Accused Long Island Rail Road Shooter Gunned Down Man Who 'Considered Him A Friend': DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — An Arizona man has been accused of the execution-style shooting of a 20-year-old West Babylon man aboard a Long Island Rail Road train in Ronkonkoma in February 2022, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Nicholas D’Agostino, 20, of Arizona, has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in an indictment unveiled in a Riverside court on Friday.

D’Agostino arrived in Wyandanch after traveling from Arizona to visit Yusef Staine on Feb. 13, 2022, and two days later on Feb. 15, the pair, along with two other friends, rode the LIRR to New York City from Wyandanch, according to prosecutors.

A review of surveillance video provided by Metropolitan Transit Authority police found Staine and D’Agostino returned to Suffolk during the early morning hours of Feb. 16, and after missing their train stop in Wyandanch, they arrived at the Ronkonkoma station and then boarded the westbound train, which was headed back toward Wyandanch, prosecutors said.

While getting onto the train car, D’Agostino, who was walking behind Staine, shot him once in the back of his head, and when Staine fell to the ground, he shot him in the torso, according to prosecutors.

The county's Medical Examiner later determined Staine died from the gunshot wounds.

Investigators found that immediately after the shooting, D’Agostino bolted from the railroad station and then Suffolk, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement collected extensive surveillance video, as well as cellphone data, which tracks D’Agostino’s movements before, during, and after the murder, according to prosecutors.

District Attorney Ray Tierney said D'Agostino executed Staine, who had considered him a friend.

"This defendant thought he could get away with it because he was wearing a mask and then fled Suffolk County, but he was clearly wrong," he said. “Due to the great investigative work done by our Suffolk County prosecutors, investigators, and police, we were able to determine the defendant’s identity and charge him with this brutal murder."

"Let it be clear – if you seek to harm our citizens here in Suffolk, you may run, but you cannot hide, because we will continue to pursue you until you are held responsible for your crimes," he added.

D'Agostino was ordered held without bail.

If convicted, D'Agostino faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life on the top count alone, but he would be eligible for sentencing to 40 years to life in prison.

Patch has reached out to his attorney, George Duncan of Central Islip, for comment.