Women Playing Mahjong Help Crack The Case Of The Pill-Toting Burglar

RYE, NY — There are very few agencies around the world that can rival the reputation of a mahjong club for intelligence gathering. This week, a group of women meeting up to play the game helped the Rye Police Department to crack a case.

On Monday, the City of Rye Police Department was notified by a resident of Louden Woods of a man attempting to enter her home at approximately 2:30 p.m. A captured image of a male suspect was obtained as the investigation continued, police said.

Just a few hours later, at 6:25 p.m., a group of women playing mahjong saw a suspicious vehicle in the area of North Street and The Ives. Rye police officers confirmed that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Malverne, New York earlier in the day, according to police.

A man standing outside the vehicle, identified as 21-year-old Allen Jose Corona, of Malverne, was taken into custody. Corona was found to be in possession of the stolen vehicle's keys, 50 pills in an unmarked package, a screwdriver, and a razor scraping tool, officials said. He was also identified as the suspicious person attempting to enter the home in Louden Woods earlier, according to cops.

Corona was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, and criminal trespassing. He was
turned over to detectives from the Nassau County Police Department to face additional charges there.

He is due back in Rye City Court on Tuesday November 19.