Police said a 75-year-old woman was hospitalized after a violent assault inside her Broad Street home.
WILLISTON PARK, N.Y. — A 37-year-old man was charged with attempted murder after police said he beat and choked his 75-year-old mother during an argument inside a Williston Park home Wednesday evening, leaving her with head injuries before fleeing the area.
Nassau County police said the woman survived and was listed in stable condition at a hospital, but investigators described the attack as severe enough to support an attempted murder charge. The case quickly drew attention across the neighborhood, where officers shut down part of Broad Street, searched nearby blocks and later arrested the suspect about a mile from the house. By the next day, the allegations had moved from a residential street to a courtroom, where prosecutors laid out a more detailed account of the violence.
Police said officers were called to 23 Broad St. at about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, after the woman reported that she had been attacked inside her home. Detectives said the assault began after an argument between the woman and her son, John Strano of Williston Park, turned violent. According to police, Strano pushed her to the ground, repeatedly slammed her head against the floor and punched her in the face many times. Investigators also said he struck her in the head with a blunt metal object and choked her before leaving the house. The woman was taken to a local hospital, where police said she was in stable condition.
Additional details emerged in court. Prosecutors said Strano used a metal clamp and struck his mother more than three dozen times in the back of the head. They also said he made statements during the assault that suggested an intent to kill. News 12 reported that prosecutors said Strano told his mother, “Why are you still breathing?” and “Why aren’t you dying?” Prosecutors said the woman lost consciousness and suffered swelling across her face and head along with severe lacerations. Police have not publicly identified her. Authorities said Strano was found nearby later that evening, taken into custody without incident and brought to an area hospital for evaluation.
The arrest unfolded in a normally quiet part of Nassau County. Witnesses described a large police response, with trucks in the neighborhood and a helicopter overhead as investigators worked the scene. Images shared with local media showed officers taking a man into custody on the baseball field at Center Street Elementary School, hours after students had left for the day. That location is about a mile from the Broad Street house, according to local reporting. The Herricks School District said it was aware of the situation but did not comment further. The police activity kept part of Broad Street closed for several hours while detectives and crime scene personnel processed the home and surrounding area.
Strano was charged with second-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance and was remanded, according to local reports. It was not immediately clear from publicly available reports whether he had retained an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The attempted murder charge will likely be a central issue as the case moves forward, with prosecutors expected to point to the level of force alleged, the victim’s injuries and Strano’s reported statements during the attack. Court records and future hearings are expected to shape the next stage of the case.
For neighbors, the most visible part of the case was the sudden change in an ordinary weekday evening. A residential block filled with police vehicles, flashing lights and investigators moving in and out of the area. The victim, though badly hurt, survived the attack and remained hospitalized in stable condition, giving the case a measure of urgency beyond the criminal charges alone. The allegations also placed a family dispute at the center of a public investigation, with police and prosecutors describing what they say was a brutal assault inside a private home. That contrast — a quiet village street and the severity of the accusations — left the neighborhood shaken as the case entered the court system.
The case remained open Friday, with the victim in stable condition and Strano held after pleading not guilty. The next major step is his return to court, where prosecutors are expected to continue presenting evidence from the April 1 attack.
Author note: Last updated April 4, 2026.