Man Stole Necklace From 95-Year-old Commack Nursing Home Resident With Alzheimer's: AG

A North Massapequa man was recently arrested for allegedly stealing a necklace from a 95-year-old nursing home resident, according to the Attorney General.

Jason Battaglia, 32, allegedly stole the necklace off the neck of the resident of the Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Commack who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Attorney General.

On June 13, Battaglia removed two necklaces from the woman's neck, one gold and the other silver.

He then placed only the silver necklace back onto the resident and left the room with the gold necklace, according to the Attorney General.

In addition, Battaglia then later returned the gold necklace to a registered nurse and claimed he found it on the dining room floor, but admitted to police that he stole the necklace and only pretended to find and return it, according to the Attorney General.

Police arrested him on the date of the alleged theft and he was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance after being found in possession of nine hypodermic needles and a spoon containing heroin residue, the AG said.

He plead not guilty to those charges, which are currently pending in Suffolk County District Court.

Battaglia was further charged with fourth degree grand larceny, fifth degree criminal possession of stolen property, and willful violation of health laws, according to the Attorney General.

He was among a total of six people who each separately arrested for "exploiting the financial vulnerability of elderly nursing home residents," according to Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.

The other five people from New York City allegedly stole or secured the personal identifying information from patients and used that information to secure cash or credit to which they were not entitled.

“Nursing home residents are amongst our state’s most vulnerable citizens, and they deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity by those in charge of their care," Schneiderman said. "It is reprehensible for caregivers to steal from defenseless residents in order to line their own pockets.”