Man Charged In LI Bus Stabbing Knifed Another Person In Same Hour: PD

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Mastic man who was arrested after stabbing someone on a Suffolk County bus last week is facing new charges — after authorities learned that he'd stabbed another person at a Riverhead market, just minutes before the second assault, police said.

According to Riverhead Town police, a call came in at about 3:31 p.m. on Friday, May 2 from Mae's Market on Railroad Avenue, about a man who'd been stabbed in the abdomen. Police arrived, and Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated the man, who was then flown by Suffolk County Police aviation to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

Riverhead detectives determined that the assault had taken place at 3:13 p.m. at the Time to Eat Deli on West Main Street. On surveillance video, detectives said they saw a man, later identified as Rene Alexander Elias Chaj, 23, stab the victim in the abdomen, then flee toward Southampton Town.

Next, according to Southampton Town police, Chaz stabbed a second person on a Suffolk County Transit bus.

According to police, at about 3:57 p.m., a call came in about the stabbing on the bus, which had just left the County Center and was traveling south on County Road 51 in Riverhead.

Southampton Town Police patrol units, Community Response units, detectives, New York State police officers, and the Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded and began treating the stabbing victim, who had been stabbed with a knife and was taken to an area hospital for treatment, officials said.

The attacker fled on foot; after a brief search, Chaj was located by Southampton police, identified and arrested, authorities said. He was charged with first-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, police said.

Chaj was processed at Southampton Town police headquarters and held overnight for morning arraignment, police said.

On May 6, Chaj was transported to Riverhead Town police headquarters for arrest processing, he was then charged with second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said. He was held for arraignment at Riverhead Justice Court, police said.