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Police: Man Says He Wants To Kill Trump Supporters, Almost Backs Over Republican Campaign Worker

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NESCONSET, N.Y. (AP) - Police say an angry Long Island man nearly backed over a campaign worker moments after saying he wanted to kill supporters of President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, both Republicans.

Martin Astrof was charged Friday with making a terroristic threat and reckless endangerment. The 75-year-old was jailed pending a Saturday arraignment.

Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available. A message on his home phone wasn't immediately returned.

martin astrof
(Photo Credit: Suffolk County Police)

Suffolk County police say Astrof confronted campaign worker Donato Panico at Zeldin's campaign headquarters. They say he aggressively backed up his car and nearly struck Panico before speeding off.

Zeldin has represented parts of Long Island since 2015. He says he's received threats since Trump's election.

He tweeted on Saturday that Trump's son, Donald Jr., had reached out to make sure Panico was OK.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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