Police

Update: Four arrests in connection with Splish Splash BMX video

Four BMX riders were arrested Monday in connection with the Thanksgiving Day break-in at Splish Splash that led to a viral YouTube video. 

Billy Perry, 22, of West Islip, Anthony Panza, 19, of Lindenhurst, Brian Chliek, 34, of Bayport and Jonathan Nemecek, 25, of Lindenhurst, were each charged with third-degree criminal trespass and released on desk appearance tickets, according a Riverhead Town police press release. Police said eight people entered the park at approximately 8 a.m. Nov. 24.

Riverhead’s COPE unit conducted an investigation which resulted in the four arrests, police said.

A video depicting the men riding the slides at the water park was posted on the YouTube page of Mr. Perry, a professional BMX rider. To date the video has been viewed more than 6.2 million times and has made headlines across the region.

Mr. Perry opens the video by detailing his crew’s plans and saying they attempted the same stunt earlier this year, but it rained that day. He says he doesn’t “want to get arrested,” though other videos on his page indicate that an occasional run-in with the law is not out of the ordinary.

The 15-minute video goes on to show the men breaking into the park and performing tricks on rides like Alien Invasion, Dragon’s Den and Max Trax.

Finally, on the Mammoth River, the riders appear to be confronted by a park employee and they head out of the park.

“That was the most savage session we’ve had in a long time,” Mr. Perry says toward the end of the video, the most viewed on his page. “That was amazing. We had a good two hours in there.”

Splish Splash officials declined comment to the News-Review last week, but told other media outlets the incident led to thousands of dollars in damage to the park’s slides.

The incident is still under investigation, police said, and anyone with information is asked to call 631-727-4500.

Editor’s Note: This post was updated to reflect a fourth arrest.

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