Suffolk police arrest man accused of car tire distraction theft

Peter Cordero, 55, of North Babylon, was arrested after Suffolk County police said he used a car-tire ruse to steal cash from a woman in a West Babylon parking lot. Investigators said the theft happened around 3 p.m. on May 20 at 531 Montauk Highway, where the woman had returned to her vehicle after shopping.

Police said Cordero told the woman she had a flat tire and offered to help fill it. He then asked her to look for a jack in her trunk, and while she was distracted, officers said he took money from her purse inside the car. Investigators also believe he may have deflated the tire before she came back to the vehicle.

The arrest turns a familiar parking-lot scam into a case Suffolk residents may want to remember the next time a stranger points out a supposed problem with a car. The setup relied on urgency, courtesy and distraction: first, a driver is told something is wrong with a tire; then the alleged helper pushes the victim toward the trunk; then the purse is left vulnerable inside the car.

Cordero was charged with petit larceny and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Police said he was being held at the First Precinct for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on May 22.

Suffolk police asked anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Cordero to contact the First Precinct Crime Section at 631-854-8130. The department also noted that a criminal charge is an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For shoppers and drivers across Suffolk County, the cues in this case are simple and worth treating seriously: an unsolicited offer of help, a sudden tire problem, a request to step away from the driver’s side and search the trunk, and any stranger who tries to hurry the exchange. If something feels off in a parking lot, stay with your purse, keep the car secured and get help from a trusted source rather than letting a stranger control the scene.