On a September evening in 2017, Steven Vargas, a 47-year-old male, was waiting for a date on a street corner near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. An employee of the NYC Board of Education, Vargas was also a member of the 'Dirty Ones' motorcycle club, known by his fellow members as 'Psycho.' That evening, a man he did not know, Matthew Passaro, approached him and began yelling.
Following a verbal exchange, Passaro walked away, only to return a short time later after changing
his clothes. At approximately 8:20 p.m. in front of a Dunkin' Donuts on Fourth Avenue, Passaro shot and stabbed Vargas multiple times. Vargas was struck by six of the seven bullets fired, with wounds to his spine, liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart. He was pronounced dead at Brooklyn Hospital Center. The incident was a shock to his motorcycle club, who noted that while fights and stabbings had occurred in their history, this was the first time a member had been shot and killed.
Initially, the suspect, described as a man in his 40s, fled the scene. The New York Police Department released security camera footage of the suspect and offered a cash reward for information leading to an arrest. On November 1, 2017, Matthew Passaro was arrested at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. He was found in possession of a. 45-caliber pistol which was later confirmed to be the weapon used in the murder.
Passaro was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty in December 2017. After years of court delays, Passaro was convicted of second-degree murder on November 18, 2025. During his trial, he claimed self-defense, an assertion prosecutors refuted as Vargas was unarmed. On December 17, 2025, a judge sentenced Passaro to 25 years to life in prison. At his sentencing, Passaro showed no remorse, stating he 'would do it again and again.' The sentence brought a sense of closure to Vargas's family.
