By Rich Bockmann
Police from the 111th Precinct arrested a man they suspect of being responsible for a string of burglaries over the past several months targeting co-op owners in Little Neck.
Adam Sussman, a 37-year old resident of Deepdale Gardens, was arrested Friday on criminal possession of stolen property charges, according to Capt. Ronald Leyson of the 111th Precinct.
“It was a tireless effort by our field team,” said Leyson, who credited field intelligence Officer Sergeant Anthony Speruta and Detective George Raniolo with cracking the case.
Leyson said his precinct received its first call about the break-ins in February and in the following months responded to 15 burglary complaints in the Deepdale Gardens and Beech Hills co-ops.
“They’re all two-story, co-op, garden-style apartments on approximately 180 acres of land with over 2,200 units,” he said. “They’re spread out pretty good.”
The police did not have any evidence on the burglar, who entered through back windows, and they were trying to identify a suspect by talking to neighbors and property managers and distributing literature at neighborhood meetings, the captain said.
“Everybody you talked to knew what was going on, but we couldn’t catch anyone in the act,” said Leyson.
As the precinct intensified its efforts, the thief’s activity slowed down, and the police got their big break when Sussman’s name was mentioned by people in the community during the investigation, Leyson said. Sussman had allegedly been selling stolen property from a July 14 Beech Hills burglary in Nassau County, according to Leyson.
Later that day, investigators allegedly observed Sussman selling a guitar that had been described by one of the victims, Leyson said. On Saturday, the police executed a search warrant on a garage at the rear of Sussman’s residence, where they discovered a cache of jewelry, credit cards, electronics, computers, a set of golf clubs and pawn receipts, the captain said.
Some of the allegedly stolen items had been disposed of and pieces of jewelry had been broken down, Leyson said, adding that he estimated 70 percent of the items, which are being held as evidence, had been identified by six victims.
The investigation was still continuing.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
