A shocking incident on Long Island has left a community reeling after a local man allegedly pursued and fatally stabbed a well-known homeless individual, abandoning his lifeless form beside a busy highway in broad daylight. The accused then reportedly made his escape down the road.
Joseph Norton, 20, is facing charges of second-degree murder following the alleged killing of 32-year-old Timothy Stark. This harrowing event unfolded around 3:30 p.m. Monday on the service road near Exit 64 of the Long Island Expressway in Medford, as confirmed by Suffolk Police.
According to the authorities, Norton, a resident of Manorville, became embroiled in a confrontation with Stark. Eyewitnesses report that Norton stopped his vehicle amidst the busy traffic, leaping out to chase Stark on foot.
Prosecutors revealed that Norton allegedly used a 6-inch switchblade to fatally stab Stark in the back. After the brutal attack, Norton reportedly hurried back to his car, leaving Stark to perish by the roadside, as reported by ABC 7.
Despite being rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in Patchogue, Stark was tragically declared dead upon arrival, further intensifying the sorrow felt by those who knew him.
Suffolk County patrol officers tracked Norton down about five miles away at an intersection in Yaphank shortly after he allegedly killed Stark.
Retired EMT Jeff Vinci told ABC 7 that he witnessed the moment Stark collapsed on the side of the road and rushed over to help him.
“His body was moving in a way that could tell he was not breathing anymore,” Vinci told the outlet. “I checked his pulse. He had no pulse.”
It remains unclear what prompted Norton to allegedly hunt down and kill Stark.
Norton was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Tuesday, where prosecutors alleged he chased Stark across three wide intersections before slamming his head into the pavement and driving the blade into his lung and heart in front of a handful of witnesses and two dashcam videos, ABC 7 reported.
Norton’s attorney, Peter H. Mayer IV, entered a denial to the murder charge — stressing to the court that the charges against his client “are not convictions” and he’s presumed innocent.
A judge ordered Norton to be held without bail following the hearing.
Norton is due back in court on Thursday, online jail records show.
Stark was a beloved fixture in the community, with residents saying he would normally be posted up in a chair on the service road.
Jake Sherack said he and his 7-year-old son would regularly stop to give him food and remembered him as a “kind person.”
“He was always good to us, one of my biggest prides was me and my son going to feed him,” Sherack told the outlet.
“I hope my son knows for the rest of his life that we helped him out. He was just always a kind person.”
Tanika Quashie, who works at the nearby Medford DMV just a block from where Stark was killed, was seen placing candles at a growing memorial on the spot where he used to sit.
“He was somebody, and I want the world to know that,” she told News 12 Long Island.
“I’m just at a loss for words that somebody so kind, didn’t bother anybody, somebody so innocent, and you do that to him? It’s just unforgivable.”