A Wheatley Heights man has been arrested for a string of credit card thefts from parking lots, including three in the Old Westbury and Old Brookville areas, the Nassau County Police Department reported.
Detectives said in a statement that on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 9:30 a.m., officers from the Old Brookville Police Department observed a 2000 Honda Passport traveling north on Route 107 “in the vicinity of Route 25A” and stopped it for failure to signal and excessive window tints. The officers reportedly discovered a forged license plate and found a second forged plate in the vehicle.
Officers were aware of numerous open cases involving larcenies from vehicles, and notified county police to assist in the investigation, later joined by the Old Westbury Police Department.
The investigators claim that Andre Berube, 43, was responsible for entering a 2020 Jeep in a parking lot of 62 Route 106, Old Brookville, stealing the victim’s credit card and attempting to make an unauthorized purchase at Walmart in Commack.
Police also said that Berube was responsible for three other larcenies from the last week.
On March 1, Berube allegedly shattered the window of a 2009 Ford on Hegeman’s Lane in Old Brookville and stole an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency, credit cards and miscellaneous property, and attempted to make a purchase at Walmart in Westbury.
Two days later, he allegedly entered a 2020 Mercedes-Benz on Store Hill Road North in Old Westbury, removed credit cards and attempted an unauthorized purchase at an Auto Zone store in Bay Shore.
Finally, on Friday, Berube allegedly shattered a window on a 2019 Jeep on Winding Road in Old Bethpage, and stole multiple credit cards and a purse, according to police.
Berube is charged with six counts of grand larceny, two counts of possession of a forged instrument, three counts of criminal possession of stolen property, one count of criminal mischief, three counts of petit larceny, two counts of criminal mischief, two counts of identity theft, two counts of attempted petit larceny, two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation, and multiple vehicle and traffic law violations. He will be arraigned on Sunday, March 27, in Mineola.
