We had a break-in at around 3 a.m. [Wednesday] night; guy stole two laptops ... But the worst thing was I heard him, and ran into the living room and saw him scrambling out the window, then ran into the bedroom shrieking like Jeannie Bueller and wound up face to face with him on our balcony. (I was inside and he was outside, fortunately.) We stared at each other, frozen for a moment, like cartoon characters, and then he climbed back down while I banged on the glass.
Cops said there have been a ton of break-ins lately. Moral: Everybody make sure to lock all your doors and windows at night — even in this weather.The reader added the following: "Back up your data every night if you can, and if you have a Mac, have 'Find My' enabled so you can de-authorize it immediately and erase it."
The above photo is of a random EV building, and not the one that was broken into between First Avenue and Second Avenue on Wednesday night.
Please use the correct term - a fire escape is not a balcony if that’s what the tipster means. It would be very very helpful to know exactly what street between First Ave & Second Ave.
ReplyDelete3rd
DeleteHad a break in and robbery from the fire escape out years ago middle of the day thankfully while I was at work. Had a gate installed at my own expense but not something you want to spend the bucks on if you're only going to be there a year or two. Seems landlords should have gates on fire escapes windows.
ReplyDeleteSecurity gates are supposed to be on fire escape windows, but I notice a lot of people have removed them in the last several years. They're not attractive, but this is what they're for.
ReplyDeleteMy newish (young) neighbors are very careless with security - leaving the front and back doors open, packages in the foyer for days. This is exactly what criminals are looking for, especially now in these desperate times.
I wonder how much crime can this city take before they elect someone like Giuliani. Took 2 decades of 70s and 80s
ReplyDeleteit's possible they do mean balcony. That picture isn't of their building
ReplyDelete40 years ago I was awoken on a steamy summer night to find 3 men standing next to my bed. The next morning I marched to the nearest hardware store and bought gates to cover my fire escape window. An event like that stays with you a lifetime. I understand this younger generation does not see this neighborhood this way but simple precautions are needed no matter where you live, lock your windows and doors, don't buzz anyone but a friend into your building.
ReplyDeleteYes, security gates on fire escape windows are the landlord's responsibility, AFAIK - but the young and the trusting don't LIKE seeing that on their windows, so they tend to leave them open or they remove them.
ReplyDeleteI guess every new generation has to find out for itself why NYC is not a place to be so careless or trusting.
And yeah, LOCK your windows and your doors, always. And don't leave a "spare key" under your doormat, for heaven's sake.
my gates (and bars) at my living room windows are ugly, but they sure give me a peace of mind reg. break ins.
ReplyDeleteStill, I really need to get into the habit of backing up my stuff and especially storing that backup drive away from my laptop.
East 3rd? facing cemetery? I have been a real estate agent showing in the East Village for 30 yrs I remember when someone moved yrs ago thieves would see the moving truck and rob the new tenant almost immediately or the next day also they would try to rob the stuff in the truck if truck not watched at all times now it is a lot like the old days with crime new people have no clue as to what went on back then I still have the old way of watching my bike etc (in my EV blood) over the recent years i have shown apts with fire escape window left open when tenant not home with their computers etc in full view hey new people get with it
ReplyDelete3rd?
ReplyDeleteBetcha miss those Hell's Angels now ?
The photo with the post is confusing people, unfortunately... despite the disclaimer at the bottom of the post.
ReplyDeleteI needed something to help illustrate the post... and a photo of a random EV building seemed like a good idea as opposed to some random ShutterStock image or jokey illustration of The Hamburglar.
Here is a tip for anyone who has been robbed or mugged. Make a couple of copies of a $20 bill. Keep it in your wallet and never spend it. When the thief tries to spend it they will be caught and get in trouble for counterfeiting. Better than those nonlethal weapons and justice is served, since the thief will be in jail.
ReplyDeleteTo 9:46a.m.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.politifact.com/article/2007/sep/01/how-much-credit-giuliani-due-fighting-crime/
"Violent crime in New York began falling three years before Giuliani took office in 1994,
New York was no anomaly, but was part of a trend that saw crime fall sharply nationwide in the 1990s, particularly in big cities.
...many criminologists believe the decline in New York, as in Chicago, San Diego, Miami and elsewhere, was the result of a complex mix of social and demographic changes, including a break in the crack cocaine epidemic, an improving economy, and increased prison terms for proven lawbreakers.
Better policing tactics and policies were likely part of it, experts say, but not to the extent Giuliani claims.
the decrease in murders also corresponded with the rise in New York Yankees baseball championships.
"Stop and Frisk" was unevenly applied — minorities were stopped disproportionately — and led to relatively few arrests. Often, people were detained but never charged."
