Nicholas Critelli faces four public lewdness cases involving women in Suffolk County, with prosecutors alleging two incidents occurred while he awaited court proceedings on earlier charges.
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Ronkonkoma man accused of masturbating in front of women at store parking lots was arrested again after allegedly committing two additional offenses while released on earlier charges, District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Tuesday.
Nicholas Critelli, 20, was arrested October 16 and arraigned the following day on two counts of public lewdness. He was placed on supervised release.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims, according to the district attorney’s office.
Women reported incidents outside Walmart and Target
Prosecutors allege Critelli was sitting in his vehicle in a Walmart parking lot in Centereach around 9:40 p.m. October 1, masturbating in view of a woman passing by. She reported the incident to police.
On October 14, around 9:27 p.m., Critelli allegedly called out to another woman from a vehicle in a Target parking lot in Commack while masturbating.
“Oh my god. You’re so pretty. Are you from around here?#x201D; he allegedly said. That woman also contacted police.
Earlier allegations involved two women in Sayville
Critelli was already facing charges stemming from two June incidents.
On June 4, around 9:53 p.m., he allegedly masturbated in front of a woman in a Target parking lot in Sayville. Two days later, around 4:30 p.m., he allegedly called to a woman walking through a Sayville residential neighborhood and asked for her Snapchat information while engaging in the same conduct from his parked vehicle.
Police arrested Critelli June 16 and issued a desk appearance ticket. He was arraigned July 6 before District Court Judge Susan Berland on two misdemeanor public lewdness counts and released on his own recognizance.
Tierney criticizes bail restrictions
Tierney said the charges are not eligible for monetary bail under New York law, preventing prosecutors from requesting it in these cases.
“My office is not allowed to ask for bail despite the seriousness of the alleged crimes and the documented repeated behavior,” Tierney said.
At Critelli’s October 17 arraignment before District Court Judge Alonzo Jacobs, prosecutors stated that they would have requested bail if permitted, citing concerns about potential additional victims. Jacobs placed Critelli on supervised release.
“We will continue to prosecute the four cases against this defendant to secure justice,” Tierney said.
The charges are allegations, and Critelli is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
