A late night intrusion has shaken a quiet Nassau County village after a woman woke in the middle of the night to find two strangers standing in her kitchen. The break in, in the well kept community of East Hills, ended with the men fleeing and a thousand dollars in cash gone, leaving residents on edge and prompting a warning from the village mayor about home and vehicle security.
Police say the incident unfolded just before four o'clock in the morning on Monday at a home on Melby Lane. According to investigators, a 38 year old woman who lives there went downstairs after hearing a garage door sensor go off, an alert that something was not right that prompted her to investigate while it was still dark outside.
What she found was alarming. Downstairs, the woman came face to face with two men inside her kitchen. She screamed for help, and the intruders turned and ran from the house, ending the confrontation as quickly as it had begun but leaving the resident badly shaken by the encounter in her own home in the early morning hours.
Police believe the two men she saw were not acting alone. Investigators say three men in total are thought to be responsible for the break in. Before fleeing, the intruders made off with a thousand dollars in cash, the haul that authorities have so far tied to the overnight incident as they work to identify everyone involved.
For people in the village, the setting offered a clue to the motive. East Hills is known for its nice homes and expensive cars, and residents believe that is exactly what the suspects were after. Officers spent the early hours scouring the area for any clues that might help track down those responsible for the brazen overnight visit.
In the wake of the break in, the mayor of East Hills is urging homeowners to take basic precautions. The message to the community was to lock their cars and their doors, simple steps meant to make homes and vehicles less of an easy target after an intrusion that caught a sleeping household off guard.
Neighbors expressed unease at how close the danger had come. One said they could not imagine waking to such a scene and would worry first about their own and their family's safety. The advice passing between residents was straightforward: lock up, pay attention, and leave the lights on so homes do not sit dark and inviting at night.