Police Continue Hunt For Greenwich Village Burglary Suspect Who Got Away With Nearly $100k
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are still searching for a thief who stole more than $94,000 worth of jewelry from homes in Greenwich Village.
The man is suspected in six burglaries since January 20, police said.
In the first incident back on Jan. 20, the suspect got into an apartment on East 9th Street and University Place and stole $31,000 in jewelry, police said. It happened sometime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m, police said.
On Feb. 9, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., the suspect made off with $1,300 in jewelry from a building on West 10th Street and Greenwich Avenue. In separate incidents nearby, the suspect got away with $9,200 in jewelry and a watch worth $2,000.
Police said in the most recent incident on April 1, he entered an unlocked home near West 11th Street and Fifth Avenue between 1:30 and 3:45 a.m. while the homeowners were asleep inside. He allegedly stole a jewelry box and jewelry worth a total of $50,000 before taking off.
Police described the suspect as a black man, approximately 30 years old, 5 feet 8 to 10 inches tall, 180 pounds, with a tattoo on the back of his right hand with the letters "RIP." He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black baseball hat.
"It's terrible. It's awful. I mean I can't believe in an area like this that that would actually happen," said Greenwich Village resident Nick Pappas.
"It's scary. It's very scary," said another resident. "If a couple was sleeping and somebody broke in, woo, that's very scary."
"Kind of unpleasant to think about. You want to feel safe but it's kind of difficult to do that when you hear stories like this all the time," said Chris Lapinig.
Neighbors say they're doing everything they can to make sure they don't become the next victim, CBS2's Marc Liverman reported.
"I have a triple-locked door and I make sure the doorman knows that, you know, anyone that is not allowed in does not get to come in," Pappas said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips on the Crime Stoppers Website or by texting them to CRIMES (274637) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
