Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole from a Medford store in August.
A man allegedly stole assorted wrench sets from Lowe’s, located at 2796 Route 112, at 12:41 p.m. on August 10. The merchandise was valued at approximately $315.
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 Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the men who allegedly stole sneakers from an East Setauket store in September.
Two men allegedly stole approximately $400 worth of sneakers from Kohl’s, located at 5000 Nesconset Highway, on September 23 at 2:20 p.m.
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 have arrested a man for burglarizing 11 businesses in Centereach, Farmingville and Ronkonkoma since September 2.
Michael Mancuso broke into Deli Pupuseria Salvadoreña, located at 16 Dawn Drive in Centereach, stole a cash register and fled on September 25. Officers arrested Mancuso a short time later.
Following an investigation by Sixth Squad detectives, it was determined Mancuso burglarized 10 other businesses during which he stole a cash register or cash from the following businesses:
Aladdin Indian Restaurant, located at 2133 Middle Country Road in Centereach, on September 24
Salon La Couture, located at 625 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 17
G&S Spa, located at 840 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma on September 17
7-Eleven, located at 550 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 17
New Exceptional Nails, located at 844 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 17
Kira Sushi, located at 846 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 17
Kristi’s Deli, located at 710 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 11
Paisanos Pizza & Catering, located at 708 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 11
Taco El Primo, located 704 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, on September 6
Los Jarritos Deli, located at 357 Horseblock Road in Farmingville, on September 2Mancuso, 44, of Ronkonkoma, was charged with 11 counts of Burglary 3rd and one count of Petit Larceny.
He was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on September 26.
Back in August of 2023, Officer Lucas Blom was dismissed from routine police briefing in Orlando, Florida, when he heard the sound of gunfire.
“We all looked at each other like, ‘I think that was gunfire,’” Blom said. Then, a second round of shots occurred and, “that’s when we knew for sure.”
Blom, 30, and formerly of Mount Sinai, was only a few months out of the Police Academy but he instinctively knew what to do. “My adrenaline kicked in,” he said. “It was everything that the academy trained us for, so maybe it was a good thing that I was just a couple months out of the academy.”
Officer Lucas Blom
What started as a traffic stop investigating a car believed to be connected to a homicide escalated quickly, resulting in two officers being shot. The suspect who had an extensive criminal history, Daton Viel, was found by a SWAT team the next morning at a Holiday Inn, where he was killed in a shootout.
When the gunfire started, Blom and the other officers from the briefing rushed toward the source of the shots. As Blom took a corner and looked to the side, he saw another officer coming towards him but he knew that something was wrong. After asking if the officer was OK, the injured officer said, “No, I’m hit.”
Moments after that, the injured officer collapsed to the ground. Blom pulled him to safety between two patrol cars, removed the officer’s bulletproof vest, and realized how bad the situation was. “He was in very critical condition,” Blom said. “He lost a lot of blood.”
Blom and another officer drove the injured officer to the hospital and with the wounded officer in the back seat of a patrol car, Blom held onto the wounds to help seal the bleeding and kept talking to him, trying to keep him awake.
“I was just doing my job,” Blom said. “A lot of the guys could have done what I did. It just happened that I was the one there.” The officer made it to surgery, where doctors were able to save his life.
For Blom’s parents, Arthur and Laurie Blom, the night was one of terror. Laurie Blom recalled how her son’s career path shifted from his initial desire to become a doctor to firefighter to policing. Blom was a volunteer at Mount Sinai Fire Department and then went on to become an emergency medical technician for New York Fire Department and was hoping to become a firefighter for the department before becoming an officer.
“He was waiting to be a fireman with FDNY, but he was kind of aging out, and then COVID hit,” Laurie Blom said. “A friend in Orlando suggested he come down and apply to be a police officer, and that was it. He applied, they hired him and he went into the Police Academy.”
As Blom’s shift started that night, his parents had no idea what was unfolding until they received a text from him at around 2 or 3 in the morning.
