Long Island crime briefs

WYANDANCH

Shooting suspect sought

Police are searching for a suspect -- or suspects -- who shot a man "multiple" times Monday night in Wyandanch.

Suffolk County police identified the victim as a 26-year-old man and said he suffered "multiple gunshot wounds." The shooting is believed to have occurred on North 15th Street and was reported in a 911 call at 8:17 p.m., police said.

Police said the victim fled after the shooting and that responding officers found him on North 16th Street. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip with what police called "serious" injuries.

MINEOLA

Ticket scammers sentencedA Queens man who along with his wife admitted to participating in a "skimming" scam using Long Island Rail Road ticket vending machines to steal money from commuters was sentenced yesterday to 2 to 6 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Valer Zaharia, 38, of Kew Gardens, pleaded guilty last month to third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy, waiving his right to appeal and agreeing to forfeit more than $60,000 in cash found in the apartment he shared with his wife, the Nassau County district attorney's office said in a news release.

Nassau County Court Judge Tammy Robbins handed down Zaharia's sentence Tuesday in Mineola.

His wife, Teodora Zaharia, 28, was sentenced last month to 9 months in jail after pleading guilty in March to fourth-degree grand larceny and also agreeing to forfeit the money.

The Zaharias were arrested last October after Metropolitan Transportation Authority police caught them retrieving skimmer devices and hidden cameras from ticket vending machines at the Sea Cliff LIRR station.

Two other defendants involved in the scheme -- Dorin Husa, 37, and Niculae Petre, 45, both of Elmhurst -- both pleaded guilty in March to possession of forgery devices and are awaiting sentencing.

NASSAU/SUFFOLK

Seat belt campaign begins

Law enforcement agencies across Long Island this week joined the annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, knuckling down on drivers and passengers who refuse to buckle up their seat belts.

The campaign, for most agencies, began yesterday morning -- and will run until June 1.

As the Nassau County Police Department, which started its enforcement campaign Monday, warned: "Motorists who refuse to wear their seat belts -- beware."

State Police said in a statement that statistics provided by NHTSA show that "seat belts effectively reduce the risk of dying in a crash by about 50 percent." Enforcement and education, State Police said, are efforts to "increase usage rates," making vehicle travel safer.

That enforcement effort will be conducted both state and Islandwide, with State Police, as well as police in Nassau and Suffolk taking part.

Smaller agencies are involved, as well, including: Centre Island, Floral Park, Freeport, Garden City, Glen Cove, Great Neck Estates, Hempstead, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Malverne, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Port Washington and Rockville Centre.

State law mandates that all front-seat occupants, as well as all rear-seat passengers under age 16, must wear seat belts. All children younger than 8 must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat or booster seat restraint system.