By Naeisha Rose
Naquan Hill, a Far Rockaway man who boldly attempted to escape from the Rikers Island Prison Complex last summer, pleaded guilty last week to burglarizing two homes in Queens in 2016, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Hill, 25, is set to be sentenced Wednesday from 16 years to life in prison as a mandatory persistent felon at Queens Criminal Court in Kew Gardens, according to Brown.
“In pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted to burglarizing two homes — violating the sanctity of the victims’ residences — in an attempt to enrich himself by taking another person’s valuables,” the district attorney said.
Hill entered six Queens and Nassau County residences between July 1 and Nov. 28, 2016, according to criminal charges, and took jewelry, electronics and clothing.
Not only did Hill leave DNA evidence at five of the burglarized homes, he also posted photos of the stolen goods on his Facebook account hours after the thefts, and police traced the culprit to his home using the Find My iPhone App, Brown said.
Hill also registered several of the stolen electronics to his own name, phone number and email address, leaving a digital trail strong enough for police to issue a warrant on the burglar’s home and social media account.
Once at his property, police were able to recover items from all six burglaries, and Hill pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree burglary on Jan. 17, according to Judge Barry Kron, the Supreme Court justice who provided over the case.
Family members say that Hill became stir-crazy in jail after already serving an earlier four-year prison stint for burglary, in which he was released in March only to end up in the same position again, hence his attempt to escape in July 2017.
“As a persistent felon, the defendant will find himself incarcerated for a very long time as a result of this criminal act,” Brown said.
Hill was apprehended during his escape while still on the island and has to go to court before the Bronx district attorney on Jan. 29 to face escape charges.
Assistant District Attorney Tara A. DiGregorio of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
