Police Say Men Involved in
Multiple Similar Incidents
The Robbery Squad reported the details of a robbery, attempted robbery and grand larceny that occurred on Friday, Jan. 21 in Hicksville, as well as possible connections to past incidents.
According to detectives, at 12:44 p.m., a 31-year-old female was walking to her vehicle in the parking lot of Delco Plaza located at 285 S. Broadway when she was approached along her left side by a dark colored auto. A white female in the passenger seat grabbed the victim’s handbag which was hanging from her shoulder causing the victim to fall and be dragged by the auto, said police, and the handbag broke free and the subject vehicle fled with the proceeds. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of contusions to her legs, added detectives.
Later at 1 p.m. near Jerusalem Avenue and Old Country Road, a female suspect exited the passenger door of a silver vehicle and pulled a handbag away from a 28-year-old female victim causing her to fall to the ground, said police, and the subject released the handbag and fled in the vehicle. The victim sustained lacerations to her hand for which she did not need immediate medical attention, detectives explained.
Detectives reported that these two events match a grand larceny that occurred at 12:35 p.m. at BJ’s, located at 3635 Hempstead Tpke. in Levittown. A white male subject in his early 20s stole a handbag out of a shopping cart while the 65-year-old female victim was placing packages in the trunk of her car, said police, as the subject then fled in a dark colored Nissan.
There have also been similar robberies that occurred at the Long Island Rail Road Station in Massapequa on Tuesday, Jan. 18; King Kullen, 598 Stewart Ave. in Bethpage on Wednesday, Jan. 19; and Pathmark, 4055 Merrick Road in Seaford on Thursday, Jan. 20, police added.
Robbery Squad detectives recently reported the arrests of Veronica Sarabella, 30, of Deer Park and Alfonso Zitoli, 29, of Massapequa, in connection with the above listed crimes. In addition to the above crimes, detectives said the defendants took a pocketbook from the shopping cart of a 56-year-old female in the parking lot of King Kullen located at 1430 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset on Jan. 22, at 4:33 p.m. No injuries were reported at this scene.
Also on Jan. 22, at 5:23 p.m., detectives explained that Zitoli drove alongside a 51-year-old female victim in front of Shop-Rite located at 444 Woodbury Road in Plainview, reached out and grabbed her handbag which was over her right shoulder. The victim injured her right shoulder when the pocketbook was ripped from her shoulder, but the victim declined medical attention at the scene, said police.
Detectives noted both defendants are charged with two counts of Robbery 2nd degree, Attempted Robbery 2nd degree, and three counts of Grand Larceny 4th degree. Alfonso Zitoli is additionally charged with three counts of Robbery 3rd degree. Arraignment information is not available at the time of publication.
