Over the course of the last year, North Shore residents have gotten relaxed or forgetful when it comes to locking their car doors.
For example, Fred Leute, chief of Port Jefferson’s code enforcement, said that over the past month, village code has been receiving calls about people rummaging through open vehicles.
He said that right now, thanks to Ring camera footage, they have seen three separate people on camera trying to open car doors.
“They’re looking for loose change or cash,” he said. “They’re checking for open doors — not even looking inside.”
Leute said this can be prevented.
“Lock your doors,” he said. “Double check.”
And while the village experienced these incidents over the last few weeks, he said that this problem isn’t confined to just one area.
“We’re aware of what’s going on,” Leute said. “It’s happening all over.”
A spokesperson from the Suffolk County Police Department said several North Shore hamlets have reported thefts from motor vehicles. These numbers cannot verify if a car was unlocked or not.
From January 2021 until this Jan. 22, there have been 111 reported thefts from a motor vehicle in Old Field, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Rocky Point, Selden, Setauket and Stony Brook.
Old Field and Poquott had the least amount, with just two each in the fall, while Selden experienced 46 thefts — the most happening in July, August and December of last year.
Port Jefferson reported 10, 13 for Rocky Point, 17 for Setauket and 21 for Stony Brook.
These numbers also do not include thefts of parts from the vehicle like tires or catalytic converters.
But along with small thefts from inside easy-to-reach cars, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said during a recent press conference that eight cars were stolen across Suffolk County in one week — Dec. 19 through Dec. 23.
“Many victims of vehicle theft not only leave their cars unlocked, but they leave key fobs in plain sight, either on the passenger seat, the driver’s seat or in the cup holder,” Bellone said during the Dec. 23 Hauppauge press event. “This allows car thieves to easily enter the vehicle and take off.”
Rob Sproston in his Marine uniform. Photo from Rob Sproston
“If you’re willing to put yourself and your dreams on the line, at the very least you’ll discover an inner strength you may have not known existed.” — Kurt Warner, Super Bowl quarterback and Hall of Famer
These words from this noted athlete who lived through a life of adversity, also identify the strength, character, humanity and resiliency of Baiting Hollow resident Robert “Rob” Sproston.
On March 31, 2020, Riverhead police officer Sproston was responding to a domestic incident of a young woman who was assaulted by her boyfriend with a knife. Her car was then stolen by the man.
On his way to the Baiting Hollow Country Club, Sproston was picking up lunch for the officers working on Main Street within the heart of Riverhead. As he was heading north on Osborn Avenue, not too far from Youngs Avenue, he heard the call of this developing incident, where the stolen car was heading westward toward his direction.
As the officer was trying to figure out the situation from the information that was being reported on his radio and preparing to be in pursuit of the subject, his life would forever be changed. Driving at a high speed with his sirens blasting and lights flashing, Sproston was trying to do his job in handling this delicate situation.
Rocky Point High School graduates, Matt Staker, Rob Sproston and Anthony Montalbano. Photo from Rob Sproston
As he headed up Osborn Avenue, another driver made a left onto Youngs Avenue, and he tried to move his police vehicle around the car.
Making the left, the driver drove directly into Sproston’s car, and the officer crashed into a chain-link fence. A pole shot through his windshield, hitting him through his face. Horribly injured in his car, the officer was near death before the first responders made it to the scene.
The life that Sproston led before the crash helped him prepare for this life-altering moment. As a young man, this “all-American kid” was always armed with a big smile and a can-do attitude. He was an active member of the Rocky Point Fire Department, played several years of varsity lacrosse on the Rocky Point High School team, and is a proud alumnus of the Class of 2010.
During his youthful years, Sproston enjoyed riding his quad with his friends within the powerlines behind the McDonald’s in Rocky Point. And he understood the practice of hard work through the intricacies of installing residential roofs with his father Billy.
In 2014, Rob Sproston began his career path by entering the Suffolk County Police Academy at the Grant Campus of Suffolk Community College in Brentwood. After graduation, he was hired as a part-time police officer for the Town of Riverhead.
Right away, he learned about the makeup of the community and believed that it was a good experience toward his professional growth within the field of law enforcement. While Sproston was not yet a full-time officer, he was thankful to gain this experience to work with the police, and to learn about the various challenges of this difficult job.
In 2016, with the prospect of being a full-time officer, he always wanted to serve this country and entered the United States Marine Corps.
As a 22-year-old, he was an older recruit who understood the importance of getting through the difficulties of military training for each day. Always a positive figure, he worked well with the other recruits to make it through their daily routines at Parris Island, South Carolina.
Sproston always believed that if you did not “embrace the suck,” that it would be difficult to make it through the hardships of training and the discipline of the Marines.
After he completed this training, Sproston was sent to Camp Geiger, North Carolina, where he learned how to become proficient within infantry training, weapons and tactics. Currently, he is with the Marine Corps Forces Reserve in Garden City, where he serves in an infantry sniper platoon, spends time in the field and enjoys the camaraderie of being in the military.
