A Queens man faces multiple grand larceny charges after he allegedly broke into individual cars in Nassau County and stole at least $3,000 in cash over the course of two months last fall, Nassau police said.
Fabio Diaz Sierra, 46, of College Point, was charged with three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and two counts of third-degree criminal mischief on Tuesday. He was released on a desk appearance ticket and sent into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, police said.
According to an investigation, on Oct. 14, a victim withdrew money from Chase Bank on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park and proceeded to Atlantic Avenue where he parked his vehicle, leaving the money in the center console.
When the victim returned to his vehicle, the money was gone, police said.
On Nov. 13, a victim withdrew money from TD Bank on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola and then drove to a parking lot on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park.
The victim then left his car and money in his vehicle. When he returned, the front passenger window was broken and the money was gone, police said.
On Nov. 21, a victim withdrew money from the same Chase Bank as the first victim in Garden City Park. He then drove to a parking lot on Franklin Avenue in Garden City, parked and left his money inside the vehicle.
When the victim returned, the passenger window was broken and the money, along with other items, had been stolen.
Each victim had at least $1,000 in their vehicles during each incident, police said.
Police arrested Diaz Sierra on Tuesday morning around 9:10 a.m. near College Point.
Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter for Patch, where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals.