UPPER EAST SIDE — A serial burglar has broken into a string of apartments in the neighborhood, using fire escapes to target pricey Apple products, police said.
Officers in the 19th Precinct said they're looking at a pattern of break-in robberies in which the prowler enters apartments through fire escapes in the rear of buildings.
Many of the burglaries have occurred in smaller, walk-up buildings east of Lexington Avenue between East 62nd Street all the way up to East 95th Street, according to police.
Police said they could not provide an exact number of burglaries that they believe were part of the pattern, but said they believe they were "many" of the incidents in last month's spike in burglaries.
The 19th Precinct had 37 reported robberies in December compared to just 16 during the same period last year, NYPD data shows. Out of the 37 burglaries, 25 occurred during the day, police said.
Police said the suspect uses open or unlocked windows to enter the apartments, sometimes pushing in air-conditioning units to gain access.
Officers have surveillance images of the suspect showing him wearing an oversized tan coat and a Yankee hat.
Police warned residents at a community council meeting Monday night to take basic precautions such as locking doors and windows.
