Police: Man Snatched Car Parts in North Woodmere

An Elmhurst man was arrested and charged Tuesday with stealing the tires and rims off a vehicle parked in North Woodmere, police said.

The victim of the theft was allegedly awakened by his barking dog sometime around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday and discovered that a man later identified as Angel Cruz, 23, was bending down near the victim's Infinity G37 that was parked in the street, according to police. A white Nissan Maxima was also parked in the middle of the street with the lights off, detectives said.

The complainant called 911, and when he turned his exterior house lights on, Cruz allegedly fled in the Maxima, police said. The victim then noticed that two tires and rims valued at $2,400 had been removed from the driver's side of the Infinity.

Soon after, a police officer apparently saw Cruz and his vehicle in the parking lot of the Sephardic Temple on Branch Boulevard. Cruz was arrested and police recovered the tires, rims and lug nuts as well as gloves and a lug wrench, detectives said.

Cruz is charged with grand larceny and possession of burglars' tools. He will be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Tuesday.