Greater Long Island coverage is funded in part by Toresco & Simonelli, a boutique injury and family law firm in West Islip. They fight for their clients. Click here to get in touch.
Noel Bermudez-Chin, 18, allegedly delivered a horrific one-two punch to his grandmother’s fiancé
An East Northport man was indicted for murder after allegedly pouring a boiling mixture of oil and water on his grandmother’s fiancé while he slept, and then stabbing the victim to death.
Noel Bermudez-Chin, 18, faces one count of second-degee murder in the March 29 death of 61-year-old Joseph Falvo, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Thursday.
“The defendant allegedly boiled oil and water and used it as a weapon against a sleeping man before stabbing him repeatedly,” Tierney said. “There is no place in Suffolk County for such deliberate, premeditated violence.”
Background and attack
Falvo and his fiancée had been living in a trailer on a property in East Northport following a fire that damaged their home in December 2025. Bermudez-Chin, the grandson of Falvo’s fiancée, had begun staying with the couple in the trailer.
At about 3:45 a.m. on the morning of the alleged attack, Bermudez-Chin boiled oil and water in a pot. He then allegedly threw the boiling mixture onto Falvo, who was sleeping on the couch, prosecutors said.
Bermudez-Chin is then accused of stabbing Falvo numerous times across his body before fleeing the trailer. While running off, he allegedly called 911 to report the incident.
Falvo was found unresponsive by police arriving at the scene. He had been stabbed in the back, head, neck and stomach, and had burns on his chest, authorities said.
The victim was rushed to Huntington Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Evidence and arrest
Bermudez-Chin was arrested a short time later with what appeared to be blood on his hands and clothing, Tierney said.
Inside the trailer, investigators allegedly recovered a knife with what appeared to be blood on the blade and a pot with what looked to be oil residue from the trailer.
Bermudez-Chin’s attorney, Peter Mayer, said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“He’s 18 years old. The system is still supposed to be a fair one. And in order to ensure it’s a fair one, we have to ensure that everybody has an open mind and remember that he’s presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Mayer said. “He hasn’t been proven guilty yet because his case hasn’t been put in front of a jury and tried.
“So there’s no evidence that’s been shown. We don’t know what’s happened other than what the allegations put forth today by the prosecutor.
“We are at a very early stage in the case,” he added.
Mayer’s client is being held without bail and is due back in court on May 5.
Prior coverage
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
