Suffolk police arrest Shirley man in occupied-home burglary spree

Occupied homes in Gordon Heights became targets before dawn Tuesday, and Suffolk County police say a Shirley man moved from one street to the next until officers caught him in Medford minutes later.

Police identified the suspect as Tyamie Bell, 45, of Shirley. Investigators said Bell burglarized a home on Erna Drive at 2:46 a.m., hit another occupied home on Judith Drive at 4:03 a.m., then tried to get into a third residence on Norfleet Lane about 5:20 a.m. before fleeing on foot.

The case has shaken the sense of safety that usually surrounds a neighborhood in the early morning hours. No one was injured and nothing was reported stolen, but police said the fact that residents were home made the incidents far more serious. A break-in at an occupied house can turn violent in seconds, which is why the rapid sequence of calls and sightings mattered so much.

Sixth Precinct officers were already canvassing the area when one saw a man trying to enter a home on Norfleet Lane. After the suspect ran, officers found Bell in the yard of a home on Gray Avenue in Medford at 5:25 a.m. and placed him under arrest. The arrest came only minutes after the attempted entry, showing how quickly a neighborhood burglary can unfold and how fast a coordinated police search can close in.

Bell was charged with three counts of burglary in the second degree and was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct before his arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip. Under New York law, burglary in the second degree is a class C felony and includes unlawful entry into a dwelling, which is why occupied homes carry such weight in these cases.

For Shirley and the surrounding Suffolk communities, the overnight timeline is the warning. Doors and windows should be locked before bed, exterior lights should be working, and home security cameras can help capture suspicious movement when someone is crossing from house to house before sunrise. The Sixth Precinct, which serves parts of central and eastern Suffolk County and holds monthly community meetings, was the center of the response that stopped the alleged spree before anyone was hurt.