Four Suspects Arraigned in Lindenhurst Catalytic Converter Theft Cases

Henry Cruz, 25, Luis Acosta, 24, Jeorge Santana Sanchez, 34, and Madinson Silverio Ventura, 27 — all Bronx residents — were arraigned Wednesday before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei on a grand jury indictment that includes assault on a police officer, a Class C violent felony. The charges stem from a pre-dawn operation on March 7 that prosecutors say the four men ran as a coordinated crew, driving from the Bronx to pick apart a Long Island neighborhood one car at a time.

The four men drove a 2021 Maserati Levante around Lindenhurst in the early morning hours, targeting Toyota Priuses and snatching their catalytic converters. Just after 4:30 a.m., Suffolk County officers attempted a traffic stop on the Maserati, but Cruz, at the wheel, sped off onto the Southern State Parkway, where the chase hit speeds exceeding 90 mph. A second marked patrol unit ahead deployed stop sticks, flattening the tires of the Maserati. All four men then fled on foot, and during the pursuit a Suffolk County police officer fell and suffered an ankle fracture that required emergency surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital.

Cruz and Acosta were arrested that morning. Santana Sanchez and Silverio Ventura were subsequently identified and arrested by detectives at a hotel in the Bronx on March 19, 2026. Silverio Ventura was also taken on an outstanding warrant for a prior catalytic converter theft in Lindenhurst from 2023, making him a repeat visitor to the same South Shore community for the same crime across three years.

The reason Lindenhurst's Priuses draw crews from the Bronx comes down to chemistry. Prius catalytic converters contain higher concentrations of precious metals — platinum, palladium, and rhodium — because hybrid engines run at lower temperatures and require more catalyst material to process emissions effectively. For any Prius owner whose converter was stripped that morning, the average replacement cost runs between $2,346 and $2,413. Thieves can unload a stolen converter at a scrap metal dealer in a fraction of that, banking the spread while the owner waits for parts and a repair appointment.

The case carries a top charge of assault on a police officer, a Class C violent felony. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. Silverio Ventura was ordered held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $5,000,000 partially secured bond. All four are due back in court on May 6.

The investigation was conducted by Detectives Christopher Viar and Michael Conrad of the Suffolk County Police Department's Property and Auto Crimes Squad, the unit responsible for tracking the organized rings that account for a disproportionate share of converter thefts across the county. This case fits that profile squarely: a multi-person crew, a purpose-built getaway vehicle, and a specific vehicle make targeted for its scrap yield.

District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said: "The defendants, who are not from Suffolk County, are accused of targeting our community through a string of catalytic converter thefts and then escalating the situation by fleeing from law enforcement, resulting in a serious injury to a police officer. This should send the message that if you come to Suffolk County to commit crimes, we will track you down and bring you back to face charges here."

Hybrid vehicle owners in Lindenhurst and surrounding South Shore communities can report suspicious activity around parked cars to the SCPD Property and Auto Crimes Squad. Parking in well-lit, high-traffic areas and asking a mechanic to mark a vehicle identification number directly onto the converter remain the most widely recommended deterrents, since an identifiable part is considerably harder for scrap dealers to accept without documentation.