By Jeff Lipton
Detectives are searching for a group of safe crackers who kidnapped a 73-year-old Valley Stream maintenance man in Lynbrook last weekend, and drove him to a travel agency in Woodmere, where he was forced to shut the alarm and open the door, authorities said.
The kidnappers then used a blow torch to open a safe in the travel agency and they grabbed "a considerable amount" of cash before taking a smaller safe with them, officials said. The total haul was not immediately known, said Detective Sergeant James Tilton of the Fifth Squad in Lynbrook.
The incident began on Sunday, September 3, at 8:10 A.M., when the victim was leaving a real estate office, located at 317 Merrick Road in Lynbrook, after he was finished cleaning the realty office, police said. The victim runs his own maintenance business and was about to return to his Valley Stream home when he was abducted by four or five males, detectives said.
"He had just finished cleaning the offices and was putting his stuff in the car," said Detective Ed Rogan of the Fifth Squad. "As he was getting into the driver's side of the car, four or five guys pulled him into a van.
"Apparently, they were waiting for him," Detective Rogan said.
The victim, whose name was withheld by police, was tied up and held in the back of the van as they drove him to Wood-Hew Travel Ltd., located at 1004 Central Avenue in Woodmere, where he also worked as a maintenance man, authorities said. They untied the victim and demanded that he use his key to open the front door and turn off the alarm to the building, the Fifth Squad said.
The 73-year-old victim complied with their demands, police said. The only weapon that was displayed was a knife the men used to cut the tape on the victim, Detective Rogan said. They did threaten him with harm if the alarm went off, the detective added.
Once inside the Wood-Hew Travel Ltd., the victim was again tied up, as his captors worked on opening the main safe of the business, officials said. They used a blow torch to pop the safe open, and had to wait until it cooled down from the heat before they could grab anything, detectives said. "They then took the money inside," said Sergeant Tilton. "It was a considerable amount of cash."
They then found a smaller safe, which they took with them, detectives said. It contained personal papers, non-negotiable items and coins from a coin collection, detectives added.
The victim was left in the travel agency as the men ran out of a back door and took the key to the front door with them. When the maintenance worker heard them leave, he ran out of the building and sought help at the Woodmere Fire Department, which is located across the street. Fire officials then called police. From the time he was abducted until the men escaped with the safe, more than two hours had elapsed, Sergeant Tilton said.
When police arrived, the safe was still smoldering from the blow torch, said Jodi Hersh, a co-owner of Wood-Hew Travel Ltd. "It looked like they tried to blow torch everything," she said. "It looked like a bomb hit the place. They worked on the safe for hours and barely got a hole in it.
"Thank God, the man was not injured badly," said Ms. Hersh, who has known the worker for 20 years. "The whole thing is just very scary."
The victim was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where he was treated for chest pains and cuts and bruises he sustained when they threw him into the van, Detective Rogan said. He was recuperating at home, police said. "He was roughed up during the abduction," Sergeant Tilton said. Police said the victim could not get a good description of the abductors or the van.
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.
