NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man is facing numerous charges after police said he targeted senior citizen women in a string of credit-card thefts at Long Island supermarkets.
Willie Vanderhall, 62, was arrested by Suffolk County police at a Stop & Shop in East Northport around 4:45 p.m. on Monday after a 70-year-old woman reported a man stole her credit card from her purse at the store.
Police discovered that earlier that day, the man had also taken credit cards from a 76-year-old woman and an 84-year-old woman at another Stop & Shop in Deer Park.
According to authorities, the stolen credit cards were used to make purchases at different Best Buy stores across Suffolk County, .
Vanderhall was charged with two counts of 4th degree grand larceny as a hate crime and petit larceny as a hate crime, officials.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Hate Crimes Detectives at 631-852-6323.