Mom, Daughter Ran $160K Retail NY Theft Ring, Stashed Items In Valley Stream Spot: Police
A mother and daughter operated a coordinated retail theft ring across Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New York City, authorities said Thursday, July 30.
Maria Betances, 47, and Leslie Cruz, 24, had nearly $160,000 worth of stolen goods and $30,000 cash at their homes in Valley Stream and Queens, respectively, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
The duo operated the scheme for months, directing at least four burglars to hit stores in Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland counties, along with Queens and Staten Island, according to New York State Police.
Betances also ran the …
Sexually Explicit Comments To Students Get Hauppauge Driving Instructor Fired, Arrested: Police
A Long Island driving instructor made sexually explicit and offensive comments to his students during lessons, police said Thursday, July 30.
Joseph Klein, 66, was arrested Wednesday, July 29 after an investigation into his activities at Elite Driving of Long Island in Hauppauge, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Klein, of Farmingdale, made the comments to male students between Monday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 22, according to investigators.
Driving school owner Asif Khan told News 12 Long Island that Klein had just been hired recently, then canned last week after the company le…
LI Middle School Weed Gummy Case: Dealer Cuts Plea Deal And Faces Deportation, Authorities Say
A Long Island drug dealer admitted selling weed gummies to a middle school student, eventually sending 12 children to a local hospital, authorities said Thursday, July 30.
Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 23, pleaded guilty to third-degree drug possession and child endangerment in exchange for a two-year prison term, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Castillo Garcia, of Mastic, is a Guatemalan native and will face deportation after serving his sentence, according to authorities.
His legal problems began in March 2025, when a dozen students at William Floyd Middle School in Moriche…
NY Mom Crashes SUV Into Brookhaven Woods With Infant, Preschooler Sons Inside
A mom is accused of driving drunk with her two young sons in the SUV before crashing into the woods late Saturday night in New York, police said in a release issued Sunday, July 19.
Jesher Rivera-Barreto, 31, of Medford, was driving a 2006 Toyota 4Runner southbound on Horseblock Road at the intersection of Montauk Highway in Brookhaven when she lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, and crashed into the woods around 11:25 p.m., Suffolk County Police said.
Rivera-Barreto's 1-year-old and 4-year-old sons were riding in the vehicle at the time of the crash, according …
Hauppauge Creep Abused 12-Year-Old Girl He Found On Snapchat: Police
A Long Island man sexually abused a 12-year-old girl after first contacting her over social media, police said.
Jonathan Pak, 33, was arraigned Thursday, July 16 on two counts of first-degree sex abuse, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Pak, of Hauppauge, contacted the girl over Snapchat with the username “loudesttwhisper,” where he also went by Jason, investigators said.
In December 2025, Pak met the girl in a van in a parking lot on Crooked Hill Road in Commack, where he sexually abused her, police said. After cops received a tip and investigated the case, Pak surrendered at a …
'Playboy' Hid Fentanyl In Upper Marlboro Home Where His Young Children Slept, Feds Say
A Maryland fentanyl dealer with a curious nickname who kept drugs in the same home where his young children slept is headed to federal prison, authorities announced.
Fredrick Crawford, 33, also known as "Playboy," was sentenced to 66 months behind bars after investigators linked him to a fentanyl trafficking operation that stretched into Washington, DC.
But it was what agents found at home that stood out after he sold nearly 10 ounces to undercover officers.
When federal investigators searched Crawford's residence in October 2025, they found fentanyl, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijua…
Drunk Driver, 26, Caught With 6-Year-Old In Car On Route 22 In Southeast: Sheriff
A Westchester County man is facing felony charges after authorities said he was driving drunk with a 6-year-old child in his vehicle in Putnam County.
Peekskill resident Fausto Elizo Guerrero Benalcazar, 26, was arrested following a traffic stop in Southeast during the early morning hours of Sunday, May 31, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday, June 2.
Deputies stopped the vehicle at around 1:43 a.m. after seeing it cross over the double yellow center line on Route 22, the Sheriff's Office said.
During the investigation, deputies found the driver, Guerre…
7-Year-Old Girl Sexually Assaulted By Teenage Tutor At Port Washington Library: Police
A teenage tutor sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl multiple times inside a Long Island library, police said.
Taylor Lindberg, 18, of Port Washington, was arrested Tuesday, May 19, and charged with three counts of first-degree sex abuse and child endangerment, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Lindberg was working as a tutor at Port Washington library when he had “unwanted sexual contact” with the child victim on Monday, May 11, and again on Monday, May 18, police said.
At his arraignment on Wednesday, May 20, Lindberg pleaded not guilty and was held on $50,000 cash, $100,000 bond…
USPS Driver Raped 15-Year-Old In Mail Truck In East Hampton, Cops Say
A U.S. Postal Service worker raped a 15-year-old girl inside a mail truck on Long Island, police said.
Jenry Buestan Gutama, 23, was operating the postal vehicle in East Hampton with the teen victim as a passenger, the East Hampton Town Police Department said Friday, May 15.
