Who brings hollow-point bullets to a senior center?

Monroe mayoral candidate and current Blooming Grove police chief Alex Melchiorre was accused of storing hundreds of rounds of ammunition at the Monroe Senior Center on Mine Road.

Pictured Above: Photos taken by Katherine O'Boyle, head of maintenance for the town of Monroe, in the basement of the Monroe Senior Center on or around Jan. 21, 2026. The photos above depict ammunition, including shotgun shells and hollow-point bullets, belonging to the Blooming Grove police chief and Monroe Village mayoral candidate, Alessio “Alex” Melchiorre. In a conversation with The Monroe Gazette, Melchiorre confirmed the ammunition belongs to him. Mrs. O’Boyle told The Monroe Gazette that there was enough ammunition stored in the Senior Center by Mr. Melchiorre to fend off a zombie apocalypse.

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This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.

OK. I know this isn’t the story you’re expecting. You’re expecting a 5,000- to 10,000-word piece about the ICE concentration camp in Chester. We will get to that nasty business soon. Likely this weekend. I have a Stupid Sexy Privacy podcast episode to release tomorrow, and then I'll have the rest of the weekend free to write this.

But first, we need to take a slight detour back to the town of Monroe and the senior center.

My hope was that I wouldn’t have to write about Monroe or Woodbury for a while. In Woodbury’s case, not until the ACE Farm annexation comes up again.

For Monroe, hopefully not for the entire year. But hopes are hopes, and often not reality. The reality in Monroe is that the number of skeletons Tony Cardone has buried all over the place for nearly a decade are all about to come to light. And those skeletons, such as they are, are going to have ripple effects for everyone. Including, in this case, senior citizens who are super into model trains. God bless those men and women. I fucking love trains too.

You know who doesn’t like trains? The multi-billion-dollar Simon Property Group and state Sen. James G. Skoufis who refuse to put a train station at Woodbury Common to help alleviate traffic congestion to and from the incredibly profitable outdoor mall on Route 32. (Skoufis was all about adding that train station until he was safely elected State Senator. He hasn’t said boo about it since. At this point, the only way to make the train station happen is to somehow force Simon Property Group to include it within their proposed plans for the Phase 5 expansion, or future expansions.)

What I don’t love are bullets. I’ve had this reoccurring fear since I was a kid that I’d get shot some day. That was a long time ago. Today, gun violence is the number one leading cause of death among American children, ahead of cancer and car accidents. I’m still convinced some jackass will shoot and kill me some day, but that goes along with being an investigative reporter in a time where literal Nazis like Nick Fuentes demand that President Trump shoot and kill ICE protestors. And since I WAS out in Chester protesting ICE last week, well … I’m a target for gun violence. If you were one of the 700 people who came out to protest ICE on Monday, Jan. 12, you are too. Just ask the president himself:

Anyway, I’m not one of those liberals who want to tell you what to do with your guns. I don’t care that you own a gun. I just want you to properly take care of your weapons and ammo so kids, or anyone really, can’t get into them and use them to shoot other people. Most mass shooters in schools K-12, for example, get their weapons and ammo from other people. So, stories like this make me deeply uncomfortable.

That brings us to the basement of the Monroe Senior Center.

For three years, according to Alessio “Alex” Melchiorre, a model train club operated out of the basement of the Senior Citizens Center at 101 Mine Road. There was no official paperwork or agreement between the town and Melchiorre and the other club organizers. Melchiorre told the Monroe Gazette that “they” (Cardone and Ann Marie Morris) “did them a great favor. There was no charge for the facility.” He added that “we” (he and the club organizers) were told, in his opinion, that there weren’t enough seniors making use of the building. So people approached him (Melchiorre) who then approached the Town about the use of the basement for a club where “the men” and others could meet.

The town of Monroe now alleges that it's possible Melchiorre and the other organizers were paying Tony Cardone under the table for use of the senior center basement. This mirrors claims by local real estate developers who have told the town that Cardone expected to be paid under the table to move projects, including Monroe Commons, through the approval process. Melchiorre denies the charge of paying Cardone under the table for use of the basement. Cardone, as usual, did not reply to requests for comment, but has previously used Town meeting time to declare that he’s never taken a bribe. Alex Melchiorre is currently the police chief of Blooming Grove, succeeding Chief Wakeham in August of 2025, and is a candidate for mayor in the village of Monroe in the upcoming March election.

