Cops: Hewlett Harbor burglar caught in act

A Woodmere man remained jailed Wednesday night after police said a Hewlett Harbor homeowner arrived home to find the man burglarizing his house.

Torrey Wells, 24, of 8 Woodmere Blvd. North, was arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead on charges of third-degree burglary, operating an uninsured vehicle and having one registration plate/obstructed plate, Nassau County police said in a news release.

Judge Eric Bjorneby ordered Wells held on $10,000 bond, $5,000 cash bail and he was still in custody, according to online court records.

Wells was arrested at 9:43 a.m. Tuesday, after a 50-year-old man "returned to his residence on Seawane Drive in Hewlett Harbor and observed his property inside a green Toyota Camry parked in front of his home," police said in a news release.

The victim went inside his house and encountered Wells, who "then left the home, removed the proceeds from his vehicle" and left them on the walkway before getting in the car and fleeing, police said.

Fourth Precinct officers found Wells and the Camry at Broadway and Franklin Avenue and took him into custody. The unregistered, uninsured car was impounded, police said.

The stolen merchandise -- a guitar, guitar book, chess set and marionette -- was recovered, police said.