North Massapequa Car Break-Ins Tied To Opioid Overdoses, Cops Say

NORTH MASSAPEQUA, NY — North Massapequa neighbors saw a spate of break-ins Tuesday and police said it's a countywide problem tied to the opioid crisis gripping the nation.

Jessica Pickett, who lives near North Kentucky Avenue and North Broadway, told Patch on Wednesday both her and her mother's cars were broken into early Tuesday.

"I thought someone in my family was going through my car," she said.

The thief or thieves rummaged through the center consoles and glove boxes, making off with a few dollars. Curiously, a pair of Apple headphones she left sitting on the front seat of her SUV were untouched.

Pickett's Hyundai Tucson had been parked in the street while her mom's Toyota Rav 4 was parked in the driveway. The culprit appeared to leave in a hurry, she said, as a door was left open on the Rav4. Pickett thinks both cars were unlocked, since her boyfriend's car, which was locked and parked on the street, was left untouched.

Pickett said a neighbor had multiple gift cards stolen and another also had their car broken into. Video obtained by Patch showed a group of thieves trying to open car doors on North Kentucky Avenue around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Nassau County police said vehicle thefts have been an ongoing problem across the county. In nearly every case, car doors were left unlocked, detective Vincent Garcia told Patch in an email Wednesday.

"This makes it very easy for criminals," he wrote.

The police department's intelligence unit has found a link between rising drug overdoses in a community and vehicle theft reports, he added.

"Addicts will try car doors and loot the autos valuables and sell them to get money for drugs," wrote Garcia. "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."

And sometimes, locking car doors is not enough. Valuables left out in plain sight can entice thieves to break a window in a smash-and-grab.

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.

Police offered other tips to prevent vehicle thefts as well: park in well-lit areas, do not leave cars running unattended, hide packages and shopping bags in the trunk and keep keys in hand while walking to the car or home.