Matthew Esposito, 50, of Miller Place, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of violently assaulting two police officers and illegally possessing a handgun.
On September 9, 2022, at the Bellport train station, Suffolk County Police officers responded to reports of a shooting. Esposito, spotted emerging from nearby woods, hid behind a parked car. When officers approached, they discovered a loaded pistol beneath the vehicle, directly where Esposito had been crouching. As they attempted to arrest him, Esposito fiercely resisted and attacked the officers.
The violent struggle resulted in one officer sustaining a concussion, a head laceration, and a torn quadricep muscle, while the other officer suffered three broken bones in his wrist, a torn ligament, and a sprained shoulder. Officers managed to subdue Esposito and found a high-capacity magazine in his pocket, identical to the one loaded in the pistol under the car.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that our streets belong to law-abiding citizens, not to criminals who disregard our laws and attack police officers who are working to keep our communities safe,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Esposito’s criminal history is extensive. Convicted in 1993 for criminally negligent homicide and criminal possession of a weapon, he served time in prison. Less than four years after his release, he was convicted again in 1998 for assault and five other felonies, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence.
In April 2024, a jury convicted Esposito on multiple charges, including criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of assault, and resisting arrest. Given his history and the severity of the recent crimes, Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei determined Esposito to be a persistent felony offender and handed down the sentence on June 20, 2024.
