Gang of bandits break into 13 homes and steal luxury cars in New York
A group of bandits broke into more than a dozen homes in upscale New York neighborhoods and stole nearly 10 luxury cars across the boroughs in a three-month operation.
The car thieves stole a Porsche, Mercedes, Range Rover and other luxury vehicles from driveways in Queens and Brooklyn from June through August, police said.
They were still at large as of Sunday evening.
Typically working in groups of four and three, the gang primarily targeted homes in the affluent Whitestone neighborhood, but also attacked homes in Bayside, Jamaica Estates, Holliswood, Manhattan Beach, and Bay Ridge.
They went on strike in the early hours of the morning – often when the homeowners were sleeping inside.
The gang of thieves began their crime spree on June 2 at a home near Point Crescent but were evicted by the homeowner before they could take anything, police officers said.
Later that month, the gang of robbers raided two more homes, but each time returned empty-handed after being confronted by a homeowner the first time and deterred by a security alarm the second time.
Her next stop on July 21 was more fruitful. They broke into a house near 222nd Street and 41st Road in Queens at 1 a.m. and stole various items, including an Audi SUV, police officers said.
The following day, four of the thieves stole a BMW sedan from a home near 291st Street and 38th Avenue in Queens.
The following day they struck again, stealing a Range Rover SUV and a Porsche from a house near Cambridge Road and Somerset Street – and another day they drove from a house with jewellery, clothes, cash and a Mercedes Benz near Ridge Boulevard and 77th Street in Brooklyn, police said.
According to police, the bandits stole clothes, a Genesis sedan and a BMW SUV from other apartment buildings in July, while fleeing other homes empty-handed after the home alarm system went off.
Her last known break-in was on August 2nd.
Three of the thieves entered a home near Coleridge Street and Oriental Boulevard in Brooklyn and stole jewelry, clothing, a Mercedes Benz and a BMW SUV, police said.
Police recovered the stolen BMW sedan, a Mercedes Benz sedan and the Genesis sedan, but the other vehicles remain missing.
While the total number of burglaries across New York is down year over year, the number of auto thefts is up about 19% year over year, according to crime data from the NYPD.
The police released pictures of the alleged crooks on Sunday. The NYPD is asking anyone with information about the theft car to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or in Spanish at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
