(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Noel Bermudez-Chin, 18, of East Northport, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree for allegedly pouring a mixture of oil and water on 61-year-old Joseph Falvo and then allegedly stabbing him multiple times, causing his death.
“The defendant allegedly boiled oil and water and used it as a weapon against a sleeping man before stabbing him repeatedly,” said District Attorney Tierney. “There is no place in Suffolk County for such deliberate, premeditated violence.”
According to the investigation, the victim and his fiancée had been staying in a trailer on a property in East Northport following a fire that damaged their home in December 2025. Bermudez-Chin, the grandson of the victim’s fiancée, had allegedly begun staying with the couple in the trailer.
On March 29, 2026, at approximately 3:45 a.m., Bermudez-Chin allegedly boiled oil and water in a pot and then threw the boiling mixture onto the victim who was sleeping on the couch. Bermudez-Chin then allegedly stabbed the victim numerous times about his body before fleeing the trailer. While he was fleeing, Bermudez-Chin allegedly called 911 to report the incident.
Suffolk County Police responded to the scene and discovered the victim unresponsive, having suffered multiple stab wounds to his back, head, neck, and stomach, as well as burns to his chest. The victim was rushed to Huntington Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Bermudez-Chin was apprehended a short time later and allegedly had what appeared to be blood on his hands and clothing. Police also allegedly recovered a knife with what appeared to be blood on the blade, and a pot with what appeared to be oil residue, from the trailer.
On April 16, 2026, Bermudez-Chin was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins, charging him with one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony. Justice Collins ordered him remanded without bail during the pendency of the case.
Bermudez-Chin is due back in court on May 5, 2026, and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted. He is being represented by Peter Mayer, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Chiuchiolo of the Homicide Bureau and Vernoica McMahon of the Major Crime Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Detective Matthew Sagistano of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.