Levittown man charged in string of burglaries

A 20-year-old Levittown man was arrested Thursday night and charged with what police said was his role in four December burglaries in Nassau.

Giovanni Colantuono of 4 Ring Lane was arrested as he sat in a car in front of his home at about 7:15 p.m., Nassau County police said. They said Colantuono was holding a clear plastic bag containing marijuana at the time of his arrest.

Colantuono was charged with four counts of second-degree burglary and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana. Bail was set at $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash during his arraignment Friday in First District Court in Hempstead. He is due back in court Tuesday.

Police said Colantuono and three others burglarized a home on Sunrise Lane in Levittown on Dec. 13, forcing open a rear door and stealing jewelry.

Then on Dec. 19, police said, Colantuono and three other broke into a home on Kell Place in Seaford, forcing open a rear door there and stealing jewelry, an iPod, video games -- and Christmas presents.

The four also broke into a home on Greentree Drive in Wantagh that night, police said, but were scared off by a resident waking up and interrupting the burglary. Two nights later, police said, the four returned to the home, forced open a rear window and stole a pair of earrings and cash.

Police are still seeking the alleged accomplices and said the investigation is continuing.

With Ellen Yan