While he is proud of his time in the Marines, Sproston is glad to be serving closer to home, to be near his job, friends and family.
Before joining the service, he took the police exam to gain a permanent full-time position within a Suffolk County law enforcement department. He was eventually placed on a lottery and picked by the Riverhead Police Department in 2017.
Always willing to serve his nation and community, he was extremely pleased to be in uniform through the police and military. As a regular officer, Sproston patrolled the busy traffic and commercial areas of Route 58. This assignment offered him the chance to gain important knowledge of the local citizens, and the types of crimes that are common within this part of Riverhead.
And so on the day of the crash in March 2020, this police officer was near death, and right away the local fire department was dispatched to respond and provide aid. Service runs deep through the Sproston family, as his father Billy was one of the local fire and emergency support that arrived on this call.
At this point, his father did not know that his son was the officer in the wrecked vehicle as he approached this scene. Senior fire officials tried to keep his father away as they prepared to move him to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.
Rob Sproston’s face was practically ripped apart from the crash and he lost two pints of blood. He was stabilized at Peconic Bay and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he received major surgery and treatment toward the reconstruction of his face. For two weeks, he was in an induced coma. His father was at his side during this entire ordeal.
Rob Sproston in his Marine uniform. Photo from Rob Sproston
Speaking about these harrowing events, the son was completely reserved as he identified this near-death incident and his amazing recovery.
This young man still has minor nose-and-mouth surgery ahead, but his iron spirit completely demonstrates his unyielding resolve to continue a normal life.
Always an active citizen to help his community through the police and to defend our nation within the Marine Corps, Sproston has overcome several obstacles to return to duty. His professional and personal goal was achieved on July 1, 2021, when he was cleared by the police department to return to limited duty. He is looking forward to getting back into a sector car to be in the field.
Outside of the police, Sproston has resumed his life by working out in the gym and being cleared by a Navy doctor to return back to his infantry platoon. He is looking forward to the challenge of attending sniper school and being around his fellow Marines — always flashing a big smile.
Longtime Rocky Point High School social studies teacher and coach, Christopher Nentwich, said it best about Sproston’s positive qualities: “He was an ‘old-school’ student who was loyal, dedicated, hardworking and with a great sense of humor. I recommended Rob to several members of the police department and believed that he would be an outstanding addition to serve and protect the community of Riverhead.”
Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College.
New Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harris sworn in this week by County Executive Steve Bellone.
Photo from SCPD
As of this week, the new Suffolk County police commissioner is officially on board.
On Tuesday, Jan. 11, former NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison was sworn in by County Executive Steve Bellone (D) at the Police Academy in Brentwood.
The law enforcement veteran retired after a 30-year career with the NYPD and replaces Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, who resigned in May for a job as head of security at Hofstra University.
Bellone also swore in Suffolk’s new Chief of Department Robert Waring, who was promoted from chief of patrol.
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.
Vincent Pelliccio with Acting Commissioner Stuart Cameron in 2019.
Photo from SCPD
The Suffolk County Police Department is mourning the loss of an active officer, Vincent Pelliccio, who died in a motor vehicle crash Nov. 8.
The 30-year-old was off-duty and driving his 2021 Jeep northbound on Nicolls Road, near West Road, in Selden when his vehicle left the roadway and crashed in the median. He was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Pelliccio was a 3rd Precinct officer and a member of the department since December 2014. A 2011 graduate of Connetquot High School, he started his professional career as a teacher, but decided to pursue his dream and follow in his retired NYPD detective father’s footsteps.
Upon graduating the police academy, he was assigned to the 3rd Precinct as a uniformed patrol officer and became a plain clothes officer in the 3rd Precinct Gang Task Force in March 2019. Pelliccio also served his fellow law enforcement officers as a Police Benevolent Association delegate.
In 2019, Pelliccio was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Award, which recognizes members of service who have overcome serious injury, disease or disability and have returned to work, for overcoming his battle with testicular cancer.
Photo from SCPD
Diagnosed in September 2017 at age 26, he went through both radiation and chemotherapy treatments, fighting to get back to health to return to work. According to the SCPD, even when he was too sick to report for duty, he was constantly in contact with his colleagues and friends at the SCPD, expressing his desire to help and return to his sector in Central Islip. He returned to full duty in March 2018.
“Officer Pelliccio was a dedicated member of the 3rd Precinct who overcame personal adversity to continue serving the people of Suffolk County,” Inspector John Rowan said. “His perseverance and unwavering commitment to his calling as a police officer is inspirational. Vinny will be missed but not forgotten by this command.”
In addition to a departmental recognition, Pelliccio was named Cop of the Month in April 2020 with Police Officer Anthony Devincenzo for the arrest of a violent gang member and drug dealer in September 2019.
