Search Continues For Long Island Man Wanted For Stabbing His Father To Death: Police

LONG ISLAND, NY — The search for a Long Island man wanted for stabbing his father to death continued Wednesday as a large police presence swarmed the North Shore.

Neighbors reported seeing police search the woods along Route 25A from Rocky Point to Calverton between 3 and 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The operation snarled traffic, causing it to back up into the Port Jefferson area, according to residents. Another resident reported that traffic was backed up further east into Route 58 in Riverhead.

A police spokesperson confirmed the operation Thursday morning, saying that the department was searching "the entire area," but declined any specific details.

Thursday morning, a police cruiser had blocked off the turnaround on William Floyd Parkway, just south of Route 25A while the department's command post was stationed there. Law enforcement vehicles, including an SUV from the sheriff's office and a pick-up truck from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation were parked at the juncture of Rte. 25A and the parkway.

Homicide squad detectives are seeking the public’s help in finding Matthew Zoll, who is wanted for the killing of his father, police said.

Zoll, 23, is 6 feet 1 inches tall, weighs 150 lbs, and has brown hair and brown eyes, one of which has a small scar under it.

He is not believed to be in a vehicle, police said.

Seventh Precinct officers responded to a home on Quail Road in Rocky Point at around 1:25 a.m. on Saturday after a 911 caller reported a stabbing, police said, adding that when officers arrived, they found Joseph Zoll, 61, and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives are asking anyone with information, to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, a confidential police hotline.