Ronkonkoma man arrested in Central Islip burglary string

A Ronkonkoma man is accused of turning Central Islip into a burglary map, hitting a basement apartment, a private home and a church in a three-week span before police arrested him in Bohemia with stolen property from another case still under investigation. Suffolk County Police said the pattern stretches beyond one block or one victim, reaching homes, faith space and, investigators say, at least one other burglary in Brentwood.

Police said David Roman, 61, was arrested at the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facility at 550 Johnson Ave. in Bohemia. Detectives said the first break-in happened around 11:50 a.m. on May 28 at a basement apartment on Calebs Path in Central Islip, where cash and jewelry were taken.

The next reported burglary came just after 11 a.m. on June 12, when police said Roman kicked in the front door of a home on Clayton Street and removed cash, jewelry and assorted items. Four days later, around 11:45 a.m. on June 16, investigators said he entered the First United Methodist Church on Wheeler Road by pushing in an air-conditioning unit and damaging an interior door to reach an office on the second floor.

Police said Roman was found in possession of multiple items reported stolen in another burglary that remains open. They also tied him to a burglary in Brentwood, adding to what detectives described as a wider property-crime investigation rather than a single isolated arrest.

Roman was charged with burglary in the third degree, two counts of burglary in the second degree, criminal trespass in the second degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree. Police said he was held overnight at the Third Precinct and was due in First District Court in Central Islip on June 18.

The church break-in drew a sharp reaction from leaders at First United Methodist Church of Central Islip. Burgun Grosvenor, president of the trustees, said the pastor found the office ransacked, with items scattered on the floor and drawers opened. Church members were disturbed that someone had chosen a sanctuary to break into, and the damage underscored how vulnerable houses of worship can be when a burglar is looking for cash and easily moved property.

Suffolk County Police classify burglary as one of the seven index crime categories used in New York State and FBI-style reporting, meaning these cases feed into the county’s broader property-crime picture. For Central Islip, the arrest raises a familiar question: whether this case closes a wider burglary pattern, or exposes security gaps at apartment buildings, private homes and community institutions that could have been prevented sooner.