Gates Police Chief James VanBrederode says first Livingston, the Monroe County began having car thefts and car jackings that began with test drives arranged on Facebook that led to the car being stolen. He says the two car thieves responsible graduated over the spring to more brazen crimes involving a gun.
Those crimes led up to the death of Richard Sciascia on Buell Road in Gates April 7th. A woman first called 911 to report being approached by two men who told her her tire was low and wanted her to get out of her car. Instead, she called 911 and the men drove away in a black sedan with tinted windows. The two tried to convince another woman to get out of her car, but she drove off. Then came the Richard SciaScia case.
Chief VanBrederode says there have been no more suburban carjackings since 16-year-olds Anthony Jacobs and Edgar Tolentino were arrested. Some have continued in the City of Rochester, leading police to conclude a different group has been committing those crimes.
VanBrederode says the black sedan was recovered by a multi-jurisdictional task force, along with a 17-year-old who was driving it, after a chase. He says the 17-year-old was not involved in the murder, but evidence in the car helped lead to the two 16-year-old suspects. The 17-year-old was held on a car theft warrant out of Florida.
Chief VanBrederode wouldn’t speak about that evidence, which will eventually come out in court.