A brazen bandit is causing panic in the East Village, where petrified residents are demanding a sit-down with the NYPD following as many as eight break-ins.
In one case, the bold thief stood over his sleeping victim with a flashlight and demanded his belongings. In two other heists, stunned residents walked in on the invader as he ransacked their $6,000-a-month apartments.
Jeff Young, 50, a fourth-floor resident of the same building, said on Wednesday that two men posing as gas-company workers tried to talk their way into his apartment.
Young said he “heard a click” that convinced him they had a gun, but the would-be home invaders “bugged out” and he warned them he “had a gat [pistol].”
“This neighborhood was rising and now it’s falling apart,” he told The Post.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD detective sergeant and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the burglar’s brazen behavior is worrisome.
“This is not normal burglar behavior and has a high likelihood of more serious implications — rape or murder,” he said. “Burglars don’t look for a confrontation — they want to enter your home, grab your stuff and get out.”
Be sure to close & lock your windows when heading out. #NYPD #Burglary pic.twitter.com/oL3rnGUAIR
— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) April 8, 2017
One woman said she came home on a Saturday to an open bedroom window before she realized her laptop was gone. A man who lives in a building on East 3rd Street said he went to sleep, only to find his laptop, mohair jacket and iPhone gone.
Police say a man entered an apartment inside a building on East 4th Street around 12:30. When one of the residents discovered him in their roommate's bedroom, he claimed to have been doing electical work. Moments later, the unknown man disappeared — along with a television, laptop and Amazon Fire stick.
"It's nuts because this is a nice neighborhood," said resident Ruben Reyes.
We were burglarized Friday night at our home on East Second Street and Avenue A by someone crawling through our fire escape window. They unlocked our security fire gate and came in. The worst part was, we were home. They emptied my purses, rummaged through things. Got off with cash, a camera and jewelry. Left our front door open as they escaped. Luckily we slept through it, but it was creepy.
Our window was open a smidgen — like 2 inches. The gate was closed and locked. They must have had a very slim arm to reach inside and open it. Not to mention being really agile to climb in in complete silence. There were three of us there sleeping and nobody heard a thing.
