Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A Mastic man was indicted Thursday on assault and related charges after allegedly stabbing a 71-year-old man in the back of the neck during a road rage confrontation in Mastic — an incident that began with something as routine as a honked horn, according to News 12 Long Island.
Prosecutors allege the incident unfolded on May 19, 2026, at the intersection of Ditmas Avenue and Riviera Drive in Mastic. Jeremiah Giraud was riding as a passenger in a Nissan that pulled up behind the 71-year-old victim, who was stopped at a stop sign at that intersection. The driver of the Nissan honked at the victim, who responded by honking back. The victim then made a U-turn, while the Nissan turned onto Riviera Drive. The confrontation did not end there.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as reported by News 12 Long Island, the Nissan returned to Ditmas Avenue and again honked at the victim. At that point, both men exited their vehicles and had a brief interaction on the street. It was during that interaction that Giraud allegedly drew a knife and stabbed the 71-year-old man in the back of the neck. The attack was sudden, and the severity of the location of the wound — the back of the neck — underscores how dangerous the escalation became.
Following the stabbing, Giraud allegedly got back into the Nissan and was driven away from the scene by the vehicle’s driver. Police, however, were able to track the vehicle. Authorities located the Nissan parked outside a Family Dollar store, where Giraud was subsequently apprehended. The knife believed to have been used in the attack was recovered from inside the Nissan, prosecutors said, providing what investigators consider key physical evidence linking Giraud directly to the crime.
The 71-year-old victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. The specific nature or severity of those injuries beyond the stab wound to the back of the neck was not disclosed in the indictment announcement. Giraud was indicted on Thursday, June 25, 2026 — more than a month after the May 19 incident — following what appears to have been a period of investigation and grand jury proceedings by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, as News 12 Long Island reported. The story was published by reporter Karina Kovac on June 25, 2026.
Location & Road Context
The incident took place at the intersection of Ditmas Avenue and Riviera Drive in Mastic, a residential area in the Town of Brookhaven in eastern Suffolk County. Mastic and the surrounding Mastic Beach community are accessed primarily through a network of local roads and connector routes, including Montauk Highway and William Floyd Parkway. The intersection of Ditmas Avenue and Riviera Drive is a local, neighborhood-level crossing, making the emergence of a violent road rage confrontation there particularly jarring for the community. Mastic has seen a notable stretch of serious traffic-related incidents in recent weeks, including a fatal motorcycle crash that killed Anthony Viola on June 22, 2026, and a three-person injury crash on Montauk Highway on May 21, 2026, just two days after the road rage stabbing occurred.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Giraud was indicted Thursday by a Suffolk County grand jury on assault and related charges, as announced by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, according to News 12 Long Island. The indictment came approximately five weeks after the May 19 attack, suggesting investigators spent that period building the case — aided significantly by the recovery of the alleged murder weapon, a knife found inside the Nissan in which Giraud was apprehended. If convicted on all charges, Giraud faces up to seven years in prison. No details regarding arraignment date, bail status, or whether Giraud has entered a plea were included in the District Attorney’s announcement. The driver of the Nissan, who allegedly transported Giraud away from the scene following the stabbing, has not been publicly named or charged based on information available at the time of this report.
Broader Impact
Road rage incidents involving weapons carry severe criminal consequences in New York State, and this case is a stark example of how quickly a minor traffic dispute can escalate into felony violence. Under New York Penal Law, assault charges involving the use of a deadly weapon — such as the knife allegedly used here — can elevate to first- or second-degree assault, both of which carry significant prison exposure. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has not specified the exact degree of assault in the indictment, but the maximum seven-year sentence cited aligns with second-degree assault as a Class D violent felony under New York law. Drivers involved in confrontational situations are strongly urged not to exit their vehicles or engage with other motorists, as even a brief roadside interaction, as seen in this case, can turn fatal in seconds.