Police are searching for a man wanted for six burglaries in Astoria. (NYPD)
March 29, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
Police are searching for a man wanted for a string of burglaries in Astoria and Long Island City that took place over the course of two weeks, resulting in more than $52,000 in stolen property.
On March 12, around 1 p.m., the unidentified man entered an unlocked garage near 21st Street and 21st Avenue and made off the with 30-year-old resident’s Ducati motorcycle, valued at $3,000.
Ten days later, on March 22, the man began a string of four burglaries in the same day. At some point between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m., the burglar entered into the garage of a residence belonging to a 42-year-old man by breaking the lock on the garage door. The resident returned home to find the lock broken, but nothing had been stolen, police said.
At some point between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., the man broke the lock on a first floor apartment inside a residential building near 76th Street and 20th Avenue, causing damage to the door. Once inside, the burglar then stole $44,000 worth of jewelry belonging to the 67-year-old resident, including diamond rings, tennis bracelets and two Cartier and Omega watches.
Within a similar time frame, the suspect hit a second residence in the vicinity of 76th Street and 20th Avenue by breaking the lock to a second-floor apartment belonging to a 30-year-old man. He made off with the victim’s MacBook Pro, jewelry, clothing and bottles of wine, totaling $5,540 in value.
Moving to 41st Avenue and 22nd Street, the burglar again broke the lock on a second-floor apartment at some point between 8:45 a.m. and 8 p.m.. The 57-year-old woman who lives in the apartment came home from work to find her front door ajar, but no property had been stolen.
Four days later, on March 26, the man broke the lock on the door of a garage near 45th Street and 21st Avenue some time after 9 p.m., and stole a bike valued at $200.
The wanted man is described as black and between 45 and 50 years old. He was last seen wearing a white Kangol hat, plaid shirt and blue jeans, and was driving a maroon Ford Explorer.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
