A local man has been arrested in connection with a string of car break-ins in the town and village.
Chase T. Wintjen, 33, led town police on a brief pursuit late Sunday night before they caught up with him. He faces several charges.
Social media began buzzing about a week ago with word that vehicles had been broken into around North Main Street, some even in the shadow of East Hampton Village police headquarters.
Village police confirmed this week that a Nissan parked in the lot next to East Hampton Grill had been rifled through on the night of Oct. 19. The car’s owner, who works at the restaurant, told officers she saw the man rummaging through her belongings and confronted him. She described him as a white man around six feet tall, “wearing dark pants and a black hooded sweatshirt.”
By the time police arrived, he had disappeared up North Main Street. Nothing was missing from the car, the owner said.
Less than an hour later, near an estate management firm called Fifth & Dune on Pantigo Road, a tall figure “wearing black shoes, black pants, and a black hooded sweatshirt” was spotted on a Ring camera near a parked car that was just out of the camera’s view. Nothing was missing from the car, but its owner called police the next day and provided Ring camera footage.
Detective Sgt. Jennifer Dunn said Monday that both incidents have now been tied to Mr. Wintjen, although neither of those car owners pressed charges.
However, village police did charge the man with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, after one of their officers was at the start of Sunday’s pursuit and arrest. That officer had spotted Mr. Wintjen “rummaging through a vehicle” on Floyd Street, and tackled him to the ground. He reported that the man “physically resisted arrest by refusing to place his hands behind his back.” The officer was later taken to Stony Brook East Hampton’s Emergency Department, where he was evaluated for injuries to his hand, arm, shoulder, and neck.
Town police, who had initially been called to a report of an attempted car break-in on Springs-Fireplace Road, got the Floyd Street report, raced to the scene, and requested the village’s help in apprehending Mr. Wintjen. He ran from them, and a foot chase began.
Once they caught up with him, police said they found items that they said were taken from another car, on Spinner Lane.
Town police believe Mr. Wintjen is responsible for several larceny investigations, ongoing since first being reported on Oct. 20. Those incidents include a theft from a motor vehicle on Willow Lane off North Main Street and thefts from Windmill Village apartments, in addition to the Spinner Lane report.
Town police have charged the suspect with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony; two counts of petty larceny, and three counts of criminal possession of stolen property, both misdemeanors.
Police have asked that anyone who believes they may have been a victim or who has information in connection with any of the thefts to contact them on their non-emergency line.
Mr. Wintjen was arraigned in Town Justice Court on Monday by Justice David Filer, who released him on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Nov. 25. The felony charge against him carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
In other town police reports, Jose L. Mejia-Albarracin, 58, of Springs was charged last week with felony sexual abuse of children, stemming from incidents they say took place in 2016, 2018, and 2019. The alleged victims were 6 and 14 at the time; the abuse was disclosed to someone who reported the information to Child Protective Services.
Police said the younger child had been abused on “multiple occasions” between February 2016 and September 2019. The 14-year-old was allegedly abused over a two-month period in 2016.
The suspect is charged with second-degree sexual conduct against a child, a felony; two counts of third-degree sexual assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors. The felony charge carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence, along with three to 10 years’ probation and mandatory inclusion on the sex offenders registry.
Mr. Mejia-Albarracin was arraigned by Justice Steven Tekulsky, who remanded him to the county jail in Riverside.