers with ties to long Island. 

Latest videos

Newsday LogoSUBSCRIBEUnlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 5 months
ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME