Tristan Livingston and Justin St. Hill, of Brooklyn, charged with assault, motorcycle theft from New Hyde Park dealership
Burglars broke into a motorcycle dealership in New Hyde Park in August and stole five bikes, then detained and beat up a passerby who saw the crime, according to the Nassau County Police Department, which announced on Wednesday the suspects' arrests.
The suspects, Tristan Livingston and Justin St. Hill, both 27-year-old Brooklyn residents, are charged with burglary, assault and kidnapping, the department wrote in a news release.
At an arraignment Tuesday before Judge Veronica Renta Irwin, both men were ordered jailed on bail of $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or $125,000 partially secured bond, according to Joseph Damiani, a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. It was not clear whether bail had been posted.
Livingston's lawyer, Anthony Grandinette, didn't return a message seeking comment. St. Hill's lawyer is from the Legal Aid Society, which does not comment to the media about its cases.
According to charging documents provided by Damiani, the men came to the Gold Coast Motorsport dealership on Jericho Turnpike in a Home Depot box truck, cut a locked fence, climbed a ladder to enter a sealed side window and broke through a Sheetrock wall.
The five bikes they stole are worth $125,000, the charging documents said, and a 75-year-old man walking his dog around 4:25 a.m. saw the break in.
"Both defendants assaulted the victim, threatened and restrained him, preventing him from leaving," the release said. They punched him in the face and on his body, struck him with a metal object and dragged him, the documents said.
The release said the man eventually escaped after a "prolonged struggle with the defendants."
On Tuesday, Nassau police joined personnel from the New York and New Jersey U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in finding and detaining the defendants from the Brooklyn residence they shared, the release said.
Both defendants are charged with felony counts of burglary and kidnapping, along with two counts of felony assault.
The charging documents said they were arrested based on signed statements and video surveillance footage.
The case is due back in court Thursday.
Reached at the dealership, a man who identified himself as the general manager declined to comment.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
