NEW YORK — Five boys living in a Long Island youth center now face charges after breaking windows at a string of Syosset businesses Tuesday.
Nassau County Police responded to the area of Cold Spring Road for a report of glass breaking at a long list of businesses, including a bakery, dry cleaner, sushi place, pharmacy and wine store.
The investigation ultimately ended at the Mercy First facility on Convent Road, where police arrested five teenagers.
A boy and a girl, both 16, now face eight third-degree robbery charges and will be arraigned on Wednesday. Police said the boy was previously arrested on May 31 and June 3 on other robbery charges.
Three more children, a 15-year-old girl and two 14-year-old boys, also face eight third-degree robbery charges and are due in Family Court later this month.
Once again, the arrests are drawing attention to Mercy First, which has seen a massive increase in fugitives in recent years.
In the first nine months of 2021, more than 180 escaped from the center for abused and neglected children, more than double the previous year. Over the past month, Nassau County authorities have publicly reported at least a dozen other cases of missing children.
Under pressure from neighbors and local authorities to do more, the facility released a statement last year saying “we work closely with local authorities to ensure that children placed here can benefit from our care, remain safe and when Get off campus, come back. No danger.”
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