September Burglary Attempt Solved With The Help of License Plate Readers

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — A foiled burglary from late last year has been solved thanks to persistent investigative work, and a little help from available technology.

The Croton-on-Hudson Police Department has announced the arrest of 40-year-old Steven J. Cilento, of Montrose.

On September 25, patrol officers responded to an attempted burglary at a business on South Riverside Avenue. Officers saw a broken glass door at the rear of the building. It was determined that the attempted burglar was unable to gain access to the building and fled the scene.

The detective division began investigating, using data from one of thevVillage's license plate reader (LPR) cameras, installed in 2023, to establish a timeline of the possible suspect entering and leaving the area. Using the LPR data, along with video surveillance footage collected from the area and assistance from the Town of Yorktown Police Department, a suspect was identified.

On Jan. 7, Croton-on-Hudson Police Department detectives arrested Cilento and charged him with two counts of felony attempted burglary, and one count of felony criminal mischief. He was arraigned in the Village Justice Court and taken to the Westchester County Jail.