4 men charged with stealing catalytic converters from cars in Lindenhurst

Four Bronx men were arraigned Wednesday, charged with stealing catalytic converters from vehicles in Lindenhurst during a spree in March, then fleeing police in a pursuit that authorities said reached speeds of more than 90 mph on the Southern State Parkway.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said the four — Henry Cruz, 25; Luis Acosta. 24; Jeorge Santana Sanchez, 34; and Madinson Silverio Ventura, 27 — pleaded not guilty before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei and are due back in court on May 6.

Each faces 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count against them.

The district attorney's office said the charges included one count of assault on a police officer after a Suffolk County patrolman suffered an ankle fracture during a pursuit on foot after a spike strip disabled the suspects' vehicle — and they fled on foot.

That patrol officer, whose identity was not released, required emergency surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital, the district attorney's office said.

Two of the suspects — Acosta and Cruz — were arrested on March 7, while the district attorney's office said the two other suspects were arrested by detectives at a hotel in the Bronx on March 19.

According to authorities, the four defendants drove around Lindenhurst in a 2021 Maserati Levante in the pre-dawn hours of March 7, looking for vehicles in order to steal their catalytic converters. Once a vehicle was targeted, the crew would stop the Maserati, members exiting the vehicle, each with a specific role in the thefts.

Authorities said one member of the crew served as a lookout, while another used a pump jack to lift the targeted vehicle. Another crew member then shimmied under the raised vehicle and, using a power saw, cut out the converter.

The district attorney's office said a police patrol unit spotted the foursome at 4:37 a.m. — and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.

The Maserati fled, the pursuit making its way onto the westbound Southern State, where authorities said it topped 90 mph before deployed spike strips flattened the Maserati's tires — and the four defendants fled on foot.

The defendants were charged with one count each of assault on a police officer and first-degree auto stripping, as well as four counts of second-degree criminal mischief and four counts of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

Silverio Ventura also had an outstanding warrant for a prior catalytic converter theft in Lindenhurst that authorities said took place in 2023.

Cruz was ordered held on $5 million partially secured bond, $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail, while Acosta, Santana Sanchez and Silverio Ventura were each ordered held on $5 million partially secured bond, $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail.

In a statement Wednesday, Suffolk District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said: "The defendants, who are not from Suffolk County, are accused of targeting our community through a string of catalytic converter thefts and then escalating the situation by fleeing from law enforcement, resulting in a serious injury to a police officer. ... This should send the message that if you come to Suffolk County to commit crimes, we will track you down and bring you back to face charges here."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.