INWOOD — A burglar suspected of hitting 14 apartments in the neighborhood since the beginning of the year narrowly escaped police when his last break-in was interrupted by a resident who saw him and called 911, according to officials.
Police believe a series of burglaries that occurred along Seaman Avenue, Payson Avenue, Cooper Street, 207th Street and Fort Washington Avenue are all connected to one individual, and they're close to an arrest, according to Deputy Inspector Reymundo Mundo, the commanding officer of the 34th Precinct.
The suspect's method of entry into buildings appears to be through the fire escape, he added, urging residents during a community council meeting on Wednesday night to double check the locks on windows and doors and to close the blinds before leaving the house.
Mundo could not immediately provide more information on the individual burglaries, but said police almost caught the person after he ransacked an apartment on 218th Street, near Park Terrace East, on the evening of Feb. 15. During that incident, the suspect was interrupted and left behind some of his belongings, giving officers a lead in the case, Mundo said.
Although police wouldn't confirm what the suspect left behind, a resident of the apartment building said he handed over to police a black backpack carrying a crow bar and an empty envelope that he found on the roof the night of the break-in.
The resident, Cheyenne Gross, discovered the bag after he heard footsteps on the roof from his apartment — which he noted was uncommon — and walked up to investigate, he told DNAinfo New York.
After finding the backpack, Gross went back to his apartment and told his wife to call police. When Gross went back upstairs, he felt someone from the other side of the door to the roof push the door closed and then let go, giving Gross the opportunity to see the man running down the fire escape and through the backyard of a neighboring building.
Police by that time had arrived, but the suspect got away, Gross said.
Residents of the building came together in the lobby shortly after the incident to support each other, according to Gross. The thief had ransacked an apartment in the building but hadn't taken anything, police said.
“All of a sudden, we’re on edge… we’re all on edge,” Gross said, adding that neighbors need to look out for each other.
Police were able to lift fingerprints from the scene that night and are hoping to get a match very soon, according to Mundo.
Mundo said his officers have also been passing out fliers to supers of buildings that have been hit by burglaries to keep them informed and provide information about how residents can protect their homes, such as keeping one light on in the apartment before leaving.
"We put it on our Twitter and Facebook, and we've spoken to I think every superintendent around Seaman [Avenue], Payson [Avenue], 207th Street, so they could inform tenants — our residents — that this is still happening," Mundo said.
