Burglar Strikes 2 Homes In Quiet New Hyde Park, Long Island

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Neighbors in New Hyde Park, Long Island were locking their doors Friday night after two home burglaries.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, they were the first in the village in nearly 30 years.

The burglar chose one New Hyde Park home that police said was unoccupied at the time, jumping onto a rabbit cage and shimmying through an open window.

Next door, Eder Remitio looked on in horror. And she credited Daniel Anthony, who lives across the street, as a hero.

"I'm very lucky to have him as a neighbor," Remitio said.

Across the street, Anthony heard a shout.

"There was guy coming out all dressed in black, and he was just running, and ran past one of the neighbors walking the dog, and just had something like folded in his jacket or something, and he was sprinting," Anthony said.

Police said the suspect, apparently not satisfied with his initial haul, ran from Evergreen Lane past a school that had just let out for the day. He made his way to Blossom Lane, hopped up from the rear stoop, and squeezed into a window, police said.

By that time, other neighbors had spotted a suspicious getaway car moving in.

"It looked like an older Camry. It had like a wing – an after-market wing -- on the back, on the trunk of the car. It was gold-looking. And on the front driver's side fender, it was all scratched up," said New Hyde Park homeowner Michael Guastella.

The car fled the scene as another neighbor snapped a photo.

"The guy parked his car down there, and so they took a picture of the license plate, so that was a good thing," said Ronnie Haggerty of New Hyde Park.

Neighbors in the community could not recall the last time there was a burglary. Police said crime is rare in New Hyde Park.

"Everybody looks out for one another, which is nice and comforting," said Judy Gennaro. She said the tight-knit nature of the community "hopefully" could lead to an arrest of the suspect.

Due to witnesses and homeowners swift responses, Nassau County police said they have great leads in their active investigation.

Nassau County police said when homeowners are away, they should leave lights on and use motion detectors.