Man arrested in Massapequa Park attempted break-ins, cops say
Steve Fitzgibbon, 26, of Shiremanstown, Pa., was arrested after police responding to a 911 call in Massapequa Park on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, determined he was the same person officers had seen hours earlier on surveillance video trying to break into two nearby businesses, Nassau County police said. Credit: NCPD
Police responding to a 911 call in Massapequa Park on Tuesday reporting a man with an injured hand arrested the subject after determining that he was the same person officers had seen hours earlier on surveillance video — trying to break into nearby businesses, police said.
Steven Fitzgibbon, 26, of North High Street, Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow for treatment, but also was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree attempted burglary and two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, Nassau County police said.
He was held on bail of $50,000 cash or bond Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Police said officers initially responded to a 911 call reporting a broken window at Arlo Drug Store on Park Boulevard in Massapequa Park and during a review of video surveillance saw the suspect, later identified as Fitzgibbon, break the rear window of the store with a metal bar at 3:40 a.m. Fitzgibbon was unable to gain entry to the store, police said. But, according to police, he did go next door — and attempt to break into the Bacaro Italian Tavern. Again, police said, video surveillance showed Fitzgibbon attempting to gain entry — this time by smashing a window with his hand.
The 911 call at 1 p.m. Tuesday reported a man with an injured hand outside a storefront at 125 Front St. in Massapequa Park.
That was when responding officers found Fitzgibbon and, after an investigation, determined he was the would-be burglar seen in the video surveillance footage.
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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