A 15-year-old was nabbed on Aug. 20 after allegedly burglarizing a Marine Park home — one of six break-ins rattling an area already drowning under a deluge of home break-ins.
Police said the teen was taken into custody after he forced his way inside the home on Kimball Street between Avenue P and Quentin Road at noon. The adolescent reportedly used a gardening tool to pry open a back window.
A witness reportedly saw the teen go inside the home and called 911.
When Sgt. Joseph Walas and Officer Sean Kelleher of the 63rd Precinct’s anti-crime squad arrived at the scene, the thief was coming out of the home with a cache of stolen property. He was arrested after a brief pursuit, officials said.
By Tuesday, investigators were keeping to the belief that the hooligan was responsible for just the one burglary. Yet five others took place in the name last week, including:
• Someone ransacked an Avenue M home between East 38th and Ryder streets on Aug. 16. When the 77-year-old resident returned home, everything was thrown about — so much so that he’s unsure if anything was taken.
• A thief attempted to open the rear door of a Bergen Avenue home between Avenues U and T on Aug. 20, but didn’t get inside. The 29-year-old resident said that when she returned home before 8 pm, she noticed her back door was riddled with pry marks, as if someone had taken a crowbar to her home.
• A crook broke into a home on East 69th Street between avenues U and T, taking an assortment of electronics. The thief broke through a side window sometime after 8:30 pm in order to get inside.
The half dozen break-ins only added to the burglary woes the 63rd Precinct has been facing of late.
As of Aug. 15, the precinct was experiencing a 40 percent increase in home break-ins for the year. On Aug. 15, 2009, 117 burglaries had been reported, police said. Fast forward a year later, 164 are being investigated.
Captain Patricia McDonald, the 63rd Precinct’s executive officer, admitted that the precinct is being plagued by burglary crews in both Flatlands and, more recently, in Marine Park.
“We’re bringing in more patrols to combat the problem,” she said, adding that residents can help themselves by making sure their doors and windows are secured when they leave for the day.
Residents can also get the NYPD to conduct security surveys of their homes free of charge, McDonald said. All one has to do is contact Police Officer Kris Castagliola at (718) 258-4444.
