QUEENS — The number of burglaries in Forest Hills, where there have been a recent rash of break-ins, has decreased after an arrest of the key suspect, cops said.
In the area, where most of the burglaries occurred, there have been no reported break-ins since April 20, said Capt. Thomas Conforti, commanding officer of the 112 Precinct which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park, at a community council meeting on Wednesday night.
Paul Hisler, 49, arrested on May 1 for a burglary committed in the neighborhood last year, is being eyed by cops for the pattern that began in February.
Since then, the neighborhood has seen 14 break-ins, targeting mostly jewelry and cash, that occurred between Metropolitan Avenue and Exeter Street and between 69th and Continental avenues, the police said.
"I'm happy to report that those burglary numbers have started to decrease," Conforti said. “And they gonna continue falling.”
Conforti said investigators are still working to determine whether there were other people responsible for the spree, but he added that “definitely one of the main people was caught.”
According to statistics provided by the NYPD for the period ending May 5, there have been 60 break-ins this year in the 112 Precinct compared to 32 last year, an increase of 87.5 percent.
It’s an improvement compared to April, when the numbers of burglaries in the neighborhood — inflated by the pattern — increased by 93 percent year to date, Conforti said.
Overall crime in the precinct is down about 2.5 percent, Conforti said.
Hisler was arrested after investigators matched DNA evidence at the scene of a break-in last year to his profile in the state's database, according to court documents. He is due back in court on May 17.
