Michael Liontonia, of West Islip, charged with allegedly raping middle school student, police say

A West Islip man has been charged with rape for allegedly luring a 13-year-old middle school student to a Holtsville gas station and then sexually assaulting her in his car, Suffolk police said.

Michael Liontonia, 38, was arrested in front of his home Wednesday afternoon following an investigation, police said in a news release. He was charged with first- and second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

The arrest came after police responded to a middle school Tuesday after a student told her guidance counselor she was sexually assaulted, police said. The victim told police the man called her on the phone and that she agreed to meet him at a gas station on Express Drive South in Holtsville on Monday.

The victim told police the man drove her to a secluded area where he sexually assaulted her in his vehicle and then dropped her off back at the gas station, police said.

Liontonia was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip Thursday.