A 13-year-old girl walked into her middle school and told a guidance counselor something that immediately set off alarms. What she described would lead police across Suffolk County, tracing a chain of events that began with a stranger’s voice on the other end of the line.
According to Suffolk County Police, the girl said she had been contacted by a man who convinced her to meet him in person. On March 23, she went to a gas station on Express Drive South in Holtsville, a place that should have been busy, public, safe.
Instead, she got into his vehicle.
From there, investigators say, the situation turned into something far more disturbing. The man allegedly drove her to a secluded area, where the assault took place inside the car. When it was over, he dropped her back at the same gas station, leaving behind no immediate witnesses and a story that could have easily gone untold.
But it didn’t.
The next day, March 24, the girl spoke up at school. That single decision triggered a rapid response. Patrol officers were called in, and detectives from the Sixth Squad began piecing together what happened, working to identify the man behind the call.
By the following evening, they had their answer.
Police say 38-year-old Michael Liontonia was located and arrested outside his home on Milligan Lane in West Islip at approximately 5 p.m. on March 25, bringing an end to the search.
He is expected to be arraigned in Central Islip.
Authorities are now asking anyone who may have had contact with the suspect, or believes they may have been a victim, to come forward as the investigation continues.
A criminal charge is an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Photo: SCPD.