During the time of the Train Club’s operation, Mr. Melchiorre and others, according to the Town of Monroe, enjoyed unfettered access to the Senior Citizens Center. They were provided with keys from either Tony Cardone or the former head of the Senior Center, Ann Marie Morris. Mrs. Morris abruptly resigned after 60% of the Town voted Tony Cardone and Dorey Houle out of office in November of 2025. (The Monroe Gazette is currently searching for Mrs. Morris’s contact information following her departure from the Town of Monroe and will update this story if we can successfully reach her.)

According to the Town of Monroe, the keys allowed whomever had them, including Mr. Melchiorre, to access the Senior Center any time they wanted. Mr. Melchiorre told The Monroe Gazette that there were three keys total, and that he was in possession of one of them. The Town has now changed the locks, and the Train Club is seeking a new location to meet. Mr. Melchiorre will make an announcement soon, and for those seniors who will miss their regularly scheduled train club meetings, The Monroe Gazette will share the new location and time as soon as it’s known. Melchiorre stated that he and others had keys because the model train club met on Tuesday night, Thursday night, and Saturday in the mornings, when possible, which necessitated them needing access to the basement to set things up for the group.

One of the sticking points concerning the train club’s future, upon the discovery of the ammunition, was that Mr. Melchiorre and others maintained, according to the Town, a demand to keep the keys and maintain their unfettered access to the Senior Center. When asked to return the keys, Mrs. O’Boyle stated Melchiorre was reluctant to do so and initially ignored requests by the Town when asked to return the keys.

According to the town of Monroe, both Anne Marie Morris and Tony Cardone may have allowed for the storage of ammunition ranging from 9 mm to .357-caliber bullets.

Melchiorre told The Monroe Gazette that the ammunition belongs to him, but did not explain why the ammunition was held there. According to Monroe Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson, in a statement to The Monroe Gazette:

“I personally saw approximately 800 rounds of dozens of varieties, improperly stored on municipal property in a basement area near propane tanks right underneath the feet of Senior Citizens doing yoga. These 9 military grade storage containers were filled with ammunition. Upon this discovery, I immediately followed the counsel of Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta to find the owner of the ammunition to have it removed from municipal property as soon as possible. There was no documentation on file with any department throughout the town for room use, meaning that this was never a sanctioned, approved, or legal use.”

Mrs. O’Boyle is a former member of the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. She first witnessed the seven boxes of ammunition, all labeled, and knew right away from her training that Mr. Melchiorre was storing "serious stuff" in the Senior Center basement. When asked about the caliber of ammunition, O’Boyle told The Monroe Gazette, "A .357 can blow a massive hole in your gut. These are big, big rounds."

The Monroe Gazette has reached out to an Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesperson for comment on the large amount of ammunition and the presence of hollow-point bullets. Hollow-point bullets are legal in New York under very strict requirements. Mr. Melchiorre pointed out to the Monroe Gazette that, as a trained police officer, he is licensed and allowed to possess such ammunition. The Sheriff’s department also informed the Town of Monroe that State Police would only need to be called to investigate if a weapon was found. Mr. Melchoirre denies there being a weapon, but both O’Boyle and Supervisor Richardson suspect there was at least one present, that may have been removed not long after Tony Cardone left office. The Monroe Gazette has reached out to the New York State Police for comment on this matter.

We also reached out to Blooming Grove Town Supervisor Robert Jeroloman, as he would be Melchiorre's supervisor, about the allegedly improper storage of ammunition at the Monroe Senior Center by Melchiorre. We also asked Supervisor Jeroloman whether it was appropriate for the police chief to run for mayor of the neighboring village. We will update this post if Supervisor Jeroloman esponds.

In recent weeks, since Melchiorre's tenure began as Chief, residents of Blooming Grove and South Blooming Grove have complained about the frequent inaction of the town police. This includes the exasperation of multiple Blooming Grove residents who called Blooming Grove police about the illegal operation of a helicopter at 58 Fort Worth Place that often shakes their homes. While Supervisor Jeroloman has previously stated that the helicopter is an FAA issue, he has not answered questions about why the town police aren’t enforcing relevant New York state laws and local ordinances that could be violated by the helicopter’s unsafe operation and the danger it poses to Blooming Grove residents.

