By John Tozzi
Thousands of dollars of appliances were taken from three unoccupied homes in the 111th Precinct between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 7, 8 and 10, and in each case the burglars escaped without any neighbors noticing them enough to give police a description, officers said. Police said anyone removing new appliances from a construction site should raise enough red flags for neighbors to call 911 and report it.”At a brand new construction site, appliances should be going in,” said Lt. Daniel Heffernan of the 111th Precinct. “Deliveries are normal. The other way around is unusual.”On Feb. 7, burglars took a GE refrigerator, stove, microwave dishwasher and wine cooler out of a construction site on 43rd Avenue near 207th Street, according to police reports.The next day, a stove and wine cooler were stolen from a Little Neck site on Thornhill Avenue at 252nd Street, police said. The burglars reportedly entered through an unlocked rear door. On Feb. 10, suspects forced the rear window of a new home on 202nd Street near 45th Avenue and took out a refrigerator, stove and dishwasher, police said. A similar incident was reported in the 109th Precinct, but officers there could not provide further information. Thefts from construction sites have long been a problem, and the building boom in Little Neck and Bayside has only exacerbated it, Heffernan said.In December, burglars removed 24 cases of hardwood flooring from an Oakland Gardens site on 232nd Street, police said. They had to take off the front doors of the home to get the flooring out.Construction sites make easy targets because they are unoccupied and they are often not even locked up. Neighbors used to seeing workers come and go may not take any notice of burglars.Heffernan said neighbors should call 311 if a site is left unsecured. If neighbors see anyone taking appliances out of a home or people coming and going after hours, they should call 911 and report suspicious activity.Reach reporter John Tozzi by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext. 174.
