The Nassau County and Floral Park Police Departments were two of 29 local and county police departments recognized for their involvement in convicting six members of a crew that committed over 200 burglaries.
New York Attorney General Letitia James acknowledged Friday the work of the Floral Park and Nassau County Police Departments in a 13-month investigation called “Operation Redline.”
Bronx men Willie Baines, Josepher Cartagena, Brandon Collazo-Rivera, Justin Herrera, Douglas Noble and Alexander Santiago, ranging in age from 23 to 47, pleaded guilty to various charges that brought in $3 million worth of goods, James said Friday.
All men received undisclosed prison sentences, prosecutors said, without getting into specifics.
James said New York is safer after the six men, who were arrested in 2021, were brought to justice.
“The six individuals convicted and sentenced went on a crime spree that impacted businesses and residents throughout downstate New York,” James said in a statement. “These burglars left a trail of broken glass, smashed businesses, and dangerous high-speed chases in their wake. I thank my partners in local law enforcement for their coordination and support as we took down this dangerous crew.”
The crew was connected to over 200 burglaries of car dealerships, cellphone stores and ATM businesses throughout Lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island between June 2020 and January 2021.
Along with the $3 million in cash, at least 54 vehicles were also stolen, the state attorney general’s office said.
The crew, who staged multiple robberies in one night, would smash large windows of car dealerships, locate boxes that contained key fobs and drive off with the cars before engaging with police in high-speed chases.
Police were aided in their investigation through multiple social media posts of the crew posing with stolen cars and merchandise, sometimes soon after the crimes were committed.
The Floral Park and Nassau police were recognized for their efforts alongside multiple departments throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
“This is one of those cases that highlights the extraordinary cooperation across multiple police departments and agencies in the New York Metropolitan area,” said NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban. “The NYPD Auto Crime Unit is proud to have worked with the New York State Attorney General and all the other departments involved in bringing this brazen burglary crew to justice.”
