NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The NYPD says a group of men wanted in over three dozen burglaries have made off with more than $700,000 worth of goods this summer.
Police say the incidents date back to June.
In the first burglary, which occurred on the morning of June 5, four suspects allegedly used a crowbar to pry open the back door of a Verizon store on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn and broke into a safe, taking off with $40,000 worth of electronics.
They struck the same location again on July 2 using the same method of entry, this time allegedly taking $2,300 worth of phone accessories.
A day earlier, police said they broke into a delivery truck in a parking lot at the corner of East 59th Street and Avenue J, a few blocks from the Verizon store, and took all the furniture that was inside.
The NYPD now believes that the group is responsible for at least 41 other incidents that occurred between July 8 and Aug. 17 in multiple locations throughout the city.
One Brooklyn resident tells WCBS 880's Kristie Keleshian that the burglary spike does not surprise him.
"We live in a difficult time so I was not surprised to see something like that," the man said.
While no details were released about the other incidents, police did release photos and videos of the suspects from inside the Verizon store and inside the parking lot.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.
