Crime & Safety

Police: Port Jeff Constable Foils Car Break-In

Alerted by a passerby, constable George Gernhart prevents a man from breaking car window.

Port Jefferson Village Constable George Gernhart was in the right place at the right time.

The officer was patrolling near the on Main Street in Upper Port Jefferson on Wednesday evening when a passerby told him that a man was breaking into a car parked south of the station, according to Suffolk County Police.

After calling police, Gernhart discovered Jeffrey Edsall, 41, of Patchogue, in a fenced area at G & B Collision on Railroad Ave., allegedly trying to break the driver’s side window of a 2004 Mitsubishi Galant with a large rock.

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Constable Dominic Messina and Constable Lt. John Borrero helped Gernhart hold Edsall until Suffolk police officers showed up, police said. After an investigation, police arrested Edsall and charged him with criminal mischief and criminal trespassing. He also had outstanding warrants.


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