While monitoring a known drug and gang location in North Bay Shore, the officers witnessed the gang member in front of a business and found marijuana on the sidewalk near where he was. Upon approaching the subject, he fled officers into a hair salon with multiple civilians. During a violent struggle, Pelliccio deployed his Taser and the subject was taken into custody, where he was found to be in possession of multiple weapons and narcotics.
“Vinny was an extremely dedicated young man who loved being a police officer and was always eager to perform and excel in his law enforcement duties,” Sergeant Philip Dluginski said. “He fully embraced the police culture and loved spending time with his blue family both during and outside of work. He will be sorely missed by all his friends and co-workers, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fiancée at this time.”
County Executive Steve Bellone (D) expressed his sympathy for the SCPD’s loss.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Officer Pelliccio when he was honored for his outstanding work in keeping our communities safe,” he said. “An exemplary law enforcement professional and relentless fighter who returned to work full duty after winning a battle with cancer, Officer Pelliccio’s tragic passing has shaken our entire police family.”
Pelliccio, who resided in Port Jefferson Station at the time of his death, is survived by his parents, Tony and Angela, his sister, Niki, and his fiancée, Danielle Trotta.
Suffolk County Police arrested two women who allegedly stole more than $43,000 from their employer during a nine-month period ending in August.
Elana Sofia and Sandra Bonilla, while employed at Goodwill Industries, located at 1900 Jericho Turnpike, East Northport, allegedly stole money from the company’s bank deposits from November 2020 until August 2021, according to Suffolk County Police.
Following an investigation by 2nd Squad detectives, Sofia was arrested on Oct. 4 and Bonilla was arrested on Oct. 5.
Sofia, 29, of Port Jefferson, and Bonilla, 33, of Brentwood, were charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree. Sofia was arraigned on Oct. 5 and Bonilla is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 6 at First District Court in Central Islip.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Updated Oct. 8 to correct the omission of “alleged” in the print version. We regret the mistake.
Suffolk County Police 6th Squad detectives are investigating the near drowning of a man in a swimming pool in Mount Sinai on Saturday, July 24.
Police officers responded to the residence at 49 North Country Road after a 911 caller reported a man at the bottom of a backyard swimming pool. Sixth Precinct Officer Brian Christopher was first to arrive at the scene.
Officer Christopher jumped into the pool, removed the victim, and began CPR.
The victim, a 33-year-old male, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where he is in critical condition.
Suffolk County Police arrested four people during a New York State Liquor Authority Inspection at a Port Jefferson bar early Saturday morning.
On July 3, 6th Precinct officers, in conjunction with, New York State Liquor Authority Investigators, Port Jefferson Village Fire Marshal and Port Jefferson Village Constables, conducted an inspection at Barito, located at 201-C Main St. at approximately 12 a.m.
The owner of the bar, Matthew Murray, 40, of Ronkonkoma, was charged with NYS General Business Law: Employing an Unlicensed Security Guards, an unclassified misdemeanor.
Brandon Pressley, 34, of Bellport, Jeremy Marrero 34, of Bellport, and Dustin Mariboe, 32, of Patchogue, all of whom were security guards at the bar, were charged with NYS General Business Law: Unlicensed Security Guard, an unclassified misdemeanor.
There were 348 people in the bar, which was over its capacity of 120 people, and the establishment was closed for the night.
The four men were issued Field Appearance Tickets and will be arraigned at a later date.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Six people were arrested at the start of the holiday weekend in Port Jefferson Station.
Highway Patrol Bureau Selective Alcohol Fatality Enforcement Team (SAFE-T) officers conducted a sobriety checkpoint at the intersection of Route 112 and Hallock Avenue during the overnight hours of July 3 into July 4. from 11:05 p.m. until 2:15 a.m.
The checkpoint was part of an ongoing holiday weekend enforcement initiative targeting alcohol and drug impaired driving. A total of 435 vehicles went through the checkpoint.
The following people were charged with Driving While Intoxicated:
Cesar Ortiz, 32, of 54 Carver Blvd., Bellport
Erik Anderson, 38, of 208 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station
Richard Russo, 61, of 12 Mark St., Port Jefferson Station
Hashim Qayyum, 23, of 619 Hawkins Road, Selden
Alexia Smith, 23, of 3540 Gregg Court, Wantagh
Salvatore Laduca, 58, of 7 Blueberry Ridge Road, Setauket
All six will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on July 4.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers and two good Samaritans rescued a man who nearly drowned in Port Jefferson on Sunday, June 21.
Alan Goldberg was attempting to anchor a boat on Whitehall Beach when he lost his footing and became unresponsive in the water at approximately 2:30 p.m. Two good Samaritans on the beach, Frances George and Karl George, performed CPR until Marine Bureau Officers Cory Kim and Shane Parker arrived on scene and transferred Goldberg onto Marine Delta.
The officers, with the assistance of Frances George and Karl George, continued CPR while transporting Goldberg, 70, of Coram, to the Port Jefferson Boat Ramp. He was transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson with serious injuries.
Frances George, 30, and Karl George, 65, both of East Setauket, were not injured.
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.
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