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Police investigate suspicious package left on doorstep of Valley Stream home

There was a large police presence on Sapir Street in Valley Stream next to the home of Jennifer McLeggen, a single mom from Valley Stream who claims she is being harassed by her neighbors in a racially motivated fashion.

News 12 Staff

Jul 24, 2020, 11:39 PM

Updated 1,610 days ago

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There was a large police presence on Sapir Street in Valley Stream next to the home of Jennifer McLeggen, a single mom from Valley Stream who claims she is being harassed by her neighbors in a racially motivated fashion.
Police say they responded to a call for a package that was left on a doorstep of a home on the street, which had been called in by the resident. There were no explosives or harmful materials inside the package, police said following an investigation.
Earlier this month, McLeggen shared videos that she says show her neighbor walking around with what appears to be a gun, leaning over a fence and spitting in her yard. Another shows a person in what appears to be a face mask walking in front of her home. Nassau police say there has been an ongoing dispute between the two dating back to 2017, and that nearly 50 calls have been made to police over the years between both sides.
McLeggen told News 12, "I have a small baby, I'm here alone, if something happens to me, what's going to happen to the baby?"
Authorities confirmed to News 12 that the neighbors -- Michael McInerney, 82, his 57-year-old son John and John's girlfriend, Mindy, do have two pellet guns that are used for target practice in their backyard. News 12 approached Michael McInerney Friday, but he declined to make a comment.
Shirley Nixon, who lives a couple of blocks away told News 12 about some of the things that have been left on McLeggen's property.
"There's feces, they're are dead squirrels. It's enough already, she should not have to live like this, she's an essential worker," she says.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says there is no evidence of racial bias, but adds it doesn't mean it isn't there.
Members of the community have been camping in front of McLeggens house, watching out for her safety.
"We all need to get together and band around this woman," says Nixon.