A 23-year-old Huntington man who lost control of his vehicle Wednesday morning in Oyster Bay Cove and plowed into a snow bank is accused of ransacking a nearby residence after the crash, killing a pet cat, and menacing drivers with a kitchen knife taken from the home, Nassau County police said.
The bizarre incident ended with police apprehending Nicholas Patrikis around 11 a.m., after he entered a school a bus and allegedly robbed two students for a school bag and video game, a police spokeswoman said. Patrikis also resisted arrest, police alleged.
Patrikis was taken to a local hospital for an evaluation and released.
Patrikis will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead on at least 10 different counts, including burglary, robbery, criminal mischief, and aggravated cruelly to animals, among other charges.
Police said the Huntington native was driving a 2000 Jeep Wrangler northbound on Cove Road when he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to slam into a snow bank and a fence. After exiting the Jeep, Patrikis allegedly scaled the fence of an unoccupied home, broke the front glass door and entered the home. That’s when he allegedly ransacked several rooms and proceeded to destroy property and grab an unknown amount of jewelry, police said.
Patrikis is also accused of killing a pet cat. Police did not say how the cat died.
As he exited the home, Patrikis allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife, which he used to menace drivers on Cove Road, police said.
Police could not immediately say which school district the students on the bus belonged to.
No injuries were reported, police said.
Patrikis was also charged with menacing, possession of a dangerous weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle and resisting arrest.
