Southold Blotter
Last week’s winds did more than rattle windows and scatter lawn décor — they set off alarms, knocked over porch displays and left residents wondering what, exactly, had passed through in the night. From phantom doorbell alerts to toppled holiday trimmings and unexplained late-night disturbances, a steady gust seemed to carry a touch of mischief across Southold.
March 16 – Around 3:30 a.m., police were called to a local hospital for a report of a psychiatric patient who exited the facility through an unlocked door, according to a police report. When responding officers arrived, the patient had been located and escorted back inside. ‘
Around 5 a.m., a Daly Lane resident in Southold contacted police to report that someone was buzzing her Ring doorbell, but she “observed no one outside her residence.” The resident was advised that due to extreme wind and weather, “her Ring Doorbell [was] setting off the alarm.
Around 9 a.m., a Gold Spur St. resident in Cutchogue contacted police to “document that during the overnight hours, a few items in her yard were knocked over.” The resident told authorities that “a Christmas tree that she had on a small table on her front porch fell over, causing the table to break, and her St. Patrick’s day flags were on the ground.” She said she wasn’t sure if an unknown individual, or an animal, or the wind blew the items over, according to a police report. A responding officer told the homeowner that “based on the location of the items and the damage, the strong winds [the previous] night appear to be the cause …” The homeowner told police she had no surveillance cameras, the report said.
Around 10 p.m., a resident contacted police to report an open door at a business on Main St. in Greenport. The caller said he didn’t see anyone enter or exit the building. Responding officers entered the location and found no one inside, and there were no signs of forced entry. The owner responded to the location and secured the location, according to a report.
Near 10:15 p.m., a Mattituck man turned up at police headquarters with a bicycle he said he found in front of Mattituck High School. The bike was placed in the police impound yard, according to a report.
March 17 – Around 9 a.m., police received several complaints about flyers being placed in mailboxes advertising landscaping. Police called the number on the flyer and spoke to the landscaper, advising him that it’s a federal offense to place flyers in U.S. postal mailboxes. The landscaper “apologized several times and stated that he was unaware he was not allowed to do that.” The landscaper let off with a warning, according to a report.
Around 10:30 a.m., a Henrys Lane resident in Peconic contacted police to report suspicious activity in his year, and then responding officers spoke to a neighbor, who reported an even stranger intrusion. The original caller told police he witnessed a man open his gate and walk into his backyard, wearing what looked like a utility hat, a reflective vest and a headlamp. Surveillance video provided by the homeowner showed a man fitting that description, in camouflage pants and a dark hoodie, according to a police report. No known nuisance permits had been issued in the area, the report said. While investigating the initial report, the homeowner’s neighbor informed police of a “separate individual, wearing all black, behaving suspiciously.” According to the neighbor, the black-clad individual was “walking backwards and eyeing vehicles as they passed down the roadway,” before disappearing into the woods further down Henrys Lane. Police canvassed the area looking for both subjects but the search was unsuccessful.
Around 4 p.m., a Mattituck man contacted police to report a motor vehicle leaving the scene of an accident on Sound Ave. in Mattituck, according to a police report. The driver said he was traveling west on Sound Ave. when his car was struck by another vehicle who was trying to make a left turn out of a parking lot onto Sound Ave. The caller said the other driver “immediately left the scene.” However, the other driver returned to the scene, according to a police report, with substantial damage to his vehicle. A responding officer observed the returning driver “walk away from his vehicle and into a building to avoid [the officer].” The cop asked the man to step back outside for an interview, at which time — according to a police report — the driver “did verbally admit” to striking the other car. Zachary Canter, 36, of Aquebogue was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, according to the report.
Around 8 p.m., police responded to a 3rd St. residence in Greenport for a report of four males on the resident’s doorstep, knocking “for about 20 minutes,” before leaving in “possibly a red Toyota Camry.” The four men allegedly departed minutes before police arrived, according to a report.
