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Garrison Murder Darkens New Year's Eve
Body found in snow outside Garrison Garage
by Mike Turton
 | | Marcinak, age 49, is survived by his wife Janet; three children, Julie, John and Joey and two brothers, Andrew Marcinak of Fort Montgomery and Stephen Fronhoefer of Wappingers Falls. |
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In the middle of the last day of 2008, while most Philipstown residents were happily preparing to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, John Marcinak's life ended. He was murdered in cold blood, shot to death in front of his towing business on Route 9 in Garrison.
Shortly after noon on New Year's Eve, Putnam County 911 received a number of calls from motorists who reported seeing a body lying on the snow-covered shoulder of the road immediately in front of Garrison Garage, the towing service owned and operated by Marcinak. Emergency responders initially believed that Marcinak's injuries were the result of a hit-andrun accident. But when he was pronounced dead at Hudson Valley Hospital in Peekskill, hospital personnel notified authorities that Marcinak's injuries appeared to be the result of gunshots.
Route 9 was closed to traffic as Putnam County Sheriff's investigators and staff from the office of the Putnam County District Attorney conducted an intense search of the area. For several days all traffic was stopped in an effort to question drivers as to whether they had seen anything unusual on New Year's Eve near the Garrison Garage towing service building.
Following the discovery of the body Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services provided logistical support and snow melting equipment at the scene. Garrison Volunteer Fire Company supplied emergency lighting, generators and heaters and Putnam County Fire Police diverted traffic away from the area.
Sheriff Smith praised the efforts of the emergency responders in protecting the integrity of the crime scene, despite the difficult weather conditions, when gusting winds and snow showers blanketed the area.
An autopsy conducted on New Year's Day confirmed that Mr. Marcinak's death was a homicide, the result of multiple gunshot wounds.
As advised by the Putnam County District Attorney's office, police have remained tight-lipped and have offered no comments regarding possible suspects or motive in the case. Gerald Schramek, Chief Investigator who is heading up the Sheriff's office probe told the PCN&R on Tuesday, "The investigation is ongoing, the case is progressing, and investigators are working around the clock in developing new leads, exhausting all means to come to a successful conclusion. More than a dozen individuals in the Putnam County Sheriff's office are working on the case, with assistance from the Putnam County District Attorney's Office."
New York State Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the shooting death of Mr. Marcinak. Anyone having information should contact the Putnam County Sheriffs Office at (845) 225-4300 or the New York Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-866-313-TIPS (8477). All calls will be kept confidential.
Sheriff Smith noted that Putnam County is one of the safest counties in the region, despite its being surrounded by Operation IMPACT counties. Operation IMPACT - an initiative of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, supports strategic crime-fighting and violence reduction initiatives in the 17 counties outside of New York City that account for 80 percent of the crime upstate and on Long Island. Among these counties are Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Dutchess. Putnam has not received this funding because its crime statistics are so low.
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