BY THE VILLAGE SUN | A prolific pair of burglars cleaned out East Village eateries and stores during a three-month crime spree, racking up thousands of dollars in stolen cash and electronics, according to police.
All the burglaries were in the Ninth Precinct, except for the first one, which was in the Fifth in Chinatown.
In the first incident, on Sun., March 7, right before midnight, a man entered through the front door of Fong On grocery store, at 81 Division St., after breaking the lock, as another guy stood outside acting as a lookout. The burglar grabbed a cash register containing about $600, before fleeing north on Division St.
A few hours later, around 3:45 a.m., allegedly the same guy entered Tio Pepe restaurant, at 250 E. 14th St., again after breaking the lock, with his sidekick again acting as lookout. He stole the cash register, valued at $450, before fleeing eastbound on E. 14th St.
The day after that, Tues., March 9, just after midnight, the pair of perps hit Ramen Setagaya, at 34 St. Mark’s Place. Following the same M.O., they stole cash and electronics valued at $3,450.
On Mon., May 31, around 4:30 a.m., they did a “takeout” at Hunan Bistro, at 96 Third Ave., making off with cash and electronics with a total value of $2,700.
But they were only getting started. On Sun., June 13, around 10 p.m., their target was La Mia Pizza, at 124 Fourth Ave., where they swiped $750 from the cash register.
On Mon., June 14, at 2:30 a.m., they visited Greenwich Market Place, at 120 Fourth Ave., swiping a cash register with $700 inside.
On their menu for Fri., June 18, was Gia, the Italian restaurant at 334 Bowery, which they hit at 7 p.m. The burglar grabbed an iPad and a took kit worth $750.
Taking a brief break from food businesses, they broke in to Pinky’s spa, at 61 E. Third St., on Fri., June 18, at 11:30 p.m. They stole cash and electronics with a total value of $4,300.
On Sat., June 19, around 3:30 a.m., the duo struck at Village Cafe and Grill, at 128 E. Fourth St., absconding with $500 from the register.
Finally, the burglary duo hit Sammy’s Halal restaurant, at 109 First Ave., on Thurs., June 24, around 10 p.m., taking $1,400 from the till.
Both suspects are described as around 40 to 60 years old, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds.
Police provided surveillance video and photos from Sally’s Halal burglary. One of them wore a Yankees baseball cap.
Police ask that anyone with information call the N.Y.P.D.’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers Web site at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter at @NYPDTips. All tips are strictly confidential.
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