Four men from Newark, New Jersey, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a burglary ring that targeted homes across Nassau County, including residences in Woodmere, Lawrence, Hewlett Harbor and Franklin Square, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
The defendants — Jawaun Whitted, 24, Fazon Farrington, 21, Furquan Ahmad, 22, and Raquil Hayes, 23 — admitted participating in a string of attempted and completed burglaries between December 2023 and January 2024. Prosecutors said the group focused on stealing luxury vehicles by entering homes during overnight hours and taking key fobs.
Ahmad was sentenced on June 2 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of second-degree burglary and criminal possession of a weapon. Whitted and Farrington each previously received 10-year prison sentences, while Hayes was sentenced to 3½ years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the crew attempted to burglarize more than a dozen homes across Nassau County communities, including Woodmere, Lawrence, Franklin Square and Hewlett Harbor.
One of the largest thefts occurred Dec. 23, 2023, at a home on Magnolia Drive in Franklin Square. Authorities said Ahmad, Whitted and Farrington entered the residence and stole a 2024 BMW valued at approximately $130,000 and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz worth about $88,000 after forcing entry through a window.
Less than two weeks later, on Jan. 4, 2024, Ahmad and Whitted entered a home on Ocean Avenue in Lawrence through an open rear sliding door. Prosecutors said the pair stole keys to a BMW X7, valued at more than $50,000, along with personal property from the residence. A Range Rover parked in the driveway was also taken.
On Jan. 8, 2024, prosecutors said Ahmad, Whitted and Farrington entered a home on Park Lane in Woodmere through a kitchen window and stole a BMW 760 valued at approximately $130,000 after locating the vehicle's key fob inside the residence.
The burglary pattern extended back to July 2023. Prosecutors said Whitted and Ahmad entered a Hewlett Harbor home through an unlocked rear sliding door and stole cash, an Audi key fob and other items. The homeowners confronted the intruders, who fled in a 2023 Audi RS6 worth roughly $170,000.
District Attorney Donnelly said the defendants operated as part of a burglary crew that traveled between New York and New Jersey, targeting homes during the overnight hours while searching for vehicle keys and luxury automobiles.
The crime spree came to an end on Jan. 13, 2024, after an attempted burglary in Lake Success. Authorities said the four defendants fled in a BMW sedan and crashed into a Lake Success Police Department vehicle before attempting to escape on foot.
Police apprehended the suspects and recovered a loaded Glock handgun from the getaway vehicle. Investigators said the weapon was equipped with a "Glock switch," an illegal device that converts a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm.
“These defendants went on a holiday season burglary spree, targeting homes across Nassau County in the middle of the night and focusing their theft on high-end vehicles,” Donnelly wrote in a statement. She urged residents to lock doors and windows, avoid leaving keys in vehicles and consider installing security cameras and alarm systems.
The case was investigated by the Lake Success Police Department and the Nassau County Police Department's Burglary Pattern Squad and prosecuted by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.
