My husband and I are in the midst of a renovation project on our home in Manhasset and had the unpleasant experience of having our home broken into over the weekend. We called the police to notify them of the incident and to report the missing items. Due to the uniqueness of some of the items I wanted to share them with you. One was an Early American toy chest hand painted with flags that we had planned to use in our sons' room. Another item was an authentic Civil War rifle. Both items had been passed down in our families from generation to generation. The other item was a carton filled with "loose change."

I am appealing to you as parents. The police suspect a group of local youths to be responsible for this.If your child happened to walk through your door this weekend, claiming that they found a chest that someone was "throwing out by their garbage," that was a lie. If they all of a sudden got an urge to roll all the loose change that has been accumulating in their room, that change may have been stolen. All we are looking for is anyone, be it parent or child, who has any information about the incident to please call (516) 869-1544. There will be a reward for the return of the chest and other items. I think the punishment that the parent gives the child involved should be enough. This incident has forced us to take the necessary precautions from preventing an event like this from occurring again. I grew up here and plan on raising my family here but lately I question what has happened to Manhasset?

Traci Conway