By Jeff Lipton
The boy said he wanted to stay inside the 1998 Ford Expedition to listen to the radio as his 43-year-old parents went shopping inside Glatt Farm, a fruits and vegetables store, at 292 Central Avenue, according to Detective Sergeant Daniel Sheehan of the Fourth Squad.
Investigators said the boy was confronted by two men at 7 P.M. Wednesday, Nov. 29. One man knocked on the window with his hand, and when the boy rolled down the window, officials said, the man told him to "Get out of the car or I'll shoot you," Sergeant Sheehan said. But no weapon was displayed, the sergeant added.
The boy complied with the man and jumped out of the vehicle. A second man then jumped into the driver's seat as the first man leaped into the passenger side, officials said.
The carjackers then sped eastbound through the parking lot toward Washington Avenue, police said. The boy ran to where his parents were shopping, told them what had happened, and they called police.
"The mother and father were on line here," said a clerk at Glatt Farm, who did not want to be identified. "Their son ran to them and said somebody came with a gun and they took the car.
"They then called 911, and police came very fast. They were here within two minutes," the clerk said.
No one was reported injured in the carjacking. "Thank God, no one was injured," said Sergeant Sheehan. "It was traumatic for the child, I'm sure.
"They [the carjackers] saw the opportunity," the sergeant added. "They saw a kid sitting inside with the keys in the ignition."
Police said there is no legal statute for a carjacking and are investigating it as a robbery. Sergeant Sheehan said there have been no recent patterns of carjackings in the Five Towns. "Carjackings are [now] very unusual for down here," he said.
A state law that went into effect five years ago stiffens the penalty for a carjacking. Those arrested and convicted of the crime can serve up to 15 years in prison. Previously, the punishment was a maximum of seven years. The law was co-sponsored by State Senator Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach).
The Five Towns was hit with a spate of carjackings throughout the 1990s, which prompted the legislators to push for the law.
But, according to Assemblyman Weisenberg, the carjackers apparently are not getting the message.
"I would hope that people would be aware of it, and that when you do the crime, you do the time," said the assemblyman, who had spent 10 years on the Long Beach police force. "We doubled the penalty to send a message.
"It's a more serious crime and should have severe penalties. We wanted stricter penalties so it can be considered preventative. But most criminals don't really take the time to investigate the penalties that they could get for committing that crime."
Both robbers were described as black men. One is between 25 and 30 years old, about 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, and had a goatee and deep voice. He was wearing a brown suede, hooded jacket, police said. The second was described as 28 to 30 years old, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black work boots, police said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
