The man was arrested after a stranger overhead him threatening to kill his wife while he was at a bar in Westchester County. NBC 4 New York’s Erica Byfield reports.
What to Know
- Cops investigating a report that a Westchester man threatened his estranged wife and family allegedly found a huge weapons stash in his car
- Among the items police say were recovered from Michael Bonanno's vehicle: assault rifles, handguns, ballistic helmet, body armor and more
- Authorities also say they recovered a cache of weapons from his house on Long Island; that one allegedly included smoke grenades
UPDATE: 2nd Arsenal Found in NY Surgeon's Long Island Home; Separate Charges Expected to Be Filed in Nassau County, Source Says
A 47-year-old plastic surgeon from Westchester County allegedly had a huge weapons cache in his car, one including assault rifles, body armor, a ballistic helmet, knives and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, among other weapons, when police stopped him as they investigated a report he had threatened his estranged wife and family.
Matthew Bonanno was remanded without bail following his arraignment Tuesday on a slew of weapons charges. He was arrested a day earlier, when someone saw him at Growler's Beer Bistro on Main Street; that person saw him with a handgun, heard him say he wanted to hurt his wife and notified authorities.
Cops responding to a call found Bonanno in possession of a loaded glock semi-automatic handgun, authorities said Wednesday.
Bonanno had gotten a ride to the bar with a friend. Cops found his car parked in front of his wife's house in Tuckahoe, and it was a search of that vehicle that yielded the monstrous stash of weapons, officials say. Aside from the rifles, ammunition and armor, Bonanno also allegedly had pepper spray, scopes, binoculars, 29 high-capacity loaded magazines, handguns, a stun gun, handcuffs, face masks and brass knuckles. That was his car.
Bonanno has two known houses -- one in Mount Pleasant and one in Great Neck, on Long Island. Another three unlicensed handguns were recovered from the Mount Pleasant home, while another huge stash -- more rifles, a shotgun, handguns, high-capacity magazines, smoke grenades, body armor and other weapons -- was recovered at the Long Island residence, authorities say.
Nassau Police seized all of the weapons; they said all of the long guns were illegal. Bonanno has a past order of protection involving his wife, though it wasn't clear if that remained in effect Wednesday. He also has a prior run-in with the law for alleged drinking and driving.
It wasn't clear if Bonanno entered a plea at his arraignment, nor was attorney information for him available. He is due back in court next week.