Monroe Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson added:

“We discovered the personal effects of Chief Melchiorre located right next to the ammunition, containing his office note pad and business cards. I dialed the number listed on the stationary, reaching the Blooming Grove Police station, and instructed him remove the ammunition immediately or we would be forfeiting the items to the County Sheriff. He, along with other founders of this "club," were told they must come into compliance with our regulations for use of the Senior Center — meaning they must hand over their copies of keys, seek Town Board approval for train club meetings, and purchase liability insurance.”

The Monroe Gazette spoke to one member of the train club who stated they were unaware of the ammunition being kept in the basement, where the club met, by Mr. Melchiorre.

Tampered Cameras

In addition to the large amounts of ammunition, the town of Monroe discovered that the cameras covering the area where the Train Club met were tampered with by an unknown party. There was also damage to the ceiling tiles. Melchiorre denies ever touching or tampering with any of the cameras found in the Senior Center basement.

The town alleges that the cameras in the room were tilted toward the floor, obstructing the view of the room, and the feeds for the cameras were labeled “room rental. According to Richardson:

“The cameras for this room were tilted toward the floor which obstructed the visuals of the room and the feed was labeled "room rental" — implying that there was some kind of undocumented agreement for use of the space, as there was an incredible number of personal items stored here by the "club."

Town Supervisor Maureen Richardson said she felt this implied there was some kind of undocumented agreement for use of the space between Cardone, Melchiorre and/or Anne Marie Morris. It’s well documented that Melchiorre is running for mayor of the village of Monroe with the support of Cardone. This was a frequent point of discussion during Cardone’s ill-conceived scheme to have the Sheriff’s Department provide police protection to the town of Monroe instead of the village of Monroe.

The issue backfired badly on Tony Cardone and Dorey Houle and could be attributed to the massive turnout that cost both of them their seats on the Town Board. Monroe residents overwhelmingly wanted the village of Monroe to provide police protection, citing the Sheriff’s Department’s contract with ICE at Orange County Jail as a source of concern. Alex Melchiorre was selected by Houle and Cardone to “negotiate” — out of the public eye and with no apparent input from any other Town Board member — an agreement with the sheriff for Town policing. The sheriff then informed Monroe first responders that the agreement crafted between him and Melchiorre was a “done deal.” Which it was … until the Town residents came out in massive numbers to oppose it.

Although the Town residents got their wish, that the Sheriff wouldn’t provide police protection, in retaliation for Town residents voting him out of office, Cardone and Houle then stripped all funding out of the budget for police services, leaving the Town with a $2.1 million gap it needs to bridge in order to have the Village of Monroe provide up to 10 officers and four vehicles to police the Town until the Village of Monroe can properly ramp up its expanded presence. The $2.1M cost is expected to decrease over time as the Village finishes the expansion of the police department. But there’s no doubt that Cardone and Melchiorre have a relationship, and that Mr. Cardone and Mrs. Houle fully intend to bolster and support Melchiorre’s mayoral ambitions in the upcoming Village election. (There is also speculation by Melchiorre’s opponents that, if successfully elected Mayor, that Melchiorre would torpedo any agreement between the Town and Village for use of its police force.)

As an FYI, for those who asked about the forthcoming Village Election, this is what the Clerk, Kim Zahra, told The Monroe Gazette:

The Village of Monroe Election takes place on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 this year.

There are no primaries, as all candidates run as Independents.

To run for office, you must be 18 years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the Village of Monroe.

The first day that an individual may sign Independent Nomination Petitions is December 30, 2025. They must obtain a minimum of 100 registered voters signatures.

The first day to file Independent Nominating Petitions is February 3, 2026 and the last day to file is February 10, 2026.

Once the Petitions are certified, the ballot preparation begins.

In conversation with The Monroe Gazette, Mr. Melchiorre stressed that no weapons were ever stored in the basement of the Monroe Senior Center. He stated that as the model train club became more popular, they needed more space in the basement. As part of the process of freeing up space in the basement, Mr. Melchiorre removed the ammunition he had been storing in the basement.

Mr. Melchiorre stated the ammunition was stored on the bottom shelf out of the way of everything else. He cited that the “new administration” required licenses and registration in order to constitute to use the space as the reason for the club’s departure. He also stated that it was his impression and belief that the Town’s cameras were working and functioning normally the whole time that the club met.

Mr. Melchiorre did not address why the ammunition was stored there in the first place, including flammable liquid that he also kept alongside the ammunition. Mrs. O’Boyle told The Monroe Gazette, “God forbid if there was a fire here at the Senior Center. It would have been pandemonium with the ammunition and flammable liquid stored there.”