by Tiffany Razzano
Detectives reported that Willie Vanderhall, 48, entered the home through a first-floor window and ransacked the master bedroom.
A resident of Dartmouth Street called Rockville Centre police at 10:49 a.m., reporting a suspicious man in the driveway of the home and giving police a description, according to village spokesman Jeff Kluewer. Rockville Centre Police Detective Michael Norwood observed a man fitting the description while he was canvassing the area. When the suspect saw the police car, he fled through a nearby backyard.
Rockville Centre and Lynbrook police as well as the Nassau County Police Department's Aviation and Canine 1 unit responded to the scene. The police dog eventually discovered Vanderhall hiding under bushes in the front yard of a home on Princeton Street.
During the two hours police searched for the suspect, the Rockville Centre School District was in lockdown mode, according to the superintendent's office. All schools except for Riverside Elementary School were locked down until around 1 p.m. The doors were locked, as they always are, and students were not permitted to leave school buildings, even for recess.
Karen Rendine, who lives near the corner of Burtis Avenue and Princeton Street, said she saw the suspect running back and forth through her backyard. She said he hid behind her garage for a while before jumping through the dense bushes that separate her backyard from the front yard of the Princeton Street home at which he was discovered. "It was kind of scary," she said. "I heard the helicopters before I figured out something was going on. I was on the phone at the time. To see a man running through your yard is scary. This just shows it can happen anywhere."
"It's a little unnerving," said Greg Prunty, a resident of nearby Hamilton Street. "I stood outside [during the police search]. I walked around to make sure my house was secure." Prunty said that he overheard police on radios saying they thought Vanderhall might have attempted to rob a house on Princeton, because they found its door wide open. Prunty also said he was very impressed by the police work. "I've got to say, they were coordinated very well," he said.
After he was taken into custody, Vanderhall was charged with second-degree burglary and was arraigned in 1st District Court in Hempstead on Oct. 14. Police also discovered that he was wanted on an open warrant from the Bergen County, N.J., sheriff.
Comments about this story? TRazzano@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
