Police: Man, woman arrested for string of burglaries at Suffolk businesses; donations stolen from 1 spot
Police say the duo was arrested around 6:15 p.m. Monday for burglarizing five businesses since Thursday.
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Police say a man and a woman have been arrested following a string of burglaries in Suffolk County.
According to police, the duo was arrested around 6:15 p.m. Monday for burglarizing five businesses since Thursday.
Following an investigation by detectives, Ralph Pergola and Kristin Allen were identified as having committed multiple burglaries between Oct. 19 and Oct. 23.
During each burglary, police say the pair broke the glass front door of the business and stole money from a register.
VIDEO: Surveillance video from inside Setauket Village Diner
Workers at Better on a Bagel Express in Coram tell News 12 the burglars stole from a breast cancer charity donation jar that was chained to the counter.
Better on a Bagel Express employee Chris Derosa said it isn't the first time the business has experienced a burglary. They leave the cash registers empty and open at night to avoid them being broken and smashed. The donation jar was also chained to the counter and contained a small amount of change.
Derosa added, "it's awful. I guess you never know. Desperate people, desperate times.
Constantinos Drepanioris owns the Setauket Village Diner and had set up his business similarly. With no cash in the register, the burglars made off with $100 in change and an iPad, which Drepanioris said was recovered during their arrest.
In his 27 years of owning the diner he's never experienced a break-in.
He said, "It's sad society has gotten to this point. These people obviously need help. This is what they're reverting to, $100 break-ins," Drepanioris said.
The following businesses were affected:
Setauket Village Diner in East Setauket on Oct. 19
Café Spiga in Mt. Sinai on Oct. 19
Barcode Smoke Shop and Hookah in Centereach on Oct. 21
Port Smoke & Vape Shop in Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 22
Better on a Bagel Express in Coram on October 23
Pergola, 44, and Allen, 35, both undomiciled, were each charged with five counts of burglary in the third degree.
Anyone with information on these burglaries is asked to contact the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.