Around 8:30 p.m., Southold police officers were approached near Adams St. and 3rd St. while investigating another call by a 29-year-old East Marion man who “appeared highly intoxicated.” The man stated that he wants to “go back” to Guatemala. Asked if he needed medical attention, the man declined, but accepted a ride home to Ludlum Place, according to a police report.
March 18 – Around 5 p.m., a Greenport West woman “called 911 because she no longer wanted to be at [a residence on Sutton Place].” She told responding officers that “she wanted to go to Ronkonkoma and wanted Taco Bell,” according to a report. The woman was advised “to call 911 for emergencies. [She] stated she would be content on the couch watching ABC News. No further action taken.”
Around 5 p.m., Kyle Skrezec, 27, of Southold, was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant, according to a police report. The nature of the warrant was unclear, but last fall Skrezec was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, following a crash on Front St. in Greenport.
March 19 – Around 2 p.m., police were alerted to a vehicle driving erratically on Route 48. Responding officers located the vehicle and pulled over the driver, who told them he swerving “to avoid the potholes in the roadway.” No signs of impairment were observed, according to a report.
Around 4 p.m., Kelly Magee, 59, of Baywood, was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, according to a police report. Police responded to a report of a vehicle failing to maintain its lane, and located Magee’s vehicle parking on the shoulder of a roadway in a “No Stopping Anytime” zone, according to the report. Magee was outside the vehicle, the report said, and “admitted [he] was operating the vehicle and struck a Stop sign.”
March 20 – Around 9 a.m., police responding to a report of possible “shots in the area” located a deer that had been struck by a vehicle, according to a report.
Around 4 a.m., a patrol officer allegedly witnessed a vehicle “swerved over the double yellow line … multiple times” before initiating a traffic stop, according to a police report. Marvin Jimenez Hernandez, 32, of Laurel, was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated.
March 21 – Around 9 p.m., an Oakland Ave. resident reported hearing gunshots in the area. Responding officers canvassed the area without locating the source of the noise.
March 22 – Around 12:30 a.m., a Southold man called police to report a man smoking a cigarette next to a propane tank on Main Rd. in Mattituck. A responding officer located the smoker and advised him to move to a different location for his smoke breaks.
Around 7:30 p.m., the owner of Mattituck pizza parlor contacted police to report that a customer was “scaring the other customers because he is saying obnoxious things.” A responding officer quickly recognized the subject as a 49-year-old Jamesport man well known to police. The officer was able to coax the man into leaving the restaurant, but then the man starting yelling at the officer, according to a police report, threatening to “rip [his] head off and s—t down [his] neck.” The restaurant owner declined to sign a trespass affidavit against the individual, who eventually left the area without incident, according to a police report.
March 24 – A fatal 2022 crash on Route 25 in Cutchogue is back before the courts after the defendant, who authorities say fled the country, was extradited from Poland this week. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said Adam Chrzanowski, 45, a former Riverhead resident, faces charges including aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with the March 6, 2022, head-on collision that killed Elizabeth Post, 60, of Massapequa.
Prosecutors allege Chrzanowski, driving eastbound in a Toyota RAV4, crossed double yellow lines while attempting to pass another vehicle and slammed into a westbound Nissan Rogue, setting off a four-car crash. Post, a passenger in the Rogue, suffered severe injuries and died months later, on Sept. 12, 2022. The driver of the Rogue sustained multiple fractures. Authorities allege Chrzanowski was intoxicated at the time.
After being indicted and arraigned in 2022, Chrzanowski allegedly fled to Poland in March 2024, prompting a bench warrant and a separate charge of bail jumping. He was returned to the United States with assistance from federal and international authorities and arraigned Monday, March 23, 2026, before County Court Judge Bryan Browns, who ordered him held without bail. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
All individuals named in police reports are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Charges may be reduced, dismissed or result in an acquittal.