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Ramapo Police first arrested the 34-year-old homeless man on Jan. 10, following an exhaustive search for the person behind the religious school burglaries throughout the Town of Ramapo.
On the same day that the man was released, the burglaries began again and over the next month numerous other religious schools were burglarized, police said.
The department's investigative division worked to identify and search for this same suspect now responsible for numerous additional burglaries in the Town of Ramapo, as well as burglaries in the Town of Clarkstown and in Brooklyn, police said.
On Friday, Feb. 7, the department's midnight squad used plainclothes officers and uniformed patrol officers to actively check numerous locations and remaining vigilant in searching for the known suspect.
At approximately 2:40 a.m., an alert patrol sergeant quickly responded to an active burglar alarm activation at a religious school located in the Village of New Hempstead.
It was determined that forced entry was made into this building. The patrol squad lieutenant coordinated his patrol squad to immediately set up a perimeter surrounding the area.
A foot search was conducted in which the suspect was located hiding in a heavily wooded area.
He was arrested once again and charged with five counts of burglary, grand larceny, petit larceny, two counts of criminal mischief, criminal possession of burglary tools.
The suspect was also wanted on several outstanding charges, arrest and bench warrants from other jurisdictions. He is now being held on a $70,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, Feb. 13.
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