(09/19/06) LINDENHURST - Police arrested a man Tuesday and accused him of running an illegal zoo in his Lindenhurst home.

Police say they found alligators, lizards, emus, electric eels and several other animals in 64-year-old Steve Winkselbaum's home. Roy Gross, of Suffolk police, says he felt like he had walked into a rainforest when he entered the basement. Winkselbaum had so many animals that police needed a mobile animal hospital to transport them all. Winkselbaum, nicknamed "Snake" by his neighbors for his love of reptiles, faces one count of cruelty to animals. Police say additional charges are forthcoming.

The suspected illegal zoo was discovered when one neighbor noticed Winkselbaum bringing large reptiles into his home. The neighbor says she informed the authorities out of concern for the safety of neighborhood children.