Police: Trio Burglarized Building on Lawrence Aviation Site in Port Jefferson

Three men are accused of breaking into a building on the Lawrence Aviation site on Sunday.

Bryan Feger, 26, of Centereach, Salvatore Argano, 45, who is homeless, and Michael Callahan, 30, also homeless, were arrested and charged with 3rd-degree burglary, a felony. Police say the men allegedly entered a building at 100 Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jefferson at about 3:40 p.m. with property that did not belong to them.

This is the second time this year that a burglary has occurred at the Lawrence Aviation property.

In July, police arrested a pair of alleged burglars from Patchogue who broke into an abandoned warehouse at the site. Police say that those two men took property from the building but they did not say what it was.

Last year fires on the property were a cause for concern to area residents who feared there might be toxic waste in the air. Terryville firefighters were hurt battling the blazes but the EPA said there was no other danger. The fire marshal determined that the cause of the fires was arson.

The property has been the center of controversy since the former owners were found storing toxic chemicals that leaked into the ground. Since then, the Environment Protection Agency set up two filtration pump stations to cleanse the groundwater of a toxic plume originating at the upland property that crept down to the Long Island Sound. One plant was put on top of the area where the waste was poured into the ground on Sheep Pasture Road and another opened last August in Caroline Park in the village.

The three men went before a judge at Suffolk County Court in Central Islip on Monday. Feger was released on personal recognizance. Argano and Callahan both had bail set at $5,000 but neither was posted. All three men are due back in court on Wednesday.