Salvadoran man indicted in Suffolk County rape of 16-year-old girl

A 16-year-old girl who was walking home in Huntington escaped an alleged alley rape, climbed a tall fence and called 911, setting off a fast-moving Suffolk County investigation that ended with the indictment of 59-year-old Antonio Melendez Reyes.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the indictment on June 16, saying Reyes, a Salvadoran national, was charged with two counts of rape in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, two counts of rape in the third degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said the June 6 assault began on New York Avenue, where Reyes repeatedly asked the teen for her phone number before forcing her into an alley when she refused.

The girl was able to get away while partially unclothed, climb a tall fence and call 911. Police later located Reyes and arrested him while she was still on the phone with dispatch, a detail that shows how quickly the case moved from a neighborhood street encounter to a law-enforcement response in Huntington.

Reyes was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, who ordered him held on $500,000 cash, $1,000,000 bond or a $5,000,000 partially secured bond. If he is convicted of the top count, prosecutors said he faces up to 25 years in prison. He is due back in court on July 21, 2026, and is represented by Scott Lockwood, Esq.

Assistant District Attorney Ashley Moruzzi of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau is prosecuting the case, and Detective Jeremy Corcino of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Second Precinct led the investigation. The case underscores how Suffolk authorities handle child sexual assault complaints: the alleged attack was reported immediately, police identified a suspect, and the district attorney’s office moved to secure a felony indictment within 10 days.

Federal immigration authorities also moved after the state prosecution advanced. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on June 18 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer seeking custody of Reyes and that a Department of Justice immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on July 10, 1998. Prosecutors have stressed that the case remains an accusation and that Reyes is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but the allegations have already put a spotlight on public safety for teens walking alone in Suffolk County neighborhoods.