Riverside man gives knife-packing stranger a lift

A Riverside man reported being threatened with a knife by a man to whom he’d given a ride early Sunday, Southampton Town police said.

The suspect asked to be driven from El Caracol on West Main Street in Riverhead to the McDonald’s restaurant on Flanders Road in Riverside about 2:30 a.m. and agreed to pay $5 for the ride, according to police.

When they got to McDonald’s the suspect refused to pay, and when the driver said he’d call the police, the suspect pulled a knife, said he wasn’t paying and threatened to kill the driver if the driver called the police, officials said.

The suspect then got out of the car and ran, heading east on Flanders Road and leaving his knife behind in the car, police said.

He is described as a Hispanic male, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a white hat, black shorts and a black and white striped shirt, police said.