Police charge duo with purse-snatching

The two girls who were wanted for grand larceny following a theft at a Long Beach nail salon in May were arrested and charged with grand larceny after police sought the media’s help in identifying the subjects.

The incident occurred on May 11 around 5 p.m., when the Long Beach and Nassau County Police Departments said that the two women allegedly stole a woman’s handbag at George’s Nail Salon, at 14 E. Park Ave., that contained a wallet, credit cards, and an iPhone.

The two females, both juveniles from out of the Long Beach area, were located as a direct result of the media distribution of surveillance photos from the salon. Due to police department policy and the age of the suspects, no further information about the duo is available.

One female was located by the LBPD Juvenile Aid Detectives and charged with grand larceny as a juvenile delinquent, and her case was referred to Nassau County Family Court. The police press release announcing the arrests didn’t provide information on the second arrest, nor the date(s) of the arrests.

The duo suspected of stealing the handbag were captured on a surveillance camera in the salon, photos of which were released to the media in an effort to identify them in June. A reward of up to $5,000 was offered to anyone who could assist in their capture. Police said the suspects were located as a direct result of the media distribution of the surveillance photos.

“The assistance of the local media, the Nassau County Police Crime Stoppers Unit, and area residents, was invaluable in bringing these individuals to justice,” said Sgt. Eric Cregeen, a spokesman for the LBPD. “The suspects were identified through several calls to the NCPD Crime Stoppers Tip line.”