Crimes Nearby: Alleged Safe Thief Arrested in Smithtown

Stony Brook

Thieves broke into four cars in the parking lot of AMC Loews Stony Brook movie theater Friday night and stole valuable property, Suffolk police said Tuesday. The four incidents, which took place between 7 p.m. and midnight, are being investigated as instances of criminal mischief and petty larceny. According to police reports, in all four instances a car window was broken. The stolen property included two cell phones, a laptop, a Gucci pocketbook, a backpack and a duffel bag.

Smithtown

Philip Castellano, 34, of Smithtown, was arrested in Smithtown on Nov. 28 at 11:38 a.m. on five counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony; second-degree burglary, a felony; and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. Reports state Castellano entered a home through the back door and stole a safe that contained jewelry, paperwork and a handgun.

Adam Kobus, 32, of Smithtown, was arrested in Smithtown on Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. on third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony; fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony; criminal possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor; and fourth-degree criminal possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Reports state Kobus, while in possession of a Smith and Wesson revolver and marijuana, was also in possession of stolen coins, gold, watches and cash from a burglary.

Joseph Toscano, 32, of Greenlawn, was arrested in Smithtown on Nov. 26 at 10:50 a.m. on fourth-degree grand larceny charges, a felony. Reports state Toscano forged five personal checks that did not belong to him and cashed them.

Sound Beach

Serhat Soykan, of Sound Beach, was arrested Nov. 30 and charged with second degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. On Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m., during a dispute at the Hess Station in Miller Place, Soykan allegedly removed the gas nozzle from his vehicle and sprayed gas toward another person.

Riverhead

Two sticky-fingered Scrooges paid a visit to an Aquebogue home a few weeks short of Christmas -- and stole the presents right off the front porch. Aquebogue resident Brenda Green said her daughter looked out the window and saw an old blue station wagon pulling into the driveway. Suspects ran to the porch, grabbed the packages, which contained Christmas presents, and sped away, Green said. Riverhead Town police confirmed that on Tuesday at 3:28 p.m., two unknown middle-aged women removed several packages from Green's porch and left the area in an unknown blue station wagon.

A Riverhead High School student was able to save herself from a possible abduction Wednesday morning. According to Riverhead Superintendent Nancy Carney, the girl was walking to school when a man in a black sedan started making conversation with her. After the girl got away from him, Carney said she noticed that he pulled into the parking lot of Bagel Lovers on Osborn Avenue in Riverhead. At the same time, a sheriff happened to be coming out of the eatery, and the student told him what had happened. Once in school, she went straight to administrators, who called the Riverhead Police department. Police said the incident is under investigation.