“My biggest fear is having my parents see that something happened to me on the news,” Blom said. “So I just needed to make sure that they knew I was OK.”
Laurie Blom remembered receiving the news as well before seeing it on the news the next day. “I was terrified,” she said. “It’s like the worst fear that I have is that I’m going to get a call that it was my son who was shot.”
Officer Blom received recognition and was honored in Florida on Sept. 11, for his bravery. Despite his son’s heroic actions, Arthur Blom said Officer Blom remains humble.
“At the last award, he said he wishes the rest of the group that was there was also honored,” Arthur Blom said.
Indeed, when Officer Blom was asked about the recognition he said, “I love the recognition but hearing [the officer] tell me that it was because of me that he is alive just made it really hit.”
The officer whose life Blom saved later met his parents and shared a heartfelt message.
“He walked right up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much,’” Laurie Blom recalled. “I said, ‘I didn’t do anything.’ And he said, ‘If Luke hadn’t been born and decided to move to Florida, without him, I would not be alive today. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t get to see my baby grow up.’ ”
Laurie Blom also recalled hearing the injured officer tell her son, “It was your face that kept me calm and kept me alive … it was because of you that I knew I was going be OK.”
Mariam Guirgis is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two women who allegedly used a stolen credit card in Huntington Station.
Two women allegedly used a stolen credit card at Saks Fifth Avenue, located at 230 Walt Whitman Road, on September 10 at approximately 4:05 p.m. They fled in a dark gray Range Rover with tinted windows and black rims.
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
Amy Willi Failed to Adequately Secure Her Dog, Which She Knew Had Violent Tendencies
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Sept. 25 that Amy Willi, 45, of Mastic, pleaded guilty to Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, after her dog “Kojo” mauled a two-year-old boy and attacked the toddler’s uncle when he was attempting to protect the child.
“The defendant’s dog’s dangerous tendencies coupled with her failure to properly secure the animal led to an innocent child and his uncle sustaining serious injuries,” District Attorney Tierney. “Pet owners must understand the serious responsibility that comes with owning animals. Necessary precautions pet owners must take to ensure the safety of their pets, and the community include maintaining secure enclosures, using leashes in public areas, and not leaving their animals unattended where they could potentially escape. Failure to do so can lead to tragic consequences, as seen in this case.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during her guilty plea allocution, on March 14, 2023, Willi opened the front door to her residence while a two-year-old boy was playing in the front yard of his home across the street. At the time she opened the door, Willi failed to adequately secure Kojo inside her home.
Kojo dashed out the front door and headed straight towards the unsuspecting toddler. The toddler’s uncle, who had been watching him while he played, picked up his nephew to protect him from the dog. Kojo bit the uncle on his left forearm causing the toddler to fall to the ground. Kojo then bit the boy multiple times on his face, head, and leg, causing lacerations to his right eye, cheek, scalp, and leg.
The attack only stopped when several family members ran outside the home and forced the dog to release the child. The toddler was rushed to the emergency room at Stony Brook University Hospital where he received stitches for his injuries.
Willi admitted to law enforcement that she knew Kojo was a dangerous dog with violent tendencies.
On September 25, 2024, Willi pleaded guilty to Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor, before Acting County Court Judge F. Scott Carrigan. As a condition of her plea, prosecutors required that Willi not be permitted to own, possess, or care for any animals for three years.
Willi is due back in court for sentencing on November 20, 2024, and she is being represented by Gregory Kalmar, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adriana Noyola of the Biological Environmental Animal Safety Team (BEAST), and the investigation was conducted by members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Photo from Tierney's office
Nina Cahill Allegedly Used the Stolen Vehicle to Wreak Havoc during a Span of Four Days
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Sept. 24 that Nina Cahill, 42, of Holtsville, was indicted for Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and other related charges, for allegedly stealing a vehicle, using the vehicle to rob a bank, and then leading police officers through two car chases, including one that resulted in the injury of a Suffolk highway patrol officer.
