Girl Scout cookie cash stolen, suspect arrested, police say

A Deer Park man on Wednesday snatched a cash box from a table where Girl Scouts were selling cookies in Rockville Centre, then struck another man who tried to stop him from running off, Nassau County police said.

First Squad detectives arrested Michael Avelli, 34, at his home on Thursday, police said. He is charged with second-degree robbery.

Avelli was arraigned Friday at First District Court in Hempstead, where a judge set bail at $25,000 bond or cash.

At about 5:45 p.m., Avelli removed a cash box containing about $100 from a table where the cookies were being sold at North Park Avenue and Front Street, near the Long Island Rail Road’s Rockville Centre station.

Another man tried to stop him, chasing and grabbing him, police said, but Avelli struck the man in the face and got away.

The man who tried to stop him had facial bruises but refused medical aid. There were no other injuries.

Donna Rivera-Downey, chief marketing and communications officer with the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, couldn’t recall a similar incident. She praised Rockville Centre and Nassau police for catching the suspect.

“It is unfortunate someone would attempt to steal from Girl Scouts who work hard to not only carry on the 95-year-old tradition of selling cookies loved by most everyone, but who also give people the opportunity to buy boxes of cookies dedicated to be sent to our U.S. troops deployed overseas,” Rivera-Downey said. “This recent event will serve as a lesson to our girls to not let an isolated negative incident stop them from proceeding to do good work to help others.”

With Laura Blasey