KIPS BAY — A career burglar with a long rap sheet broke into an East 33rd Street apartment in October, while he was out on bail for an August burglary arrest, according to police and prosecutors.
Nickolas Grivas, 54, broke into the apartment by climbing through a skylight at roughly 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 20. He left the home empty-handed and passed his victim in the building's hallway on his way out, authorities said.
Police caught up with Grivas and arrested him at Second Avenue and East 27th Street at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, police said.
Grivas admitted to police that images from surveillance footage inside the building were of him, according to a criminal complaint.
Grivas has spent more than two decades in prison for several burglaries and an attempted burglary, state records show. For his most recent conviction, in 1998, Grivas served 16 years of a 16-year-to-life sentence, and was released on lifetime parole in June of 2014.
He was arrested on Aug. 14 for breaking into a Third Avenue apartment and stealing roughly $7,800 worth of jewelry, including Tiffany earrings, a gold engagement ring, a gold bracelet and a gold necklace, according to a criminal complaint.
At the time, Grivas was released after paying $7,500 bail, but then he skipped his Nov. 24 court date and a warrant was issued for his arrest, which was still open when he was charged with the Oct. 20 burglary.
A judge ordered Grivas held without bail, and is due back in court on Dec. 22, records show.
Grivas' lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
