Talk about a tunnel rat!
A 41-year-old rooftop raider who allegedly spent his nights burrowing into neighborhood stores found himself in the hole last week when he tried to cash in some Lottery scratch-off games he swiped from an Avenue U card shop, police said.
Prosecutors said that Adam Tucker was charged with two counts of burglary and criminal trespass for breaking into Nadya Cards on Avenue U near Coyle Street on March 16 and Maryam Candy, 20th Avenue near 85th Street, back on February 10.
News of his arrest came as welcome relief to workers at Nadya Cards, which has had its roof ripped through at least twice in the last month. Although cops charged him with the most recent break-in, police believe that Tucker may be responsible for both.
“We’re glad they finally caught him,” said employee Nadya Federova as she looked up at a boarded-up two-foot hole that Tucker allegedly clawed through during his most recent escapade. “I just hope that this doesn’t happen to us again.”
Police allege that once he dug his way through the ceiling on March 16, Tucker removed $600 in lottery tickets, six packs of cigarettes and $600 in cigars.
He was arrested the next day in Manhattan when he was caught trying to cash in the Lotto tickets he had allegedly stolen, according to officials. Police had flagged the serial numbers on the stolen scratch-off tickets to stores throughout the city. When Tucker tried to redeem them, they were flagged as stolen property, officials said.
After he was taken into custody, cops searched Tucker’s Manhattan flat, finding burglar tools, more stolen scratch-off tickets and a ledger that had “listed several locations that were burglarized in Brooklyn,” according to prosecutors.
There was also a map of Brooklyn showing the corner of 20th Avenue and 86th Street, right where another store is located.
Above the corner was the words “Supermarket” and “Good one,” investigators alleged.
As of this writing, detectives were trying to connect Tucker to several other rooftop burglaries in the neighborhood.
Over the past few weeks, thieves have broken into Sovereign Bank, 301 Avenue U at McDonald Avenue; the Flatbush & R Laundromat, 2220 Flatbush Avenue; and Song’s Deli, 5401 Avenue T, as well as an Optimo store on 13th Avenue in Bay Ridge.
