The NYPD apprehended five burglary suspects during a Kew Garden Hills deli heist, who almost got away with thousands in cash.
Police, responding to a report of a burglary at JK Deli, at the corner of 71st Avenue and Kissena Boulevard, about 3 a.m. Friday, noticed the ceiling of the deli and a damaged ATM machine, the NYPD said.
One of the officers immediately went up to the roof of the deli through a hole in the ceiling, while he called for backup from the Emergency Service Unit to secure the perimeter of the store, police said.
Once on the roof, the officer saw four men trying to hide on one of the roof’s side walls, the NYPD said.
The suspects then ran in separate directions. One suspect was apprehended in an elevator of an adjoining building, police said. Two suspects were apprehended by the Emergency Service Unit from trees adjacent to the building, and the fourth suspect was apprehended by the officer after a brief struggle.
No officers or suspects were injured.
A fifth man involved in the burglary who was waiting in a nearby parked vehicle was also arrested, police said.
Following the arrests, officers recovered over $12,000 in cash the suspects allegedly removed from the ATM, 3,518 lottery scratch-off tickets, 162 packs of cigarettes and 49 boxes of cigars, cops said. They also recovered hammers, a pry bar, drill, flashlight and a propane torch in connection to the burglary.
Robert Martin, 27, Jose Rosario, 25, Christopher Aulet, 21, Sean Martin, 19, and an unidentified 15-year-old suspect have all been charged with third-degree burglary and possession of burglar’s tools, the NYPD said. Sean Martin has also been charged with criminal possession of stolen property.
Anyone with information in regards to similar incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
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