By Angela Marshall, Karenlyn Barone and Jennifer Marino
The Oceanside robbery, which took place on Sept. 15, appears to have been the first in a string of similar crimes, all of which occurred while people were walking or sitting on quiet residential streets. Frank Kulish, 21, of Oceanside was attacked while walking on Bayside Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. He was approached by three men, one of whom asked for a cigarette. A second man grabbed the victim and threw him to the ground. The third subject, wearing a black rag to hide his identity, produced a silver handgun and struck the victim on the right side of the head with it. The robbers stole an undisclosed amount of cash, a cell phone and Kulish's wallet before fleeing the scene. The victim was taken to Long Beach Hospital, were he was treated for a laceration to his head and released.
A Rockville Centre couple, identified only as a husband and wife in their 30s, were approached by a group of Hispanic men in their late teens to early 20s near the corner of South Lewis Place and Rutland Avenue at about 9 p.m. on Sept. 18. At least one of the men had a gun and another a knife, and one of the men was also described as wearing a black cloth to disguise himself. The husband was attacked and struck on the back of the head with an unknown object. After taking his wallet, the perpetrators fled in a tan SUV, traveling eastbound on Rutland. The husband received treatment for a head laceration at Mercy Medical Center. His wife was not hurt or robbed.
A few hours later, a Lynbrook man was fatally shot and stabbed near his home. Neighbors reported seeing a similar SUV with a group of four to five Hispanics in the neighborhood around the time of the murder, according to police.
We are re-interviewing the victims of the Rockville Centre incident, and we are hoping to get a much more detailed description of the assailants, said Detective Lt. Dennis Farrell, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Homicide Squad, during a press conference last Friday. From that we are going to see how much of a link we have between the two cases. At this time, it certainly appears there may be a link, but it will be some time before we know that categorically.
During a later press conference Farrell announced the possibility that all four cases might be linked.
The Lynbrook victim was Anthony Battaglia, a 37-year-old mechanical engineer with a business in Manhattan. He was discovered by his wife near the rear door of their house at 3 Sunset Ave. at about 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 19.
Battaglia generally walked home from the Lynbrook train station, and when he failed to arrive home, his wife opened the back door and found him on the ground. We believe the assault took place on the street and somehow he managed, before he died, to get to the rear of his house, which was his habit, Farrell continued.
Approximately 40 minutes earlier, people in the neighborhood heard voices, some yelling, and one person even reported hearing what they thought was a shot being fired, Farrell said. A police car responding to a 911 call was dispatched to the area but saw no sign of a disturbance, and left.
Battaglia was shot on the left side, just above his hip, and stabbed twice in the lower abdomen. He also sustained other injuries to the head and upper torso consistent with a physical assault, according to police. It does not appear that he was robbed, but police say they believe robbery was the motive for the attack.
There is no clear-cut evidence at this point that there is a gang responsible for this [the Rockville Centre robbery] or any of the other incidents, Farrell said during the follow-up press conference on Sept. 22.
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi announced that a $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the Lynbrook murder. I have directed Police Commissioner James Lawrence to do Ôwhatever is necessary' to find these cowards who apparently murdered an innocent man, Suozzi said. I understand that we have our detectives, our bureau of special operations, other law enforcement agencies, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Long Beach and MTA Police all working on this case.
The Long Beach robbery took place on the 300 block of West Penn Street, a residential neighborhood about a half-mile from the Long Island Rail Road station, on Sept. 17. Long Beach Police officials said the robbery had a few similarities to the other crimes. For example, it took place in the evening, after dark and near the victim's home. According to LBPD executive officer Lt. Greg Salter, the similarities of the attack and the general description of the perpetrators tweaked the interest of Nassau investigators.
The Long Beach victim had a cell phone stolen and was possibly roughed up a little, according to Salter, but did not suffer any major injuries.
Police are looking for people to help with the investigation. Other people may have been accosted by these people and not reported it, Farrell said.
Police are asking anyone who was out Thursday night and may have seen the SUV to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Rockville Centre reacts
It's a shame; it really, really is, said Mary Bossart, a village trustee who lives within a few doors of the Rockville Centre couple. She said the neighborhood is filled with people who walk in the evenings. The only reason she didn't take a walk that night, she said, was the talk of hurricane Isabel. You always have to be aware of your surroundings, she added.
Other neighbors of the Rockville Centre couple said the area was shaken up by the robbery. Two women, who wouldn't give their names, said they were trying to be more cautious and aware of their surroundings.
Mayor Eugene Murray spoke about the crimes at the Village Board of Trustee meeting Monday. He wanted to assure residents that everything that can be done to catch the perpetrators of these crimes is being done.
The crime on Rutland was random in nature, he said. It did not fit any prior pattern; and there is no crime trend in our Village. Quite the opposite. Last week's crime was a random, violent, stupid act.
The mayor said violent crimes in Rockville Centre are low this year. In 1992, the village had 24 robberies and 48 assaults. Ten years later, that rate has dropped 40 percent to 14 robberies and 27 assaults in 2003.
Crime overall is down from 1,600 cases in 1991 to 1,000 cases in 2003, he said. While these statistics are a great achievement, the crime rate will never be zero. It is still possible, though unlikely that our residents can become the victims of a crime. Sadly, this is a reality we must all live with.
I don't think it has anything to do with neighborhood, said Ed McDougal, who lives on South Lewis. He said it could have been two blocks away or two miles away as was the case with the Lynbrook incident. He also said, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
It's scary, but it's not going to change the way I live, he continued. Mostly, he said, he and his family are going to be a little more watchful.
