Rash of robberies, home break-ins in Lynbrook

In the past six weeks, there have been a number of home burglaries and street robberies in Lynbrook, and police say they have stepped up their efforts to catch the culprits.

According to Police Chief Joseph Neve, there have been five home burglaries and at least one robbery since early December. Most of the burglaries, Neve said, were in the northeastern section of the village, north of Merrick Road and west of Ocean Avenue. The first four occurred in the beginning of December, within 10 days of one another, he added, and the latest one occurred two days after Christmas.

Neve said that he has seen this happen before. “We’ve had one person hit a certain area in the past,” he said. “My guess is it’s [one] individual committing these burglaries.”

He noted that police have stopped and questioned people driving or walking in the area, but have not identified any suspects or made any arrests.

According to police statistics from the 5th Precinct — which encompasses North Lynbrook and five villages surrounding it — there were 19 robberies in December, an increase of 130 percent over December 2008. The number of burglaries for the month, 27, was the same as in 2008.

One of the houses that was burglarized during the recent crime spree is on Malden Avenue in the southeastern section of the village. The incident occurred on Dec. 27, after the occupants left for only an hour.

The owner of the house, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said his family left home that afternoon, a Sunday, at around 4 p.m., and when they came back at 5, their home had been burglarized. “They didn’t get anything,” the resident said. “There were papers all over the floor. I had a safe, which was taken, but there wasn’t anything in it. That’s probably the reason they left so quick.”

The homeowner said that he had seen a car with Florida license plates parked in front of his house a few days before, but when he went outside to see who it was, the car sped off. He added that the nearest cross street, Lakewood Drive, is very dark, and he often sees people loitering in the shadows. “Part of the problem is that Lakewood is so dark,” he said. “I always see cars parked in the darkness.”