By Jeff Lipton
One homeowner who refused to let the troublemakers get away with it chased their car and led police to them. As a result, two suspects were arrested that night and two others, a male and a female, are being sought -- with all four believed to be students at Nassau Community College, detectives said. A fifth occupant of the car the homeowner followed was not involved in the destruction and therefore was not charged, police said.
The two suspects who were arrested were identified as Daniel Moskovitz, 20, of Revere Road in Roslyn and Jared Corbett, 19, of Smith Street in Franklin Square.
"These people belong to an unorganized group and are students at the college," said Detective Lt. Larry Feffer of the 4th Squad. "The college has been in recess, and once that is over we're hoping to find the identity of the others. We're going to arrest two more once we get a positive I.D. on them."
Armed with knives and replica swords, the suspected mischief-makers sliced up decorative and inflatable lawn displays while driving around in a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva, 4th Squad detectives said. They were cruising around, looking for random targets to puncture on the lawns of homes in Island Park and Harbor Isle, detectives added. They targeted two homes on Warwick Boulevard and one on Waterford Road, and the victims included a Santa, a Rudolph and a toy soldier, which were worth $100 to $150 apiece, according to a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Police Department.
Asked about a possible motive, Feffer said, "For whatever reason, they just wanted to slay Santa." He added that the vandalism was not limited to Christmas decorations: An inflated menorah lawn decoration was also targeted. "They were a multi-ethnic slayer," Feffer said, explaining that the vandalism did not rise to the level of a bias crime.
Feffer said that the suspects initially drove around Garden City, apparently looking for mischief, but couldn't find any targets. They ended up getting lost and found themselves traveling south on Grand Avenue in Baldwin, he said. They then drove to Oceanside Road in Oceanside, where they damaged some displays, before working their way to Island Park, Feffer added. Police could not say how many Oceanside Road decorations were damaged.
The homeowner who saw the suspects damaging his decorations and jumped in his car to give chase lives in Oceanside, and he followed their car on Warwick Road, Feffer said. The getaway vehicle jumped a curb, which caused its left front tire to go flat on Austin Boulevard in Island Park. The suspects then pulled into a gas station, and the victim told police where they could be found. Moskovitz and Corbett were soon arrested.
"They stopped to examine their tire, and the homeowner pulled up behind them and got police over there by calling 911," Feffer said.
The two were each charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, and were released on appearance tickets, scheduled to return to First District Court in Hempstead on Jan. 3, police said. Two others fled the car on foot, police said.
The blow-up menorah belonged to Barbra Rubin-Perry, president of both Island Park's Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis, who was not home at the time of the destruction. "At first I thought it was an ant-Semitic act or a hate crime," said Rubin-Perry, whose home was the only one targeted on Waterford Road. "When I called police, I heard they did the same thing to Santa. We were very concerned and scared. The scariest part is that they had weapons, and that two are still on the loose is a little disquieting and nerve-wracking.
"These are college kids -- they should know better," Rubin-Perry added. "What were they thinking? I'm sure their parents are very proud."
Mary Esposito, who has lived on Waterford Road for 17 years, said she had inflatable decorations on her lawn as well, but was one of the lucky ones whose property remained untouched. "It's ridiculous, maliciousness and completely unacceptable," Esposito said of the vandalism. "I thought this was pretty much a safe neighborhood. I was blown away when I heard about it."
Esposito said she hopes to see more police patrols in her neighborhood now. "We really don't see enough of them over here," she said.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
