Cops: Roosevelt man tied to Lynbrook burglary, Merrick robbery
Omar Acosta, 35, of Roosevelt, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, and charged with robbery and burglary in connection with a bank robbery on Aug. 29 at a Bank of America branch on Merrick Road in Merrick and at The Barn on Hempstead Avenue in Lynbrook, police said. Credit: NCPD
A Roosevelt man arrested in an August bank robbery in Merrick also was charged with a convenience store burglary that took place May 31 in Lynbrook, Nassau County police said.
Police said Omar Acosta, 35, of Hale Place, was arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree robbery in connection with a bank robbery on Aug. 29 at a Bank of America branch on Merrick Road in Merrick. Investigation also led to Acosta being charged with third-degree burglary for thefts at The Barn on Hempstead Avenue in Lynbrook, police said.
Police did not provide details of the burglary and did not say what evidence investigators found to tie Acosta to the crimes.
Police said that Acosta entered the Bank of America at 2:08 on Aug. 29, wearing black pants and a gray T-shirt. He handed a demand note to a teller, who then complied, handing Acosta cash before he fled the scene on foot, police said.
There were two employees in the bank at the time. No customers were present and no injuries were reported.
Police had asked anyone with information about the robbery to call Crime Stoppers. It was not immediately clear if a Crime Stoppers tip led to identifying Acosta as a suspect.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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