Over $90K in eyeware stolen from Americana

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Two men wielding crowbars stole some $100,000 in luxury eyeglasses Saturday from the Morganthal Frederics at the Americana Mall in Manhasset, police said.

At 5:13 p.m., two suspects walked into the store located at 2110 Northern Blvd. before using their crowbars to remove about 80 pairs of eyeglasses valued at over $90,000 police said.

Both men left the mall in a gray 2018 Subaru would be done by then.

Forester, which was being driven by an unknown man. No injuries were reported at the scene.

The first subject was described as Black, 6 feet tall with a thin build and was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants and sneakers with a pink mask. The second suspect was described as Black with a heavy build, wearing a green shirt, white shorts, gray sneakers and a black mask.

Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call 911 or 1-800-244-TIPS.

“It has come to my attention that some are trying to use this as a wedge issue for their own purposes,” Devane said in a statement. “Rather than discuss this issue, which is two months away, they are choosing to intentionally embarrass the Village.”

The mayor went on to defend Patricia Santomauro, who responded to Panetta’s initial inquiries with Devane’s full approval he said, saying the village was advised the holiday begins at sundown and there were no alternate dates available.

“A great amount of consideration went into this decision as our wish is not to offend anyone. We were advised that the holiest of the holiday is during sundown hours. Also, unfortunately, there are no alternate dates available as the vendors would be attending other street fairs the weekends after the 16th. We do hope those that can join us will,” Santomauro said in full.

Devane said the Panetta letter, which excludes the first sentence from Santomauro’s email to him about not wanting to offend anyone, was “twisted” to make the village look like it doesn’t care about the Jewish community.

Readers Write: Scheduling street fair during Rosh Hashanah an insult to Jews

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Devane, who pointed out “the Village Board is actively discussing other options” for the street fair.

Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, holds significant historical and cultural importance in the Jewish faith. With origins dating back thousands of years, the solemn holiday marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

The Hebrew calendar is a synergy between the solar and lunar calendars, which can lead to holidays being on different days, Chabad of Great Neck Rabbi Osher Kravitsky said.

“Rosh Hashanah is widely celebrated even by the non-religious or non-observant population among the Jewish community,” Kravitsky said. “Most of the community would not be able to attend a street fair because they would be too busy.”

The last time Rosh Hashanah began on Friday was in 2020.