3 Brooklyn Men Arrested in Roslyn Heights Burglary

Three Brooklyn men are facing burglary charges after Nassau County police say they hit two Roslyn Heights businesses in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 26, stealing a cash register from one and attempting to loot another before fleeing empty-handed.

For the small business owners along Powerhouse Road and Roslyn Road, the break-ins were a jarring reminder of the vulnerability that comes with running a neighborhood shop. A gas station and a beloved local grocer were both targeted in the same overnight spree, leaving property damaged and at least one business short a cash register.

Nassau County Police responded at approximately 1:38 a.m. to a burglary in progress at a gas station on Powerhouse Road. According to detectives, three men smashed a glass door, entered the business, and fled with a cash register. Following that incident, investigators determined the same group also targeted Holiday Farms on Roslyn Road. There, police say the men pried open a rear door and attempted to open a cash register before leaving without taking anything.

Officers located the suspects nearby and took all three into custody without incident.

The men arrested were identified as Edwin Rodriguez, 20; William Taft, 19; and Shamel Stilley, 24, all of Brooklyn. Each faces two counts of burglary. Rodriguez faces an additional charge of possession of burglar’s tools.

All three were scheduled for arraignment Friday, March 27, at First District Court in Hempstead.

The swift arrests reflect the kind of coordinated police response that Nassau County residents expect, but the incidents raise real questions for families in communities like Roslyn Heights. When businesses get hit, the ripple effects spread quickly. Owners absorb replacement costs. Insurance premiums climb. Some businesses that operate on thin margins make hard decisions about hours, staffing, or security upgrades they cannot really afford.

Holiday Farms, a fixture on Roslyn Road, serves the daily needs of local families. Its customers include school-age children stopping in for snacks, parents picking up groceries, and neighbors who rely on its accessibility. A rear door pried open in the middle of the night is not just a property crime. It is a disruption to the people who count on that business to be there, intact and operational, every single day.

The gas station on Powerhouse Road faces similar stakes. A stolen cash register means disrupted transactions, lost records, and the considerable cost of replacement, all landing on a business owner who had nothing to do with bringing three strangers from Brooklyn to their front door.

Nassau County has seen periodic spikes in commercial burglaries, and law enforcement has worked to improve response times and coordination across precincts. The speed with which police located and arrested the suspects in this case, still nearby when officers arrived, suggests that rapid response is working. But prevention remains the harder challenge.

For school communities in Roslyn Heights and surrounding areas, incidents like this matter beyond the immediate crime report. School districts frequently partner with local businesses for fundraisers, career days, and community events. When the business fabric of a neighborhood frays, those partnerships get harder to sustain. The gas station and the farm store are not just commercial operations. They are part of the community infrastructure that surrounds every school and shapes every child’s daily environment.

Rodriguez, Taft, and Stilley now face the legal process, beginning with Friday’s arraignment in Hempstead. The charges are serious. Two counts of burglary per defendant, plus the burglar’s tools charge against Rodriguez, signal that prosecutors are treating this as more than a minor overnight escapade.

Roslyn Heights residents will be watching the proceedings. So will business owners, who want accountability. And so will parents, who have a stake in keeping the neighborhoods their children walk through every day safe, stable, and intact.

Nassau County Police have not indicated whether additional suspects are being sought in connection with either incident.