Long Island crime task force created to combat rise in residential burglaries

Long Island law enforcement agencies are teaming up to create a multi-jurisdictional task force to combat a recent rise in residential burglaries and other crimes committed by Newark-based criminal gangs, officials said Thursday at a news conference in Mineola.

The task force will include the Nassau and Suffolk police departments and district attorney’s offices, the FBI, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and town and village agencies. Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder blamed the increase in burglaries, home invasions and vehicle thefts on young criminals who are “basically a bunch of punks out of New Jersey.”

“This is our gang, this is our group of individuals that are going to work together to come down, come after, lock these guys up and shut it down,” said Ryder, who was flanked by a group of officials that included Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney and acting Suffolk Police Commissioner Robert Waring.

Ryder and other officials have said in recent years that Newark-based criminals travel to Long Island to steal high-value vehicles and commit other crimes. “Ninety percent of our cars are getting recovered in Newark,” Ryder said.

Authorities have urged residents not to leave keys or fobs in their vehicles, and not to keep their cars running when they stop at convenience stores and gas stations. The criminals are now breaking into homes late at night to search for car keys and fobs, and to grab other valuables, officials said.

Tierney said the out-of-town criminal gangs typically drive to the East End to burglarize homes or commit other crimes, and then target residences in western Suffolk, Nassau and New York City as they make their way back to New Jersey. Task force agencies will notify other member agencies as soon as burglaries and vehicle thefts occur, so task force members will be ready to thwart crimes and arrest suspects.

“We are going to have real-time intelligence,” Ryder said. “We are going to share second-by-second intel among each other to stop these individuals when they come out here to Nassau County and commit these crimes.”

Three Newark men were arrested after trying to break into two Lake Success homes early Saturday, Ryder said. A Lake Success police car collided with the suspects’ 2021 BMW sedan as it was driving away from the second home.

There were no injuries.

Ryder said the three suspects fled on foot but were later found hiding in a shed. Officers found a loaded Glock 16 that had been modified to be fully automatic inside the BMW.

Defendants Raquil Hayes, 21, Jawaun Whitted, 22, and Furquan Ahmad, 20, were charged with two counts of first-degree attempted burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges. The trio have been linked to other burglaries and attempted break-ins, Ryder said

Whitted also was in a shootout with a resident after breaking into a home in Hewlett in July, officials said. Whitted and two unidentified associates fled from the home in two vehicles, including the resident’s Audi R56, valued at $170,000.

All three defendants had prior arrests in New Jersey for similar crimes, Ryder said.

Hayes, Whitted and Ahmad pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment Sunday in Hempstead. Attorneys for Whitted and Ahmad did not immediately return requests for comment.

“I haven’t seen the discovery,” said Peter Menoudakos of Garden City, Hayes' attorney. “I’m waiting for the discovery to see the evidence they have in this case.”