BENSONHURST — Alex Mendoza was working his job at a produce market Friday afternoon when he got a frantic call from his brother that their family apartment in Bensonhurst had just been robbed.
Mendoza, 28, raced home 6719 14th Ave. at about 1:30 p.m. to find police officers already on the scene, dusting for fingerprints. His brother then told Alex he had been sleeping after working a night shift when someone broke in and stole their mother’s jewelry.
“I was like in shock,” Alex said. “It just happened in [broad daylight].”
Alex said one of the pieces stolen included a gold necklace he purchased for his mom in 2005 for $900.
“[We] work so hard just get some valuables for our family members,” he said. “Then they come in and steal it.”
Witnesses said they saw one man running away from the building and an officer lying on the ground, holding his face.
They then saw NYPD helicopters fling overhead, looking for the suspect.
An FDNY spokesman said one person suffered minor injuries at the scene, but could not confirm if it was an officer who was injured.
Police said they did not yet have any information on the robbery or possible assault of an officer.
Neighbor Adriana Martinez, 19, said she was “scared” by the robbery.
“It seems like that doesn’t really happen right here,” she said.
Whatever the specific circumstances, Alex said he had a simple message for the burglar.
“Why don’t you get a job?”