Nassau Man Tried To Flee With Exotic, Dangerous Reptiles: Police

Nassau police arrested a Seaford man Monday evening after detectives said an investigation showed that he was selling illegal, and dangerous, reptiles from his home.

According to police, the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NCSPCA), District Attorney investigators and officers from the state Environmental Conservation Police were conducting an investigation into dangerous animals. As part of the investigation, officers went to a home on Gilling Road in Seaford at 4:55 p.m. Police say they saw a 2002 Lincoln back into a driveway, and officers saw a lizard in the car.

According to ABC7, the officers blocked the car so the driver, Anthony Cammarata, 27, of Parkside Drive, could not escape. Cammarata was arrested without incident. Emergency Services officers removed three Gila monsters (a venomous lizard), one alligator, two Caiman (crocodile-like lizards) and five bearded lizards from the car. Additionally, police say they also found a handgun and a substance believed to be steroids.

The arrest of Cammarata was related to the NCSPCA also shutting down Reptile Rage, a pet store located on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, Newsday reported. NCSPCA officers were seen removing several reptiles from the store on Monday. The owner of the store, Doug Dellecave, was also arrested, according to Newsday.

Cammarata was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of unlawful possession of large-capacity ammunition feeding device, protection of the public from attack by wild animals and reptiles, five counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and four counts of possession of dangerous animals. He is scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy Nassau County Police Department