Top 10 Most Shocking Stories of 2010

Although Syosset is a beautiful place to live and arguably one of the safest communities in the area, it is not immune from problems that plague other communities. 

While we don't see as much crime in Syosset that we see in other areas, we've certainly seen our share of shocking and disturbing incidents in 2010. 

Here is a quick look at some of the strangest and most shocking stories that went down in Syosset this past year:

1. -  I read this story the first week I started as the new Syosset Patch editor on Nov. 1 and could immediately sense just how much this man meant to the community. A story on Gordon was also run by Patch after his death that  Just a sad story. 

2. - This story was heartbreaking to cover personally and the type of thing that makes you wonder, "what were they thinking?" Police said Myron Jacobs, 86, was killed in the crash when the landscaping truck driven by Everardo Nieto, 32, of Bronx, crossed over the medium and struck his car at a high rate of speed. Nieto reportedly registered a .08 blood-alcohol level - nearly four hours after the accident. 

3. - A fire inside the clock of the On Parade Diner in Woodbury forced Syosset firefighters to temporarily shut down Jericho Turnpike to extinguish the fire. Folks that were wondering why the street was shut down found their answer on Syosset Patch at around 10:30 p.m. that night when we first posted the story. Shout out to photographer Kevin Imm for the incredible photo's. 

4. - Sources told Syosset Patch on July 7 that fireworks were to blame for a fire that gutted a Syosset home early on the fourth of July. Thankfully, everyone was okay. The twist? The fire happened just days after the issued a release imploring residents not to use fireworks, which are illegal in New York State. D'oh! 

5.   - Another heartbreaking story. A 3-year-old boy who was staying with his grandmother in Laurel Hollow drowned back on a June afternoon after apparently wandering outside and into an in-ground pool. 

6. -  This happened on Sept. 6. A minivan drove several miles the wrong way on the Long Island Expressway before crashing killing a male passenger in the vehicle. The story reported that Mauricio Visoso-Ornelas, 28, of Queens, was transported to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Sadly this is just one of a couple of deadly alcohol-related accidents to occur in the Syosset area this past year. 

7. - Need your cable fixed? Don't call this guy. A Wantagh man was reportedly arrested by Nassau County Second Squad detectives and charged with committing multiple burglaries back in September while wearing a Cablevision uniform. The man was said to hit the towns of Wantagh, Levittown, Seaford, Massapequa and Syosset. The Syosset burglary reportedly occurred on Aug. 20, according to police.

8. - A woman working at the Christian Fellowship House at 369 Split Rock Rd. reportedly stole thousands from the elderly that lived there. On July 7 when the home administrator interviewed her concerning unauthorized calls made on four residents' phones, Arlinda Raphael, 22, of Freeport, admitted using the phones to call residents in Haiti. The damage? She racked up approximately $4,000 in phone bills. 

9. b - Yes, you read that correctly. The suspect in a Plainview attempted robbery back in August reportedly used a unique combination to execute his heist: a BMX bike and a golf club. He struck a 50-year-old woman in the face with the club and fled after trying and failing to grab the purse that was strapped around her neck. 

10. - A terrible car-accident in Syosset back in March left a woman's child in life support and her various charges, including DWI.  The Nassau County Grand Jury indicted Samantha Alfaro, 18, after she reportedly drove drunk northbound on South Oyster Bay Road next to Hicks Lane, when she veered into the southbound lanes and struck a tree. Alfaro's 3-year-old daughter was found in the backseat restrained by a seat belt and not an approved child seat.