Alleged would-be burglar arraigned after being stopped by neighbors

A cellphone video taken from a distance caught Frank Beinlich – who is homeless – being arrested on Gladysz Way in Port Jefferson.

News 12 Staff

Jul 2, 2019, 4:09 PM

Updated 1,989 days ago

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An alleged would-be burglar was in court Tuesday after being arrested by police on Sunday.
A cellphone video taken from a distance caught Frank Beinlich – who is homeless – being arrested on Gladysz Way in Port Jefferson.
Three neighbors say they saw Beinlich carrying a safe out of their neighbor’s house, trying to get into a cab.
They tackled him and held him until cops arrived.
Hours before his arrest, police suspect Beinlich and a second man were also the two people stopped in a stolen car, but took off after being pulled over.
Joe Montebello, the fiancé of the owner of the stolen SUV, showed News 12 surveillance video back from June 25, where there appears to be three men stealing the vehicle from their home on Vivian Lane in Lake Grove.
Montebello says the search for the car led him to find out that several other people in Lake Grove and nearby Stony Brook had their cars broken into that night.
Beinlich was arraigned for criminal possession of the stolen car and burglary. The prosecutor says he had eight prior misdemeanor convictions, four prior felonies and was on parole for a grand larceny during the time of the incident.
Beinlich has not been charged with the car break-ins.
He was seen saying “I’m innocent” to News 12 cameras prior to his arraignment.
Beinlich’s bail was set at more than $30,000, and he will be sent back upstate for violating his parole.
His court-appointed attorney declined to comment.