The NYPD is looking for two individuals wanted in connection with a string of 12 robberies in which nearly $50,000 worth of construction equipment was stolen from commercial trucks across Brooklyn and Queens.
According to the police, from Jan. 11 until Feb. 15, the pair drove a U-Haul van up to a parked commercial vehicle containing construction tools and equipment, took the equipment, loaded their truck and left. The duo successfully committed the crime 12 times, according to police.
The first robbery occurred on Saturday, Jan. 11, around 3 a.m., in front of 3516 Flatlands Ave. in Brooklyn, according to police. Two men took around $5,200 worth of construction tools and equipment from an unlocked commercial vehicle and fled in a white U-Haul van in an unknown direction.
A few days later, on Jan. 14, around 2:10 a.m., in front of 2807 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, the unidentified men stole approximately $2,200 worth of construction equipment from a truck bed of a commercial vehicle, according to the police. While committing the crime, they scratched the side of truck, resulting in $1,500 worth of damages. They fled again in a white U-Haul truck.
Sometime between 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 and 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, the men stole tools and light fixtures valued around $1,675 from a commercial vehicle in front of 106-12 96th St. in Ozone Park, police say. They fled in a white U-Haul in an unknown direction. That same night, the pair also broke a back lock on a commercial van parked in front of 103-34 96th St., Ozone Park, and took equipment valued around $4,650.
About a week later, sometime between 6 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, the duo broke a lock on a truck parked in front of 76-06 79th St. in Glendale, and took approximately $15,000 worth of equipment, their largest score of the run, according to police.
Between Friday, Jan. 31, at 11 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m., the pair broke a lock on a commercial truck parked on Atlantic Avenue and 74th Place in Woodhaven and stole approximately $3,000 worth of construction equipment, according to the police. They fled in a white U-Haul.
Sometime the next night, between Saturday, Feb. 1, around 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 2, around 1 p.m., the men broke a lock on a truck in front of 86th Avenue and 112th Place in Richmond Hill. From the truck, they took $2,600 worth of construction tools and fled in a white U-Haul.
A few days later, sometime between 11 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 8 a.m. on Feb. 4, in front of 117-13 Sutter Ave. in South Ozone Park, the men broke a lock on a commercial vehicle and stole about $1,325 worth of equipment and fled in a white U-Haul in an unknown direction, police say.
Between 4 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 7 a.m. on Feb. 4, the men broke into a truck in front of 118-06 Rockaway Blvd. in South Ozone Park and stole $5,500 worth of construction tools, according to the NYPD.
The men took a few days off before committing three burglaries in one night, the last night the police received a report of the burglaries, the NYPD says.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, around 4 a.m., the two unidentified men stole $1,870 worth of construction tools from an unlocked truck parked in front of 135-47 116th St., South Ozone Park. About 15 minutes later, in front of 133-34 116th St, South Ozone Park, the men stole about $2,350 worth of equipment from an unlocked truck. Five minutes after that, in front of 133-31 116th St, the men took about $2,700 worth of construction tools and equipment from the bed of an unlocked commercial truck and fled in a white U-Haul van in an unknown direction.
Police recovered video of the two men taken during the second incident.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of these two males is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @ NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
