3 arrested, 1 sought in Long Island home burglary spree
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- Police on Long Island have arrested three people they say are behind multiple burglaries across Nassau County.
Authorities say Burglary Squad detectives have investigated numerous residential burglaries, and thanks to information developed and cross-referenced with multiple law enforcement jurisdictions in the Tri-State Area, the three suspects were identified.
Detectives were led to a home on Sixth Avenue in College Point, Queens, where surveillance at the location led to the arrests of:
--Levy Frank Maury Bruggman, 23, charged with fugitive from justice
--Boneek Alexander Quintero-Baeza, 32, charged with second-degree burglary and fugitive from justice
--Alexandra Ivonne Pizarro-Blanche, 23, charged with fourth-degree conspiracy
Police are still looking for one suspect who got away. That person is identified as Bryan Leandro Herrera-Maldonado.
"I want you to post it," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. "I want you to put it out there on all your social media sites. We're going to hunt him down, and we're going to chase him until we bring him back to justice."
Authorities say all the suspects are from Chile as part of an organized burglary ring, and that the new state bail reform law is making it more difficult to hold them.
"The word's got to get back to Chile," Ryder said. "Come on, come on, send them. And we're going to lock you up."
Police say the suspects from different Chilean factions all run by the same bosses abroad, and they reportedly targeted wealthy and somewhat sleepy communities like Hewlett, Saddle Rock and Woodsborough. They are also believed to have targeted homes in New Jersey, including in Saddle River.
Detectives recovered jewelry, hand bags, electronic devices and clothing believed to be proceeds from the burglaries.
Additionally, multiple identifications were recovered that are believed to be aliases for the defendants, allowing them to operate within the United States.
"The worst thing is feeling violated," said Saddle Rock Mayor Dr. Dan Levy, whose home was burglarized in November.
He said that police nabbed the suspects in that case when they came back to a nearby home in December, with an undercover detective chasing them down. But they were released with no bail and then never reported back.
"It's been nothing but aggravation," Dr. Levy said. "Knowing that the people that burglarized us are sitting sipping pina colada on the beach in Chile."
In the latest case, Pizarro-Blance was released on her own recognizance, while the other two were held because they were fugitives in connection with the New Jersey incidents.
The investigation in ongoing.
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