Levittown's Most-Read Stories of 2016

It's safe to say that 2016 was quite a year. Celebrity deaths and an election like no other dominated the national headlines. But things were still busy in Levittown. Here's the stories that Patch readers like you were most interested in.

10. Levittown Pools Open for Summer: One of the most-read stories of the year was about the schedule of Levittown pools for the summer. Keeping cool is important in the heat!

9. Chick-fil-A is Coming to Hicksville: In January, interest was piqued by the announcement of a Chick-fil-A coming to Hicksville. The southern chicken chain took over On The Border’s building, located at 1401 Broadway Mall.

8. Two Dead in Crash on Wantagh State Parkway: Reina Olivera, 33, of West Babylon, and Nicholas Ramirez, of Lindenhurst, were killed in a crash on the Wantagh State Parkway on June 15. What started as a simple rear-ending escalated when other cars were slammed into the stopped ones and hit Olivera, who was holding a 3-year-old.

7. Levittown Woman Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Dog: On Sept. 20, a 66-year-old woman was walking her Yorkie, Peanut, with an extender leash northbound on Center Lane in Levittown at about 4 p.m. when Peanut wandered into the road and was run over by a car. The driver stopped for only a moment and then left the scene without rendering aid or identifying themselves. The entire incident was caught on a nearby home's security camera. The driver was later arrested.

6. More Than 100 Decks of Heroin Seized in Traffic Stop: In April, police officers pulled over a 2001 Nissan Altima and noticed the rear passenger was attempting to hide numerous glassine envelopes containing heroin in his pants. Further investigation led to the discovery of over 100 decks of heroin and 6 Zolpidem pills inside the vehicle, police said.

5. Demolition Begins on Long-Empty Nassau Kmart:In September, the long-vacant Kmart on Hempstead Turnpike was demolished. The building had been vacant for nearly 20 years. A new Home Depot is being built on the location.

4. Man Knocks on Sleeping Woman's Door While Burglarizing Home: In March, a man returned home to find that his front door had been broken and jewelry had been stolen. The man’s 25-year-old daughter, who was sleeping in another second floor locked bedroom, said someone did turn her door knob but did not enter the room.

3. Man Armed With Knife, Lead Pipe Invades Levittown Home: In February, a man armed with a knife and a lead pipe entered a North Jerusalem Road residence through an unlocked front door around 4:40 a.m. The man went to the second floor and awoke three adults – two females and one male – along with a child. He then forced the victims into a bathroom and proceeded to go through the house removing items, including the car keys to a 2005 Honda CRV and an ATM card.

2. The 25 Best Long Island High Schools:Levittown residents wanted to know where their high schools placed when this list was released in April.

1. Investigation Into Heroin Overdose Deaths Leads to 3 Arrests: In April, after a two-month investigation, the Nassau/Suffolk Heroin Task Force conducted numerous undercover buys with a Levittown man believed to be responsible for supplying heroin to the area. Thomas C. Curry, 25, sold 312 bags of heroin and more than a half an ounce of cocaine to an undercover detective, police said. The investigation also led to the arrest of 32-year-old Brian P. Altman, of Levittown, who is Curry’s source of heroin, police said.