A resident from a city-run shelter in Long Island City was arrested Friday and booked at the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows for stealing personal items belonging to St. John’s University basketball coach Rick Pitino from his office at Carnesecca Arena during the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Emanuel Yakubov, 25, who was staying at the Vue Hotel on 22nd Street near the Queensbridge Houses, was arraigned on Saturday in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with burglary, petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property for stealing bottles of booze and sports memorabilia, including an autographed basketball, a ceremonial sword in a scabbard, a mardi gras mask and a mini-bullhorn, which are estimated to be worth around $400 from Pitino’s office, police said.
“St. John’s University is grateful for the rapid response by the NYPD and the recovery of stolen property,” SJU Spokesman Brian Browne said. “The safety and security of our campus community are essential, and our cooperative relationship with law enforcement helps ensure that.”
Police from the 107th Precinct are still looking for a second suspect, as well as a juvenile who was seen entering a parking garage on the Hillcrest campus on a scooter. Yakubov and his accomplices were seen on video surveillance entering Carnesecca Arena empty-handed at 7:16 p.m. and were seen on surveillance video about a half hour later walking through a hallway carrying three bottles of liquor, according to the criminal complaint.
The other suspect was seen on video minutes later loading the bottles of alcohol into the scooter that Yakubov and the minor used to ride away from campus, westbound on Union Turnpike. Yakubov and the other adult suspect were also seen on video walking outside Pitino’s office with some of the personal items.
Pitino took to social media on Wednesday saying he was upset about the burglary of his office.
“Taking my memorabilia is one thing, but the 1985 6L Petrus Pomerol has me livid!!!” he posted on X before clarifying that he was only joking and that the pricey French Merlot, worth upwards of $1,500 per bottle, was safe and sound.
“I would never keep that on my desk! Saving that one in the wine cellar to open after the Johnnies go to the Final Four,” Pitino wrote.
Detectives, acting on a tip to Crime Stoppers, executed a search warrant on Friday at the shelter in the Vue Hotel and recovered many of the stolen items, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation. Yakubov was taken into custody and later told investigators that they found the keys to Pitino’s office under a desk in the Athletic Department and entered.
“We got a whole bunch of liquor, like three bottles [of] Grey Goose, Casa Azul and some cheap vodka,” Yakubov said, according to the criminal complaint.
“We wandered around a lot,” he added. “But once we got the alcohol we left.”
Yakubov told investigators that it was his first time on the St. John’s campus. and that his accomplice is there every other day.
The suspect remains at large and is described as having a light complexion and thin build. He wore a black T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and white sneakers. An NYPD spokeswoman was not able to describe the juvenile suspect.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Aug. 25, the 107th Precinct has reported 139 burglaries so far in 2024, 40 fewer than the 179 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 22.3%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
