Police & Fire

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Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motorcycle crash that killed a man in Commack on Friday, Jan. 14.

James Coogan was riding a 2020 Honda Excelsior motorcycle northbound on Harned Road, west of Florida Avenue, when his vehicle crashed at approximately 7:20 p.m. Coogan, 63, of Commack, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check. Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

The following incidents have been reported by the Suffolk County Police:

Commack

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Commack bank on Dec. 29. A man entered Capital One, located at 2050 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 11:50 a.m. and allegedly handed a teller a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller gave the man cash from the drawer and the man fled on foot. The man was wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, a ski cap and gloves. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are also investigating a robbery that occurred at a HSBC bank in Commack on Dec. 29. A man entered the bank, located at 5880 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 4:35 p.m. and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller complied and the man fled on foot. The man was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. His hood was up and he was also wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue face mask, and gloves. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ A person allegedly stole a 2021 black Mazda 3 that was parked in the driveway of Balsam Lane in Commack on Jan. 4 at 12:30 a.m.

■ Two men walked into Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Jan. 3 at 1:40 p.m. and allegedly stole two coffee machines and two Kitchen-Aid machines.

■ An unidentified person in a car allegedly took two outgoing payment checks from a mailbox on Holly Drive in Commack on Jan. 3. The incident was caught on a neighbor’s Ring security camera.

East Northport

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at an East Northport bank in the afternoon of Jan. 3. A man entered Citibank, located on Larkfield Road, and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money at approximately 3:45 p.m. The teller complied and the man fled on foot. The man is white and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. He was also wearing a COVID facemask. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ A person allegedly removed a catalytic converter from a 2003 Ford F250 parked on the street in front of a residence on Grant Street in East Northport on Jan. 3.

■ A catalytic converter was removed from a 1999 Honda Accord parked on 4th Street on the corner of 5th Avenue in East Northport on Jan. 3.

■ The theft of a catalytic converter from a 2009 Toyota Prius parked on Harding Street in East Northport was reported on Jan. 3.

■ A catalytic converter was removed from a 2005 Honda Accord parked in front of a residence on Heath Lane in East Northport on Jan. 5.

East Setauket

■ BJ’s Wholesale Club on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket reported that 12 cases of beer were stolen on Jan 5 at 12:50 p.m. The items were allegedly placed in a shopping cart by an adult male who then exited the store without paying for them. The items are valued at approximately $365.

■ The police were summoned to Walmart on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket to investigate a petit larceny on Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. An unidentified female allegedly took miscellaneous household items valued at $25 and walked out of the store without paying.

Hauppauge

■ Lynbrook Glass on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge reported that several catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles on their property on Jan 1 at 2 a.m.

Huntington

■ A wallet containing credit cards and cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence on La Rue Drive in Huntington on Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. 

■ A 1999 Chrysler Town and Country was stolen from a residence on Meadowlawn Street in Huntington on Jan. 5. The owner reported that the keys had been left in the vehicle.

Huntington Station

■ Rite Aid on West Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station reported the alleged theft of 10 cases of beer by an unidentified man on Jan. 2 at 5:40 p.m. 

Kings Park

■ A Razor E200 electric scooter was stolen from outside T.J. Maxx on Indian Head Road in Kings Park on Jan. 5 at 4:30 p.m. 

Lake Grove

■ Mayra’s Bakery on Hawkins Ave., Lake Grove was the victim of a scam on Dec. 28, 2021. A caller allegedly claiming to be a PSEG employee told the owner they would shut the power off to the bakery if they didn’t send a payment. A payment was made over the phone using a bank card.

■ Police were summoned to Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove on Jan. 6 at 4 p.m. after two women allegedly placed assorted clothing in bags and left the store without paying for it.

Mount Sinai

■ A resident on Mount Sinai Coram Road in Mount Sinai called the police on Jan. 2 at 1 a.m. to report license plates were stolen off a vehicle parked in front of his home.

Port Jefferson

■ Miscellaneous groceries were reported stolen from Cafe Latino on Main Street in Port Jefferson on Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. The value was estimated at $15.

Port Jefferson Station

■ On Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. a resident on Rush Street in Port Jefferson Station reported that approximately $500 in gift cards and cash had been stolen from a wallet inside the home.

Rocky Point

■ While loading groceries into trunk at Stop & Shop on Route 25A in Rocky Point on Jan. 3 around 6:30 p.m., a woman left her pocketbook in the shopping cart and drove away. When she returned to retrieve it the pocketbook containing her wallet and cellphone were gone. No one turned the purse in

Selden

■ Employees at Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden called police on Jan. 4 to report merchandise including copper wire had been allegedly stolen by two males. The items were placed on a utility cart and the two suspects walked out of the store without paying. Estimated value of the items is $6800.

