By Jeff Lipton
Police fanned out throughout the community in search of the suspect and an alleged lookout, and three hours after the attack at the Dolphin Drive home, plainclothes police officers found them hiding inside bushes at a home on Woodmere Boulevard, police said.
The attacker was identified as Jorge Contreras, 32, of Sherman Avenue in Brooklyn. Contreras apparently was familiar with the home because he had done some bulkhead repairs in the backyard, police said. His lookout was identified as Michael Washington, 22, of Crescent Street in Brooklyn.
According to investigators, Contreras and Washington pulled up to the home in a livery cab at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, said Det. Lt. Gregory Detwiller, commanding officer of the Fourth Squad. Contreras jumped out of the cab as Washington waited behind as a lookout, Detwiller said.
Contreras knocked on the door, which was answered by the housekeeper. He told her he returned to retrieve a piece of equipment he had left behind. But the housekeeper refused to let him in and called the homeowner at his job. The homeowner told her not to let him in, and as she was handing the suspect the phone, he pulled a black handgun from his waistband and held his finger to his lips, ordering the woman to be silent, Detwiller said.
The gunman then demanded the woman point him to a safe. But she told him she did not know what he was talking about because she had been working there only three weeks, detectives said.
The gunman then ransacked the bedrooms in search of the safe, police said, and when he could not find it, he dragged the woman to an upstairs master bedroom, where he sexually abused and sodomized her, police said.
After several terrifying minutes for the woman, Washington shouted up at Contreras that someone was coming. The homeownerÕs wife and daughter were returning to the house, so the suspects fled.
[Contreras] had worked on the house for some time, Detwiller said. He had knowledge of this house. He did some bulkhead work. He said the robber demanded a piece of equipment he had left behind on a tractor, which was at the back of the property.
Detwiller said the community is extremely affluent and out-of-the-way, and someone unfamiliar with the area would not readily be able to find the waterfront home.
An intense manhunt for the suspects led two plainclothes officers to Woodmere Boulevard, where the suspects were captured after a short pursuit on foot. They were then brought back to the crime scene, where they were positively identified. They were charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, first-degree sodomy and second-degree aggravated sexual abuse. Contreras was additionally charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Police said they were looking for a few items that were taken from the home and had not been recovered. They were also seeking a San Diego Padres baseball jacket worn by one of the suspects, which had been discarded during the search. Anyone with information on these items is urged to call detectives at 573-6452.
WeÕre asking anybody who may find something between Dolphin Drive and Woodmere Boulevard to call us, Detwiller said. A jacket used by one of the subjects, who shed his clothes, and various other items some jewelry and some other items.
We believe the subject was wearing the jacket and dropped it, but we donÕt know where.
The May 21 push-in robbery and sexual attack stunned long-time residents of the community. This is a very, very, very safe area, said Aaron Kagan, a member of the Hewlett Neck Board of Trustees and the villageÕs police commissioner. This has never occurred in Hewlett Neck before.
It was work-related somebody was doing work at the home, he added.
Kagan applauded the Fourth Precinct police for acting quickly and catching the suspects. My compliments to the Fourth Precinct, he said. They did an excellent job. They responded quickly and caught them.
This is a very peaceful neighborhood. The crime is shocking, but weÕre feeling much better [that the suspects are in custody]. Residents can relax and enjoy their neighborhood.
