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'Modern-Day Geppetto' Robbed of $42K in Xmas Display Workshop Heist: NYPD

By Aidan Gardiner | November 6, 2015 9:18am | Updated on November 6, 2015 11:55am
 A man, left, robbed the Christmas workshop of Lou Nasti, right, who calls himself a
A man, left, robbed the Christmas workshop of Lou Nasti, right, who calls himself a "modern-day Geppetto," police said.
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NYPD and DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

BROOKLYN — At least one naughty New Yorker is getting coal in his stocking this Christmas.

A man snuck into an East Flatbush Christmas display workshop and hid there until everyone left so he could steal $42,000 in cash, tools cognac and cigars in late October, the shop's owner said.

"To go though my personal office, my desk, everything, it’s very upsetting. You feel invaded. You feel frightened," Nasti said.

"It’s very upsetting when you’re invaded like that. We work all year for Christmas. He stole things that were critical for all my work now," the holiday builder said.

The burglar, who can be seen in surveillance footage, slipped right behind Lou Nasti as he locked up his shop Lou Nasti Mechanical Displays at 4420 Farragut Road, near East 45th Street, about 5 p.m. Oct. 26 and snuck into a nearby room, Nasti said.

 He robbed Lou Nasti Mechanical Displays on 4420 Farragut Road, police said.   
Man Steals From Christmas Workshop
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Nasti left work, but the burglar remained and started rummaging through the shop, which specializes in making large mechanical Christmas displays for front lawns, the owner said.

The thief snatched tools, cigars, unopened cognac that grateful clients gave Nasti and cash meant for day laborers hired to build displays in other cities, the owner said.

Nasti's cat, named Joe, can be seen in surveillance footage following the burglar around the shop, he said.

The burglar, who wore a gray hoodie, blue jeans with black sneakers, then realized he was locked inside and set about unscrewing the bars over a window to break out, the holiday set builder said.

"He was very diligent about what he did," Nasti said.

"It took him [6] hours and then he squeezed out a little window," he added.

An accomplice had also cut through a lock on an external gate, letting the pair escape, Nasti said.

Joe, the cat, followed him out the window as well, the owner said.

Nasti realized something was wrong when he returned the next morning and found the gate open and his cat didn't immediately run up to greet him, he said.

He realized that someone had stolen his valuables, but thankfully, Joe quickly returned to his side.

"I told him, 'Joe, who did this. Come on.' He wouldn't talk," Nasti said.

The burglary didn't dramatically delay his holiday business, which will soon take him to Mississippi, Kentucky and Maryland, Nasti said.

His shop has been making over-the-top Christmas displays all over the world for 46 years, displays that include large mechanical Santa Clauses, spinning figure skaters, miniature Frank Sinatras and more.

"Lou [Nasti] has been called a sort of modern-day Geppetto who has created a unique world of mechanized animated figures: whirling, spinning and gesturing all about," the shop's website says.

Nasti insists his resemblance to the fairytale puppet maker is only coincidence: "I look like Geppetto. That just happened. I didn’t plan that part."

"If you want to call me a genius, I'll accept that because I can build anything," Nasti said in a 2010 YouTube clip about the holiday business.

When police came to investigate, Nasti showed them the crime scene which is decked out in dolls, reindeer and other Christmas decor.

"When they walked in my showroom they were like a bunch of kids. 'Oh, look at that!' It was nice to see my stuff was a appreciated. No matter who you are, whether you're a cop or a kid, you can appreciate it," Nasti said.

His Christmas displays gave the police an extra spark of motivation to catch the burglar, which Nasti would see as a fitting end to what he sees as an embarrassing incident.

"I don’t want sympathy. I don’t want pity. I don't want it to go on. I just want people to walk into my displays and say, 'That’s gorgeous.' And that’s it," he said.