If you’re going to break into a house, you really ought to make completely sure that nobody’s home.
Police in the 109th Precinct say that shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, a man wearing a blue baseball cap and white gloves was observed knocking on the front door of 98 Parsons Boulevard in the decidedly upscale neighborhood of Malba.
They say the man went around the back of the house, removed a screen, and entered the home, where he made noise, alarming the owner.
According to police, when the burglar, who had a knife, was confronted by the owner, he fled, carrying a brown bag. The victim called 9-1-1.
Shortly afterwards, anti-crime cops spotted a man fitting the description, near 3rd Avenue and Parsons Boulevard – within two blocks of the alleged burglary – who fled into Francis Lewis Park, where he was apprehended.
The homeowner was brought to the location, where he allegedly identified John Bellon, 42, who gave his home address as 1090 North Creek Road, Porter Corners in upstate Saratoga County, New York.
Police allege that Bellon “admitted to ringing doorbells.”
Bellon, who has a criminal record but no prior arrests in New York City, is being held on Rikers Island on $5,000 bond, charged with burglary, weapons possession and criminal mischief.
He is due back in court on Tuesday, September 8. If convicted, he faces seven years in prison.
