Medics capture burglary suspect

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Wantagh Fire Chief Ken Kelly and the Fire Department’s Rescue Squad No. 2 caught a burglar who rammed his vehicle into a Wantagh gas station on purpose last week, fire officials said.

Rescue 2 was alerted on April 2 at 4:13 a.m. to provide backup for a working fire in East Meadow. When squad members were on their way, however, they were informed that they were no longer needed, and they turned around and headed back to Wantagh. While they waited at a traffic light at North Jerusalem Road and Gardiners Avenue, they were notified that a vehicle had crashed into a building at the intersection of Wantagh Avenue and Hunt Road.

Chief Kelly told Rescue 2 to follow him, and they went to investigate. When they arrived at OK Petroleum, fire officials said a car had crashed into the front office, and they found a bleeding 18-year-old man leaving the station. He was uncooperative, according to firefighters, and attempted to leave, but they detained him.

Police arrived shortly afterward, and determined that the teen had driven to the station, parked his car, broken into the station, gone into the car bay, started a car inside and crashed it through the bay doors. He then allegedly rammed the car into the office area, where the safe and ATM machine were located.

He panicked when firefighters arrived, officials said, and attempted to flee before being detained. A police spokesman said the incident is still under investigation.