Crime & Safety
Long Island Kay Jewelers Robbed In $18,000 Smash-And-Grab: PD
It's a kiss-off that began with Kay. A man broke display cases and snatched jewelry before he was found hiding nearby, police said.
HICKSVILLE, NY — It was a kiss-off that began with Kay.
A bat-wielding homeless man smashed glass display cases and stole $18,000 in jewelry from a Kay Jewelers on Long Island, Nassau County police said.
Detectives said 22-year-old John Hernandez, who has no known address, took out a “small bat and began smashing glass display cases” inside the Broadway Mall-Hicksville location of the popular chain jeweler — known for its “Every kiss begins with Kay” ad campaign — just before 2 p.m. Monday.
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Hernandez stole “numerous pieces of jewelry” and put them into his backpack before running away, detectives said. Police were alerted to Hernandez’s description, and he was later found behind a Maple Place home with the jewelry inside his backpack, detectives said.
No one was injured in the robbery, police said.
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He has been charged with first- and third-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree grand larceny, and false personation, as well as two counts of second-degree criminal mischief.
He was arraigned Tuesday in Mineola. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in a state prison.
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