HELL’S KITCHEN — Nearly $14,000 worth of electronics and other belongings were stolen from apartments damaged by a fire that destroyed a Hell's Kitchen restaurant last month, police said.
The blaze, which tore through 763 Ninth Ave. on Jan. 24 and gutted Empanada Mama, forced tenants out of apartments above the popular eatery.
When a few of the tenants returned to their apartments on Jan. 27, they discovered that about $13,849 worth of laptops, phones and other items they’d left behind when they evacuated the burning building were gone, police said.
A 25-year-old tenant told police he was missing a $1,000 Macbook Pro, a $300 iPad mini, a $400 watch, $150 Ray Ban sunglasses, $150 Mari Jim sunglasses, a $99 Apple TV, a $200 iPhone 5s and $300 in cash.
A second 25-year-old tenant lost his $2,000 Macbook laptop, his U.S. passport, a $500 iPad, Ray Ban sunglasses, shoes, a hard drive and $100 in cash, he told police.
And a third tenant, also a 25-year-old man, reported his $2,000 Macbook Pro, $100 iPhone 4s, $300 iPad, $200 Beats headphones, a $200 pair sunglasses, a $350 pair sunglasses, a $400 watch, $150 Nike sunglasses, a hard drive and $150 in cash had been taken, police said.
The thief or thieves also made off with two $500 laptops, a $250 Verizon MiFi device, a $50 Banana Republic gift card, a $50 gift card to Vynl Restaurant, a $1,000 iPhone, a $1,500 Gucci duffel bag, a $300 blender, three $300 Samsung tablets and $350 Gucci sunglasses owned by other tenants in the building, police said.
Two of the 25-year-olds who reported missing items declined to comment on Monday. A third victim did not respond to a request for comment.
After the fire, the FDNY turned security matters over to the NYPD, an FDNY spokesman said on Monday.
On Monday, Midtown North Precinct Inspector John Hart said police secured the building for 72 hours after taking over for the fire department, noting the building’s owner was responsible for its security when the grand larcenies happened.
“We secured the location and turned it back over to the owner… prior to any thefts,” he wrote in an email.
The owner of 763 Ninth Ave. could not be reached for comment on Monday.