■ A woman called the police on Jan. 4 at 4:45 p.m. to report that her wallet had been stolen while she was shopping at ShopRite on Middle Country Road in Selden.

■ Police were summoned to Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden on Jan. 4 at 3:30 p.m. after two adult males allegedly walked out without paying for two cordless nail guns valued at a total of $360. 

■ Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden called police on Jan. 5 at 12:40 p.m. to report that a spool of copper wire valued at approximately $430 had been allegedly stolen by an adult male.

■ On Jan 6 at 1:15 a.m. a resident on Hawkins Road in Selden reported that a laptop and some personal items were allegedly stolen from a car parked in the street in front of the resident’s home. 

■ A manager at Walgreens on Middle Country Road in Selden called the police on Jan. 6 at 9:40 p.m. to report that two cases of Heineken beer were stolen from the store.

South Setauket

■ Target on Pond Path in South Setauket reported on Jan. 2 at 3:15 p.m. that an unidentified woman allegedly switched price stickers on four LEGO sets before purchasing them. The original price was listed at $570.

Stony Brook

■ Lowes on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook called the police on Jan. 2 at 1:45 p.m. to report an adult male allegedly stole two garage door openers valued at approximately $450 in total.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

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Suffolk County police car. File photo

Wanted for Terryville Grand Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly used a stolen debit card at a store in Coram in December.

The debit card was reported stolen out of a 2019 Ford parked outside of a Newport Drive in Terryville residence on December 10 at 2 p.m. The same day, a man allegedly used the card to purchase several gift cards from Home Depot, located at 346 Middle Country Road in Coram. The merchandise was valued at approximately $390.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at an East Northport bank in the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 3.

A man entered Citibank, located at 710 Larkfield Road, and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money at approximately 3:45 p.m. The teller complied and the man fled on foot.

The man is white and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. He was also wearing a Covid facemask.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

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Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Commack bank on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

A man entered Capital One, located at 2050 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 11:50 a.m. and allegedly handed a teller a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller gave the man cash from the drawer and the man fled on foot.

The man was wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, a ski cap and gloves.

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Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are also investigating a robbery that occurred at a HSBC bank in Commack later that day.

A man entered the bank, located at 5880 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 4:35 p.m. and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller complied and the man fled on foot.

The man was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. His hood was up and he was also wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue face mask, and gloves.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on either robbery to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who allegedly stole merchandise from a kiosk in the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.

A woman allegedly stole 30 PopSockets from the Street Talk kiosk on November 15 at approximately 10:30 a.m. The stolen merchandise has a value of approximately $600.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

Suffolk County police car. File photo

Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Commack bank the afternoon of Dec. 12.

A man entered Chase bank, located at 39 Vanderbilt Parkway, at 12:59 p.m. and allegedly handed a teller a note demanding cash. The teller complied with the suspect’s demands and gave him cash from the drawer. The robber fled in an unknown direction.

The robber is described as an adult male, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was wearing a dark-colored jacket and hat and a blue face mask.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the robbery to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

Raymond Rondinone
Update: Raymond Rondinone has been found unharmed.

Suffolk County Police have issued a Silver Alert for a missing Fort Salonga man who suffers from dementia.

Raymond Rondinone, 91, was last seen leaving his home, located at 20 Breeze Hill Road at approximately 4 p.m. Rondinone was driving a 2020 white Toyota Camry with NY license plate Prisoner of War (POW) plate 106. Rondinone is white, 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, with grey hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a navy blue jacket, a red and white plaid shirt, and brown pants.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on Rondinone’s location to call 911 or the Second Precinct at 631-854-8299.

As a reminder, Silver Alert is a program implemented in Suffolk County that allows local law enforcement to share information with media outlets about individuals with special needs who have been reported missing.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk police commissioner Rodney Harrison. File photo

At a press conference Dec. 14 in Hauppauge, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) named Rodney Harrison as his nominee for county police commissioner. Harrison is the outgoing New York Police Department chief of department.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Harrison is a 30-year veteran of the NYPD. His appointment will go before the county Legislature Dec. 21.

Stuart Cameron has served as acting commissioner since former police commissioner, Geraldine Hart, stepped down in May.

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Suffolk County police arrested a Centereach man after his wife’s body was found in Middle Island Thursday.

On Dec. 9, Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Squad detectives arrested Marcello Molinari after police found the body of his wife Melissa Molinari, 38, in the Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest off Currans Road in Middle Island.

Marcello, 43, was charged with second-degree murder. His wife’s body was transported to the Suffolk County medical examiner where an autopsy will be conducted.

The mother of four children was last seen at their residence on Nov. 21 and was reported missing Dec. 2 after leaving her vehicle at home. 

Suffolk County police said during a press conference Friday, Dec. 10, that they were able to use K-9 units and GPS from the husband’s cellphone to place him near the forest where the body was discovered.

Marcello was arraigned in Central Islip Friday.