Venezuelan Man Charged With Attempted Murder in Gilgo Beach Parking Lot Knife Attack

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has charged 26-year-old Venezuelan national Ruben Guanipa Ramirez with attempted murder after he allegedly drove a man he knew to the Gilgo Beach parking lot on Long Island and attacked him from behind, stabbing him in the side and trying to slash his throat. Prosecutors say Ramirez first took the victim to a pool hall in Nassau County and then to nearby Jones Beach before heading to Gilgo, where the victim fought back, suffered defensive wounds, wrested away the knife, commandeered Ramirez’s 2024 Lexus NX250, and called 911 before meeting NYPD officers and getting medical treatment in Queens. A subsequent search of the Lexus allegedly turned up multiple knives, rope, duct tape, blankets, plastic drop cloths, a large wheeled bag, gloves and a box cutter, items the DA says raise serious questions about Ramirez’s intent that night. State police later arrested Ramirez walking along the Long Island Expressway, and he is now being held at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead, the same facility detaining accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. While authorities have not alleged any connection between the cases, a retired NYPD cold-case sergeant and some online commentators are warning about potential copycat behavior given the attack’s setting and the materials seized from the car.