LI Chiropractor Forcibly Touched 3 Women At Appointments: Police

LAKE RONKONKOMA, NY — A Lake Ronkonkoma chiropractor was arrested Friday after accusations that he forcibly touched three female patients at his office in 2021 and 2022, Suffolk County Police said.

Ronald Bernandini, 65, of Smithtown, was arrested at 3:45 p.m. at his business, Lake Chiropractic on Portion Road, police said.

The three women contacted detectives to report that Bernandini forcibly touched them during their appointments between February 2021 and October 2022, police said. They contacted police following Bernandini's arrest in October after sexually abusing a girl, 16, whom he'd examined for back pain at his practice, police said.

On Friday, Fourth Squad detectives arrested Bernandini and charged him with four counts of forcible touching, police said.

He was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip.

Bernardini was examining a teen patient when he forcibly touched her breasts during the October incident, Suffolk police said. The teen told her parents and they filed a police report.

His website bills the business as a health and wellness provider with "high quality chiropractic care for 40 years."

In a phone interview from his office, Bernardini told Patch in October that he did not have much to say other than the arrest was related to "an allegation by a disgruntled patient," whom he described as "irate."

He went on to say that he does not understand what happened, adding, "I can't really put my fingers around it."

"I guess after 40 years in practice, you find someone who doesn't like you," he said.

Detectives are asking anyone who believes they could be a victim of Bernandini to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.