Suffolk County police are investigating a half dozen armed home invasions over a recent four-week span, including one last week in which a family was tied up in Bay Shore, authorities said.
In the first case, a man entered a Huntington Station home on Whitson Road, flashed a gun and stole both cash and a cell phone before fleeing the scene on foot shortly before 2 p.m. Nov. 20, police said. The following day, three men entered a Brentwood home on Lorraine Street, flashed a gun, demanded money and stole a PlayStation video game console at 10 p.m. Nov. 21, police said. There were neither any arrests, injuries nor descriptions of the suspects in either case.
Then at 11:09 a.m. Nov. 30, Noel Hernandez allegedly entered a Brentwood home on Gates Avenue, threatened a victim with a screwdriver and stole cash and a screwdriver before fleeing the scene on foot, police said. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary and robbery. He was ordered held without bail and is due back in Suffolk court on Jan. 14.
Of the six, that case was the only one in which an arrest has been made. The following day, two suspects entered a North Amityville home on Nathalie Avenue, where one of the duo pistol-whipped a victim at 2:45 p.m. Dec. 1, police said. Nothing was stolen in that case and the victim refused medical attention.
Two weeks later, two men entered another North Amityville home, this time on Somerset Road North, where one of the suspects flashed what appeared to be a handgun and the other brandished a stun gun before they stole money from the victims at 6:51 p.m. Dec. 16, police said.
A day after that case, a 35-year-old woman was entering her Bay Shore home on Woodbine Avenue with her 20-year-old female friend when they were followed into the house by two men who were armed with a handgun at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 17, police said.
The suspects tied up both women, the older woman’s 35-year-old boyfriend and her 12-year-old son with zip ties before they ransacked the home for three hours and stole cash, police said. The couple was treated for minor injuries at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore. One shot was fired inside the house, but no one was injured.
The suspects fled in the female victim’s 2013 Honda westbound on Greenwood Road. Police found the vehicle on 3rd Avenue in Bay Shore at 5:20 a.m.
Detectives are continuing the investigations into each case. Anyone with information on these home invasions can call in tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
