By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
After the cleaning crew reported sounds coming from the cockloft -- the space between the true ceiling and the drop ceiling -- in Waldbaum's around 2 a.m. Monday morning, the Long Beach Police Department arrived to check things out. Just minutes after police arrived, an alleged burglar crashed though the drop ceiling. The suspect spilled into the lobby, trapped between the entrance and exit, where police said they waited to make the arrest.
But after the approximate 20-foot fall, police said, the suspect sustained a collapsed lung and "just laid there." He was transported to the Long Beach Medical Center.
Police officer Kelly Graham arrested William J. Yungandras, 37, of Island Park. He was charged with third-degree burglary, a felony, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.
If convicted, Yungandras faces up to seven years in prison for the burglary charge and up to a year in jail for the possession charge.
Graham was assisted by officer Michael Korbut, Sgt. Stefan Chernaski and Det. Mark Stark.
Long Beach Police said the suspect was arrested without incident, and they're still investigating how he gained entrance to the ceiling. The suspect had a prior conviction for burglarizing a McDonald's in 1990, police said.
Meanwhile, police are investigating a rash of recent commercial burglaries in Long Beach, which include John Henry's American Grill, the Baja Bar & Grille, the Tiki Bar and Vito's Italian Restaurant. An investigation is ongoing, police said, as to whether those crimes are linked to additional burglaries in the area.
In response to the burglaries, Police Commissioner John Laffey has instituted a plainclothes patrol. Meanwhile, police said, Yungandras was arraigned bedside on Monday, Feb. 24, at Long Beach Medical Center.
