A masked burglar broke into Long Island's last traditional drive-in hamburger stand just after 4 a.m. Monday, smashing his way inside and making off with cash before disappearing into the dark. All American Hamburger Drive-In, the Massapequa institution at 4286 Merrick Road, was left cleaning up glass instead of flipping burgers to start the week.
According to WABC-TV, the suspect broke the front glass door to get inside and then fled in an unknown direction. He was described as a male wearing camouflage cargo shorts, a black shirt, black sneakers and a red face covering. A manager at the restaurant gave a slightly different account to Newsday, saying the burglar broke a side window, jumped over the counter and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash during the predawn break-in.
Whichever entry point the intruder used, the outcome was the same: an early-morning scramble for a business that has spent more than six decades as a Long Island fixture. Nassau County Police Crime Scene Search Unit investigators cordoned off the property with yellow tape to process evidence, but the restaurant was back open for regular customer service by Monday afternoon, according to the report from Greater Long Island.
Seventh Squad Detectives Take Up the Case
Detectives from the Nassau County Police Department's Seventh Squad are leading the investigation into the break-in, per the report from Long Island Life & Politics. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers, which keeps callers anonymous, at 1-800-244-TIPS.
It is not the squad's first commercial burglary case in Massapequa this year. The same detectives investigated a break-in at the nearby Sunrise Mall on June 19, when three suspects were arrested inside the shuttered mall after hours — a case Hoodline covered in Cops Bust Late-Night Trio. Just days before the drive-in burglary, Hoodline also reported on a North Massapequa man accused of trying to pick a garage lock at 2 a.m., underscoring a stretch of overnight property crime reports in the area.
A 63-Year-Old Institution With Deep Roots
All American Hamburger Drive-In has been serving Long Islanders since 1963 and remains the region's only traditional drive-in hamburger stand, according to a feature from Travel Thru History. The business was established by the Vultaggio family and is still run by third-generation family members, per a 2019 report from 6abc Action News. It sits next to its sister business, Marshall's Ice Cream Bar, at the same Merrick Road location, according to the restaurant's official menu.
The eatery's popularity extends well beyond nostalgia. Daily Voice reported that readers voted it Best Cheap Eats on Long Island in 2025, a distinction that has helped cement its status as a low-cost, high-loyalty stop for generations of local diners.
Burglaries Down Nationally, but Local Cases Persist
The break-in comes even as burglary rates have been falling nationwide. CBS News reported that FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data showed nationwide burglary offenses dropped 15.8% in 2025. Locally, though, commercial burglaries in Nassau County's Seventh Precinct area have kept detectives busy, from the Sunrise Mall arrests in June to this week's drive-in break-in.
Under New York Penal Law Section 140.20, entering or remaining unlawfully in a commercial building with intent to commit a crime is charged as Burglary in the Third Degree, a Class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in state prison. No suspect has been named or arrested in connection with the All American Hamburger Drive-In burglary, and detectives continue to ask the public for tips as they work to identify the masked man caught on camera fleeing the scene.
