Crime Nearby: Dix Hills DWI Arrest, More Deer Park Students Followed

Here are the latest arrests and incidents in neighborhoods surrounding Lindenhurst. 

Monthly Crime Report: Crime Down throughout Babylon Town
The First Precinct was a bit safer last month, according to the Suffolk County Police Department, which said February was a below-average month for crime in the area.

A total of 554 people were arrested during the month, police said at a community meeting held at West Babylon Public Library last Thursday evening.

Most of the major crime categories - stolen vehicles, robberies, burglaries and shootings - saw lower-than-normal numbers as police suggested the cold might be keeping people from attempting crimes.

Click here for a breakdown for Lindenhurst and other areas throughout Babylon Town.

Dix Hills Woman Robbed of Vehicle in Her Own Driveway
A Dix Hills woman exiting her vehicle in the driveway of her home was robbed by a man who took off in her Mercedes on March 11, Suffolk Police said. The incident happened on Ryder Avenue around 7:15 p.m. when a man approached the woman and told her he had gun, although he did not display one, police said. 

Police had no further info on the incident on Tuesday morning with regard to a description of the robber or details about the stolen car.

Early Morning Fire Claims Babylon Village Home
A fire gutted a Babylon Village home on Kittiwake Lane early Thursday morning, reducing much of it to the frame and smoldering remains.

The Babylon Fire Department responded to the call at about 3:50 a.m. on March 14, finding 30 Kittiwake Lane engulfed in flames. Reports showed the fire was under control by about 6:10 a.m., with much of the home collapsed or ruined.

The home, located in the Frederick Shores section of the Village, was among those hit by the deep flooding storm surges of Hurricane Sandy.

Two Deer Park Students Report Being Followed
Two Deer Park students were approached by an unknown couple in a car as they walked home from school on March 11, according to an alert posted on the School District's website.

The Robert Frost Middle School students reported an unidentified man and woman pulled up next to them in a maroon/red minivan and attempted to wave them over to their car near Drake Avenue and Pitt Street, the alert stated.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m.

The students immediately ran back to school. Police were notified of the incident, the latest in a string of similar reports within the past few weeks.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, a Deer Park High School student was followed by a vehicle on Nicolls Road. The female student reported being followed by a dark red car with tinted windows just west of Deer Park Avenue.

On February 14, a Robert Frost Middle School student reported being approached by a small maroon/red car with one person inside on Washington Avenue near Hickory Street. The next day, police said a 911 call came in around 3 p.m., and a woman said her daughter was followed by two people in a dark vehicle as she walked from the bus stop at Headline Road and Sunburst Drive.

Following those incidents, Suffolk Police told Patch it had yet to be determined "if the vehicles were actually following the children or just driving slowly as we have not spoken to the people in the cars."

Police have upped patrols in the area, and Deer Park Superintendent Eva Demyen has said District is taking a proactive pproach in dealing with the incidents.

A Brentwood man was arrested on a DWI charge following a crash in Dix Hills that seriously injured a passenger early on March 10, Suffolk Police said. 

Raphael Guerrero, 37, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe southbound on Deer Park Road when he lost control of the vehicle just North of the Northern State Parkway at 4:50 a.m., police said. The vehicle hit a curb, went up on a grass embankment, hit a large stone and a telephone poll before it overturned, police said.

Guerrero was transported to Huntington Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. His passenger, Cesar S. Montano, 24, of Virginia, was transported to Huntington Hospital with serious injuries.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

Police Seek Woman Who Stole Purse
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who stole three credit cards from a cabinet at a Huntington store.

A woman stole three credit cards and $10 from an employee’s purse that was stored in a cabinet on the sales floor of Wild by Nature on Main Street on March 4 at approximately 12 p.m.

The woman was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, between 110 and 120 pounds and between 30 and 40 years old. The woman was accompanied by a man, who acted as a lookout. The man was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 pounds and approximately 40 years old. 

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-TIPS.  All calls will be kept confidential. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Help Police Find Woman Who Used Stolen Credit Card at Melville 7-Eleven
Police are asking for the public’s help to identify and locate a woman who used a stolen credit card at a Melville 7-Eleven last year. An unknown person stole a wallet containing a credit card and other items from the pool area at LA Fitness in Farmingdale on March 18, 2012, police said. The stolen credit card was used later that day by a woman at the Melville 7-Eleven located at 613 Broadhollow Road.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

One Injured in Three-Car Deer Park Crash
A three-car crash in Deer Park on March 12 sent one person to the hospital, according to Suffolk Police. 

The accident occurred on Central Avenue, near West Second Street, at 6:45 p.m. Police said one person was transported to the hospital with a leg injury.

Deadly West Babylon Fire Likely Caused by Cooking Oil
The West Babylon apartment fire that killed one woman on March 3 was likely caused by ignited cooking oil in another apartment, according to Suffolk County Police. Newsday reported Suffolk Police said the fire was likely caused by cooking oil -  being used to make chicken wings - ignited and quickly spread throughout the apartment building.

Homicide chief Lieutenant Jack Fitzpatrick told Newsday the fire came from another apartment, and not from the one where firefighters found the body of a woman late Sunday afternoon. He also told the newspaper the identity of that woman was unlikely to be released today.

The Suffolk County Arson Squad is still investigating the fire.

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