“The defendant allegedly compounded her already serious crimes by recklessly attempting to evade responsibility by fleeing from police. In so doing, the defendant endangered passing motorists and ultimately injured a police officer,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The defendant will be held accountable for her alleged actions through the broad array of charges contained in this comprehensive indictment.”
According to the investigation, on September 4, 2024, Cahill allegedly stole a 2007 Toyota Corolla from the valet stand at the Stony Brook University Hospital Emergency Room. Two days later, on September 6, 2024, Cahill drove that stolen car to a bank in Selden where she allegedly passed a bank teller a note demanding all the money in the teller’s drawer. Cahill allegedly stole approximately $500 from that bank before fleeing the scene.
The following day, September 7, 2024, Cahill was involved in two separate high-speed pursuits throughout Suffolk County including the Long Island Expressway:
First, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Cahill was driving the stolen car in Lake Ronkonkoma when police spotted her. When a Suffolk Police officer activated his lights to pull her over, Cahill allegedly fled at a high rate of speed. That pursuit had to be terminated for safety reasons.
Later that same day, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Cahill was again spotted in the stolen Corolla, this time in a parking lot north of the Long Island Expressway near Exit 61. When police attempted to approach her, Cahill allegedly backed out of the parking space – into an unmarked police car – before she sped off toward Exit 61 of the westbound Long Island Expressway. Cahill then exited the LIE at Exit 60 to Express Drive North, reversed direction and then drove against traffic on the westbound lanes until Exit 61, where she re- entered the westbound LIE. She then drove on the LIE until she exited at Exit 58 and then again drove the wrong way on the westbound Express Drive North. At some point, she re- entered the LIE from an exit ramp and continued traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes. Cahill ultimately collided head-on with highway patrol car and then attempted to flee on foot before she was apprehended.
On September 24, 2024, Cahill was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr., for the following charges contained in the indictment:
Two Counts of Assault in the Second Degree, Class D violent felonies;
One count of Robbery in the Third Degree, a Class D felony;
One count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a Class D felony;
One count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony;
One count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony;
One count of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor;
One count of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, a Class A misdemeanor;
Two counts of Unlawful Fleeing of a Police Officer in the Third Degree, Class A
misdemeanors;
One count of Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor; and
Two counts of Reckless Driving, unclassified misdemeanors.
Justice Senft ordered Cahill be held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond, or $1,000,000 partially secured bond, during the pendency of the case. Cahill is due back in court on October 15, 2024. She is being represented by Chase Brown, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney James J. O’Rourke, IV of the Major Crime Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Martin Lupo of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit and Detective Valerie Ashton of the Stony Brook University Police Department.
Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are investigating after a pedestrian was struck and seriously injured in Oakdale on Sept. 24.
Joseph Trotta was driving a 2020 GMC Sierra southbound on Oakdale-Bohemia Road when he attempted to make a left turn onto Montauk Highway and struck Catalina Baez, who was walking in the middle of the road at 7:12 p.m.
Baez, 58, of Ronkonkoma. was taken via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries. Trotta, 51, of Oakdale, was not injured. Anyone with information on this crash to contact Fifth Squad detectives at 631-854-8552.
On September 20, Councilwoman Jane Bonner (sixth from left) was at the 7-Eleven, located at 33 Middle Country Road in Coram where she met with Suffolk County Police officers and COPE Officers from the 6th Precinct for “Coffee with a Cop.” Councilwoman Bonner was joined by NYS Assemblyman Ed Flood (sixth from right) and Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa (seventh from right).
The objective of “Coffee with a Cop” is for police officers to interact with the residents who they serve each day and discuss local issues in their community. As the officers and the residents get to know each other better, they become more comfortable, creating the opportunity for real conversations about issues that matter.
Councilwoman Bonner said, “Coffee with a Cop is a great opportunity for law enforcement to touch base with Brookhaven Town residents It’s also a good time for people to say “thank you” to the men and women who protect and serve us every single day. “
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Medford store in September.
A man allegedly stole baseball cards from Target, located at 2975 Horseblock Road, on September 2 at approximately 5:35 p.m.
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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