Man faces burglary charges in Westbury business break-ins, police say

A Westbury man has been arrested on a burglary charge after he allegedly broke into stores and restaurants in the village and stole cash registers from each, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

He is Gerard Conway, 22, according to Officer Craig Beatty, a police spokesman. Conway was arraigned later Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead and freed without bail, according to online court records.

Conway is accused of using a flower pot to break the glass front door of a Pizza Hut restaurant in Westbury and stealing the cash register there, before stealing the registers from several businesses at the nearby former Source Mall, Beatty said in a news release.

The burglaries happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.

The other businesses from which Conway allegedly stole cash registers were the Cheesecake Factory restaurant; the Everything Christmas seasonal store; and Toy Terrace Holiday Express, according to Beatty.

The news release said the registers contained money but didn't say how much. The release did not say why Conway is suspected of being the burglar or whether any proceeds of the burglaries were recovered.

Conway was arrested Monday at 4:30 p.m. and charged with third-degree burglary, Beatty said.

He's represented by the Legal Aid Society, according to Miriam Sholder, a spokeswoman for the Nassau district attorney's office. Conway could not be reached for comment. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 7.

With Antonio Planas

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.