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Teens arrested in emergency room theft incident www.privateofficer.com
Teens arrested in emergency room theft incident http://www.privateofficer.com
Kyle T. Greene
Two Staten Island teens went to the emergency room claiming they were seeking help, but police say they were seeking something else — drugs, needles and medical supplies.
Now the suspects face criminal charges after they went on a late-night stealing spree at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton yesterday.
Authorities identified the teens as Diana Ryzhik, 18, of the 100 block of Surf Side Plaza in Tottenville, and Roy Criscione, 19, of the 500 block of Genesee Avenue in Great Kills.
They walked into the hospital at about 10:30 p.m., “complaining of pain,” according to a law enforcement source.
But once they got there, they found a sealed box in a cabinet in the emergency room, opened the box and started pocketing whatever they could find inside, police allege.
A witness notified a hospital security guard, who called the police.
Between the two of them, they grabbed 11 vials — mainly heart, asthma and blood pressure medication, as well as antihistamines, an anticoagulant — seven hypodermic needles, 23 alcohol pads, a urine cup kit, a roll of surgical tape and an intravenous needle, court papers allege.
“I don’t think there was anything that was really targeted,” the source said.
One of the substances that allegedly ended up in Ms. Ryzhik’s hands, naloxone hydrochloride, is considered a controlled substance. It’s typically used to reverse the effect of a heroin overdose.
Jennifer Sammartino, the hospital’s spokeswoman, said the duo cracked into what’s called a “crash box” — a locked box containing vital medications in case a patient’s condition drastically and suddenly worsens.
“Obviously, it’s a terrible thing to think that somebody might take life-saving medications away from people who might need it, but because of the vigilance of the people in the area, it didn’t go any further.”
Criscione later admitted to police that he “likes to steal things” and has a drug problem, the source said.
Both teens face charges of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument. Ms. Ryzhik also faces a charge of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
The charges against them are misdemeanors, meaning they could face up to a year in jail if convicted at trial.
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