The teen victim was familiar with Buestan Gutama, investigators said. After the assault, she immediately reported the incident to school officials, who contacted police, according to authorities.
Buestan Gutama, of Moriches, was arraigned Saturday, May 16 on charges of first-degree rape and child endangerment, police s…
Man Charged With Stealing Car With Kids Inside: Bridgeton PD
A Bridgeton man has been charged after he stole a car at Wawa with two kids in the backseat, authorities said.
Rashaud Hannah is charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, theft of a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and theft, Bridgeton police said.
At 1:20 a.m., on Tuesday, May 5 a woman entered a Wawa at 101 E. Broad St. while her two children remained in the vehicle, police said. When she returned to her vehicle, it was gone, police said.
The vehicle was recovered shortly after with the children still inside and unharmed, police …
DWI With 2-Year-Old Child Lands Suffolk Woman In Jail: Police
A Long Island woman driving drunk with a 2-year-old child in her vehicle has been arrested, police said Thursday, April 30.
Lina Lopez Alvarez, 35, was pulled over around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 after cops noticed her speeding and failing to signal a turn while traveling westbound on County Road 39, the Southampton Police Department said.
Lopez Alvarez, of Hampton Bays, was arrested at the scene after officers determined she was intoxicated, police said. She was charged with felony DWI under Leandra’s Law because a 2-year-old child was located in the backseat, cops said.
She was also…
Mom Tried To Kill 1-Year-Old Daughter In Hempstead Apartment Assault: Authorities
A Long Island mom tried to kill her 1-year-old daughter, bashing her into a concrete wall and screaming loudly, authorities said Thursday, April 23.
Chantel Barnes, 28, flung the toddler in circles and slammed her into the wall inside an apartment building in Hempstead, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office said.
Barnes was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, and child endangerment, prosecutors said.
The chaos began around 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 9 when a screaming Barnes stepped out of her apartment with blood on her clothes and the 21-mon…
Schenectady Dad Who Slugged Fellow Father At Play Area Convicted Of Assault
A New York man who punched another father in the face outside a children’s play area was convicted of assault on Wednesday, April 22, authorities said.
Joshua Hunter, 47, was found guilty of third-degree assault and seven counts of child endangerment, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Hunter, of Schenectady, was at The Littles Play Café in Latham on Feb. 23, 2025, when he spotted another man speaking with his daughter, investigators said.
He then yelled at the 43-year-old man and they stepped out of the facility, at which point Hunter punched the other man in the face, aut…
Drunk Driver Caught With 2 Young Kids, Wife In Car On Thruway In Rye, Police Say
A Connecticut man is accused of driving drunk with two children in his vehicle after being stopped on the NYS Thruway in Westchester County, police said.
Fairfield County resident Leopoldo Lima Flores, 37, of Stamford, was arrested on Sunday, March 29, following a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in Rye, NY, New York State Police announced on Wednesday, April 8.
The traffic stop happened around 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 95 northbound, when troopers said they stopped a 2026 Honda CR-V for traffic violations and identified the driver as Lima Flores.
During the stop, police s…
Woman Strikes Baby In Car Seat With Vehicle During Fight At PA Motel: Police
A mother is accused of striking her 1-year-old child with a vehicle during a domestic dispute at an Altoona-area motel, Logan Township police announced on Thursday, March 19.
Kassandra Perry, 34, of Cresson, was taken into custody following the incident at the Horseshoe Curve Lodge on Pleasant Valley Boulevard in Logan Township, PA, on Wednesday, March 18, according to police.
Officers were dispatched for a report that a woman had struck a child with a vehicle. Upon arrival, police spoke with Perry’s boyfriend, who said the two were arguing while he was placing their child into a vehicle.
…
Drunk Man Caught With 4-Year-Old In Car In Peekskill, Then Released, Police Say
A 47-year-old man is facing a felony charge after police said he was driving while intoxicated with a young child in his vehicle in Westchester County.
The arrest happened on Sunday, March 8, when troopers stopped a vehicle around 3:45 a.m. on North James Street in Peekskill for a traffic violation, New York State Police said on Monday, March 9.
The driver was identified as Jorge Quizhpi, 47, of Peekskill, police said.
During the stop, troopers said Quizhpi showed signs of being drunk and failed standardized field sobriety tests administered at the scene.
Investigators a…
Girl Raped After Being Lured With Marijuana Vape At Roosevelt Park: Cops
Two men are under arrest after police say they lured a juvenile to a Long Island park then raped the girl.
The assault happened on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at the Roosevelt Preserve located at Brooklyn Avenue and Frederick Avenue, detectives in Nassau County said.
Oscar Rivera Marquez, 20, of, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Ever Antonio Iraheta Mira, 29, of Franklin Square, contacted a female victim through social media and arranged to meet, detectives said. The juvenile victim was persuaded with an offer to use a marijuana vape, detectives said. The Marquez and Mira had inappropriate contact …
