Police: Queens Man Suspected in Dozens of Westchester Car Break-Ins

A Queens man suspected in breaking into as many as 60 cars in Westchester County over the past year was arrested at a large shopping center hours after incidents in Yorktown and Mount Pleasant on Thursday, according to Westchester County Police.

Caisy Frank, 32, of Rosedale, Queens, was found with stolen credit cards, personal identification and a stolen .38 caliber handgun when he was arrested by county detectives at the Ridge Hill shopping center.

In addition to charges filed by Westchester County Police, more charges are expected to be filed by other police agencies. Frank is also wanted on charges of burglary and fraudulent use of credit cards in Florida.

Frank is awaiting arraignment in Yonkers City Court today.

Westchester County Police have been investigating a rash of car break-ins throughout the county, where a theif has been targeting vehicles in the parking lots of health clubs, county and local municipal parks and other locations. Investigators got a break in their probe on Thursday when Mount Pleasant Police got a description and partial license plate number of a green pickup truck seen leaving the area of the New York Sports Club in Hawthorne, where a car break-in had just taken place.

Additional break-ins had also taken place at FDR Park in Yorktown.

County police officers fanned out to numerous spots around Westchester that had been hit previously in the spree of break-ins, including parking lots and shopping centers. At about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, county Det. Edward Kelch and Police Officer George Ruiz of the General Investigations Unit saw a man fitting the description of a suspect in the investigation at the Ridge Hill shopping center.

As the county officers approached the man - later identified as Frank - he fled into a clothing store, went through a fitting room and into a utility closet in an attempt to escape capture. Police said Frank was arrested after a brief struggle. The green pickup truck described in the Hawthorne incident was found in a Ridge Hill parking area and was impounded by police.

Frank was charged with multiple counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, Criminal Possession of Personal Identification Information and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, felonies. He also was charged with Criminal Mischief for kicking out a window of a county police patrol car following his arrest.

County police have learned that Frank and two other men were arrested in Florida on Feb. 13 after they were found in possession of stolen credit cards, handguns and other items taken during vehicle larcenies. In that case, he was released on bail.

Frank faces prosecution in Florida after charges against him in New York are resolved.