Rockville Centre names its cop of the month

Police Officer Elliott Vega was named “Cop of the Month” by the Rockville Centre Police Department for his arrest of three subjects on charges of attempted grand larceny. One of the defendants was later confirmed as an MS-13 gang member.

Officer Vega was on routine patrol on March 25 at 1:23 a.m. when he observed two young men getting into a double parked Pontiac minivan in Municipal Parking Field 21 on North Oceanside Road. As he approached the vehicle, it sped north at a high rate of speed, intentionally passing the stop sign as it exited the parking field. After a brief pursuit, the vehicle came to a stop.

Once assisting officers arrived on scene, Officer Vega returned to where he had seen the minivan double parked and discovered a Honda Civic with a five-ton hydraulic jack under it, small boulders positioned under the frame and the lug nuts off all four of its wheels.

Eight lug nuts missing from the Honda were recovered from the minivan along with three tire irons, a pair of mechanics gloves, a cordless drill and other tools, a baseball bat next to the driver’s seat, and a BB gun under a child seat. The events fit a pattern crime that was under investigation by special units of the Nassau County Police Department.

The three subjects were arrested and charged with attempted grand larceny, petit larceny and possession of burglar tools. The driver was also charged with multiple vehicle and traffic law offenses.

Police Commissioner Chuck Gennario recounted the arrests at the April 11 village board meeting and commended Officer Vega for his “diligence, dedication to duty and highly professional conduct” in naming him Cop of the Month.