Police: Central Nyack Teen With $1,200 Debt To Drug Dealer Charged In Thefts From Nyack Cars

A 17-year-old resident of Central Nyack who told police he needed cash to pay a $1,200 debt to a drug dealer is suspected in thefts from cars in Nyack, according to .

The teen, whose name was not released by police, was arrested about 2:51 a.m. today in connection with a theft from a car in the parking lot of the Cleremont condominiums, 3 Main St., Nyack, after police received a complaint from a condo resident that items were taken from her .

The resident told police that credit cards, her driver’s license, $40 cash, keys and a camera were stolen between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 1:30 a.m. today. Just over an hour later, an Orangetown police officer spotted the 17-year-old from Central Nyack standing next to a bicycle on North Broadway and Second Avenue in Nyack. When the officer approached the teen, police said the teen got on the bike and started to ride away.

Police said that when the 17-year-old got off the bike he threw a black plastic bag to the ground. The bag, police said, contained the missing items from the car at the Cleremont condos.

The teen was taken to Orangetown police headquarters in Orangeburg, where police said he admitted taking items from two unlocked vehicles in Nyack, including the one at Cleremont. Police also learned that the bicycle used by the teen was stolen from a homeowner in South Nyack and that the teen was carrying prescription pills belonging to another person.

While being interviewed by detectives, police said the teen said the thefts in Nyack were prompted by a $1,200 debt he owes to a drug dealer. Orangetown and Piermont police are currently investigating a rash of other similar thefts in the area.

The teenager is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, petty larceny and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

He was arraigned by Nyack Judge Robert Knoebel and ordered held in the Rockland County Correctional Center in New City on $5,000 bail pending a hearing in .

The recent thefts led to a warning from Orangetown police that residents in the area should lock their car doors to help prevent thefts from vehicles that are unattended.