Trite argument on your part. Political leaders create a culture. Enjoy your worst mayor of all time.
Delete@11:18 AM
ReplyDeleteCrime declined after the crack surge because there are only so many bad guys to go around. Generations aged out. There's also evidence that unleaded gasoline was a factor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis
Rudy had nothing to do with the decline in crime, and Bratton very little at best. Then Ray Kelly took "broken windows" too far. Rudy will now be remembered for his hands in his pants and makeup running down his face. As it should be.
Take off your tin foil hat.
DeleteNo, there are statistics bearing out the leaded gasoline connection, although correlation is not causation.
DeleteCrime is up recently! I long for the Giuliani era when CompStat shows that crime rates were 40-50% higher than they are now!
ReplyDeleteI am relieved no one was hurt. If you don't have gates on your fire escape windows, get them. The landlord has removed them in our building over the last 10 years as he renovates apartments and rents them out to newbies at jacked up rents. These landlords want to present the new East Village as safe, but there are still plenty of break-ins all around the streets lining Avenue A. You make it easy for anyone to get in when you have a window open to a fire escape that doesn't have a gate on it.
ReplyDeleteThe Hamburglar would have been a stroke of genius.
ReplyDeleteThat same block was hit by burglaries a few years ago (while the HA were still there). Thieves were posing as package delivery guys and getting buzzed in. There was also a guy breaking into apts from the fire escapes. Can't remember if they caught him or not. Even with many people working from home these days, it's scary how brazen criminals can be. Take care of yourselves and your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI had someone ( junkie looking) try and break in at 10pm in NOV while we were home
ReplyDeleteHe was met at the window by my husband with a bat. he apologized and ran away. AH!
I went out to toss my trash Thursday around 12:30 am and caught a guy trying to break into my building. He was using what looked like a broken skateboard to batter/pry the doorknob off the vestibule door. Stay vigilant and make sure you door locks are kept in good repair.
ReplyDeleteTo the OP.
ReplyDeleteI (thankfully!) haven't had to deal with this kind of thing in decades. It would be helpful to your neighbors if you provided the following info, if not too revealing:
- Which Street?
- Front (streetside) or Back fire escape?
- Which developer now owns the building?
Thanks!
Giuliani had very little to do with the decline in crime in NYC in early 90's. Gentrification happened. Affluent people have no need to rob people, commit street crime, sell dope. They have jobs and steady income. Lowlifes get pushed out, locked up, or wind up dead. The EV went from a veritable war zone inundated with drugs, gangs, and burned out buildings on every block and to an upscale enclave of hipster coolness. Police corruption was greatly reduced and the Rockefeller drug laws incarcerated the low level dealers for very long stretches. The economy had been booming, then COVID hit and now we're back to desperate living for the many who had been scraping by all along but no longer have the means to do even that.
ReplyDeleteYes, Gentrification and not Giuliani turned NYC into an upscale Disneyland. All it takes are a few brave souls with an artsy flair to start a catalyst followed by a few wealthy investors leading way to luxurious living.
ReplyDeleteOne key component is pre-war structures in urban areas which starts the trend and the EV has plenty of them. Gentrification usually doesn't take place in Bensonhurst Brooklyn with its vinyl side panel homes as a good example.
Here in the Hudson Valley, gentrification has been taking place in our small cities that have the same trajectories of NYC. Creative types looking for cheap living go into these urban areas with charming pre-war architecture by the countryside, followed by the usual businesses that cater to them with investors pushing gentrification into a land of urban wealth surrounded by mountains and a river.
The City of Poughkeepsie which was a former manufacturing hub is being turned into a gentrified city as we speak. It's starts with riverfront area then gentrification works its way into the downtown Main St area pushing further into the fringes. A few real estate developers from NYC I've been hearing have decided not to put their money into the Big Apple because of the ongoing pandemic and are betting on these small urban areas north of it. The future of high social status seems to include these Mini-NYCs by the hinterland specifically for people with the means who want a dual experience of living in a big city like NYC and a Mini-NYC in the countryside.
Security gates are not the responsibility of the landlord. But when you do buy a gate for a fire escape you must be sure it is a fire department approved gate so you can get out if there is a fire. Imagine trying to find a key for a padlock when there is a fire blazing behind you. The fire department approved gates have a different type of mechanism to unlock quickly from the inside but cannot be done from the outside. I have had one on my EV apt fire escape window for 40 years and although there have been prowlers on the fire escape a number of times nobody has ever gotten through them.
ReplyDeleteLook up the city's window guard law. Landlord must install them if there arw children 10 or younger in apt. And Landlord must also install them at tenant's request.
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