Former Nassau County Resident Charged Amid Spate Of Car Thefts

GLEN COVE, NY — A former Glen Cove resident has been arrested following a slew of car thefts in the city. Ten car break-ins and thefts were reported in August, many of which happened with unlocked cars, police said Tuesday.

Seven vehicles were broken into overnight Friday on Frost Pond Road and police increased patrols in response to the thefts. On Saturday, they arrested Kenneth Giambruno, 35, after seeing him in a vehicle on Elm Avenue. He was taken into custody around 11 p.m. Saturday and charged with attempted petit larceny.

Police are actively investigating the other car thefts and are pursuing some promising leads. More arrests are expected soon.

The department advised residents to keep their doors locked.

"If your vehicle is equipped with an alarm, turn it on," police said.

They also recommended parking under a light or motion-activated light; refraining from storing valuables, cash, credit cards or keys in the vehicle.

Suffolk County police have said car thefts are becoming an increasingly large problem in the county, and linked the break-ins to the opioid crisis.

"Addicts will try car doors and loot the autos valuables and sell them to get money for drugs," Detective Vincent Garcia told Patch in an email. "It's not just drug users that commit these larcenies though. Criminals literally walk down a street and try car doors until they find one that is open."

The Nassau County Health Assessment Report from 2014-17 said poisoning/overdose is the leading cause of death for adults between 18 and 35 years old. Some of the most common drugs involved in prescription opioid overdose deaths include methadone, oxycodone — such as OxyContin — and hydrocodone, such as Vicodin.

More than 1,000 Americans are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids each day. And as many as 25 percent of people who receive prescription opioids long-term for pain unrelated to cancer in primary care settings struggles with addiction, health officials said.

"Studies have shown some loss of the brain's white matter associated with heroin addiction, which may affect decision-making, behavior control, and responses to stressful situations," the county wrote on its website.