Man Put Plastic Bags Over Red Light Cameras in Suffolk County: Police

SMITHTOWN, NY - A St. James man apparently not happy with Suffolk County’s Red Light program put plastic bags over two red light cameras in Smithtown on Friday evening, police said.

According to police, a passing motorist called 911 to report a man placing plastic bags over cameras at the intersection of Main Street and Landing Avenue around 5:30 p.m.

Based on the description given by the 911 caller, Bryan Valentine was located by a responding officer a short distance away, police said.

Valentine, 26, was charged with two counts of second degree criminal tampering. He was held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned on Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip.

Last summer, a Centereach man was arrested after he allegedly tampered with red light cameras in Ronkonkoma, pointing them upwards so that they couldn't capture violators. Stephen Ruth, 42, posted a YouTube video of himself tampering with the cameras, which led to his arrest, police said. That video has more than 150,000 views. 

RELATED: Man Has No Regrets After Arrest For Tampering With Long Island Red Light Cameras

“To all the people thinking “why would he do that? Didn’t he think he was going to get arrested?” Ruth wrote on his Facebook page. “Of course I knew I would be arrested. I did it for the people who come back from war and get abused by these cameras. I did it because senior citizens are getting these, the same ones that went to war for us.”