The Long Island man wanted for stabbing his father to death inside their home earlier this month lost control of his car as he fled the scene, prompting investigators to scour the woods near the site of the crash.
Authorities have been on the hunt for 23-year-old Matthew Zoll since Nov. 9, the same day his father, Joseph Zoll, was found fatally wounded inside his home in Rocky Point. By the time officers arrived on the scene around 1:25 a.m., the suspected killer was nowhere to be found.
Some 10 minutes later, Matthew Zoll crashed a black GMC Yukon SUV at the intersection of 25A and the William Floyd Parkway in Shoreham, according to GreaterLongIsland.com. Police believe he was injured in the incident and have since focused their manhunt on the wooded areas surrounding the same intersection.
Rocky Point, a small hamlet some 55 miles east of Central Park, is on the northern coast of Long Island. It includes Rocky Point Pine Barrens Preserve and State Forest, an inland wooded area, where residents suspect Matthew Zoll may be taking refuge.
The suspect’s father was meanwhile rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He’d been working as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service in Riverhead since 2014. He also previously served the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
What exactly prompted the deadly violence remained unclear as of Tuesday afternoon. According to a police press release obtained by Patch, Matthew Zoll was reported missing back in April, though no other details were provided.
Matthew Zoll has been described as a 6-foot-1, 150-pound man with brown hair, brown eyes and a small scar under his left eye. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts to contact the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or their confidential tip line at 1-800-220-TIPS.