Car keys stolen from Woodbury Country Club valet

A wedding party at the Woodbury Country Club ended with scores of stranded guests after thieves stole dozens of keys from the valet station during the reception, authorities said.

The theft happened Saturday between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., as some 200 people celebrated at the country club on Jericho Turnpike, officials said.

Partygoers found out about the missing keys when a guest who intended to leave early returned to the reception and shared the bad news, said Andrew Greco, of West Orange, N.J., whose wife Linda's cousin was getting married.

At first, they figured the man had come back to the party because he had changed his mind, Greco said. "Then he said he couldn't get home and no one's getting home," said Greco, 65. "We said, 'What?' "

Nassau police said about 55 sets of keys were missing from the valet service's board. The department's Second Squad is investigating the case as a petty larceny, a spokesman said.

"Someone stole the entire board, which leads you to [ask], how could that happen when someone's supposed to be on duty the entire time?" Greco said. Club officials did not return phone calls Sunday.

A scramble ensued as guests who had driven in from Pennsylvania and other distant places tried to arrange a way home.

The country club staff agreed to cover the cost of cabs for many guests, including Greco.

"They did their best to get everybody a ride," he said. "Unfortunately, it was a little chaotic."

Syosset Taxi driver Marc Henig, who shuttled the Grecos about 112 miles to New Jersey and back, said the trip was his longest in recent memory. "It took about an hour-and-a-half each way," said Henig, of Deer Park. "We charged them about $300-plus. They told him [Greco] they were going to reimburse him."

Unlike many other patrons, Greco separated the keys to his Jeep Cherokee from his house keys, so he was able to retrieve the spares from home.

Still, the odyssey back to his house kept him on the road most of the night, he said.

"I went back and forth four times. I got home at 5 in the morning," he said. "It could've been worse, because we could have never got into the house."