Man leaves kids on stranger's lawn

LONG ISLAND Suffolk County police responded to a call from a woman after a man left his 5-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter on her front lawn at 299 South Dunton Avenue in East Patchogue at 2:03 p.m. When she attempted to stop him, police say the man pulled her hair and scratched her arms. He then fled northbound on Dunton Avenue in a newer model white Ford van.

Another officer reportedly spotted the van on Sunrise Highway near Oakdale-Bohemia Road in Bohemia. The officer stopped the van, and with the assistance of other officers, 29-year-old Thomas Chiusano, of 5 4th Avenue in Brentwood, was placed under arrest.

Chiusano was charged with DWI drugs, reckless driving, criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment. He was issued numerous summonses for traffic violations. Police seized Chiusano's van due to a prior DWI conviction.