3 Remain Jailed After Farmingdale Break-in Leads to Drug Bust

The three defendants in Saturday morning's break-in and subsequent drug bust in Farmingdale remain behind bars Monday in the Nassau County Jail, unable to post the high bail amount set by a judge.

Damin E. Porcelli, 33, the resident of the home on 9th Avenue that was surrounded by Nassau police early Saturday, is being held on $200,000 bail or $300,000 bond in connection with a slew of drug possession charges.

The two men who police say broke into the home are also in the Nassau County Jail, both held on felony weapons charges. Both men, Edward D. Thomas, 23, of New York, and Chris J. Lee, 22, Brooklyn, are being held on $250,000 cash bail and $500,000 bond.

Police say they found the drugs in the home after a break-in was reported by multiple callers, including Porcelli, who initially claimed to be a victim of a break-in. The home is just 2-3 blocks from the High School athletic field and just off a wooded area known for decades as a hangout for high school students, community sources said.

Porcelli had not posted bail as of Monday afternoon. He is due back in court Wednesday. Thomas and Lee have also not posted bail.

The bizarre events unravelled just before 3 a.m. Saturday when Thomas and  Lee burst into the house and one of the men struck Porcelli, 33, in the face with a loaded handgun, police said.

He was not badly hurt and Porcelli was able to flee the home. He dialed 911, police said.

Officers from the Second Precinct, the Emergency Service Unit and the Bureau of Special Operations swarmed the quiet, dead-end street of neatly kept colonial homes. Witnesses described a long stand-off, lasting about three hours, that lit up the neighborhood with flood lights beamed onto the house.

Police said they arrived in minutes, interviewed Porcelli and surrounded the house. The stand-off ended about 6:20 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Witnesses said they heard police over loud speakers demanding that the suspects come out and surrender. The two men complied, laying face down on the lawn of the home as they were arrested.

"It was extremely scary; there were at least 9 police vehicles with flashing lights and sirens, the bullhorns were being used and I was awakened to the sound of the police ordering, “come out of the house with your hands up!”  wrote one neighbor in a message to Patch. "There were guns drawn and pointed at the house."

The subsequent police search of the home discovered a .357 revolver, a .25 caliber handgun, two defaced .380 caliber handguns, along with 771 glassine bags of heroin, 110 vials of crack cocaine, two jars of marijuana, three digital scales, assorted drug paraphernalia and an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

Nassau detectives, suspecting a clear connection between the suspects, searched the home and determined the items and cash belong to Porcelli, who was placed under arrest at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

He was treated for a head laceration at the scene. Police are convinced the three men know each other, but the exact motives involved in the break-in remain under investigation, police said Monday.

Thomas and Lee are charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

Porcelli is charged with multiple drug charges and six counts of criminal possession of a weapon, police said.