Police Charge Suspect With String Of Eight Home Burglaries In Clarkstown, Orangetown And Ramapo

Clarkstown police report they arrested Alejandro Cruz, 43, of Staten Island on Wednesday afternoon in Nanuet and charged him with four home burglaries in Nanuet and New City that involved cash and jewelry.  Orangetown and Ramapo police investigators interviewed Cruz and were planning to charge him in connection with one Orangetown break-in and three in Ramapo. Police report Cruz will be charged with eight burglaries. He is currently being held for arraignment in Clarkstown Justice Court.

Sgt. Jo Anne Fratianni said Cruz walking on Grandview Avenue in Nanuet on Wednesday afternoon at 4:20 p.m. when a detective on the department’s burglary task force spoke with him.  The officer noticed he was wearing shoes “consistent with footprints that were left at some of the burglary scenes” and took Cruz to police headquarters for questioning. After further interviewing, police arrested and charged Cruz with four burglaries in Clarkstown: Wilton Circle in New City, and Fenner Lane, South Middletown Road and Grandview Ave in Nanuet.

A home on Grandview Ave was broken into Wednesday. The other burglaries in Clarkstown had occurred over the course of a week. Break-ins on Lafayette Drive and Ellen Street in New City and Rinne Road in Nanuet are still under investigation. A safe was taken from the Lafayette Street residence and police said that appeared to have been done more professionally.

“Ellen Street was not attributed to him,” said Fratianni. “Lafayette Street was not attributed to him.”

The break-in on Rinne Road in Nanuet has not been connected to Cruz.

Fratianni said Cruz, who had been released from jail in November after serving 10 years for burglary, had previously lived in Rockland and had ties to the area. She said he did not have a car, was traveling by bus and moving the area on foot. Fratianni said police think Cruz was committing the break-ins on his own.

Investigators from Orangetown and Ramapo Police investigators also interviewed Cruz and will be charging him with three burglaries in Ramapo and one burglary in Orangetown. The Orangetown break-in took place near Silver Birch Lane and Townline Road in Pearl River, police said.

In response to the break-ins, Clarkstown police initiated a burglary task force, which supplemented the daily patrols with additional patrol officers.