Eastchester Police Chief Timothy Bonci announced the arrests of Bronx residents Asan Sefuloski, 28, and Morris Santaniello, 64, on Tuesday, who are facing burglary charges for their alleged role in the burglary of a Garth Road apartment earlier this month.
On April 11, detectives with the Eastchester Police Department received a report of a residential burglary, where a safe containing “a large amount of cash” was stolen, as well as jewelry and other items from inside the apartment, prompting a joint investigation that included the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigations Division and Yonkers Police detectives.
According to police, the following day, investigators, with tactical support from the Eastchester Police Emergency Response Unit, executed a warrant in the Bronx, which resulted in the first arrest, the recovery of an illegal semi-automatic pistol, jewelry and a sizable amount of cash.
A second search warrant was executed in the Bronx later that day, police said, which uncovered additional evidence and led to the second arrest. In total, police executed five search warrants leading to the arrests of Sefuloski and Santaniello, both of whom were charged with felony counts of second-degree grand larceny and burglary.
Sefuloski was arraigned on April 12 and released on $100,000 cash bail. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in state prison. Santaniello was arraigned on April 13 and remanded into custody due to four prior felony convictions. He faces life in prison if convicted when the two return to Westchester County Court on June 20.
“The detectives, investigators and members of the Emergency Response Unit involved in the investigation and execution of the search warrants deserve a great deal of credit,” Bonci said. “The excellent police work resulted in the quick apprehension of the suspects, as well as the recovery of a large amount of property, and the recovery of an illegal gun.”
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino added that “in addition to these arrests, this is exemplary police work by detectives, investigators, prosecutors and analysts resulted in the recovery of over $400,000 of the half-million dollars that was stolen.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Briarcliff and receive free news updates.