Two men were charged last week in connection with four home burglaries in the span of four days.
The defendants, both Elmhurst residents, Michael Natindim, 34, and Edgar Mortel, 22, are also charged with endangering the welfare of child because they allegedly allowed Natindim’s 3-year-old daughter to sit unattended in the backseat of the car they were using to transport stolen goods and to scope out potential residences for future burglaries.
Natindim is additionally accused of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a press release, “These are disturbing allegations. Burglary is a serious crime in and of itself. It is unthinkable that a father would put his innocent child in harm’s way while allegedly driving under the influence of drugs and casing potential burglary targets.”
According to court documents, officers with the Burglary Larceny Apprehension and Surveillance Team began following the men in the early morning hours of June 26, as they drove and stopped at three separate residences in Elmhurst, Little Neck and Flushing.
At each location Natindim was observed exiting the vehicle and walking into a fenced-in area of the private residences before returning to the vehicle a short time later and driving away.
At around 1:30 a.m., the men entered DR PC in Woodside—an electronics and repair shop—carrying various items including a laptop, external CD drive, iPhone, and watch.
Police officers followed the men in and report overhearing Natindim asking an employee repeatedly, “How much can you give me on the black market?”
Police then arrested the men and seized the property before Natindim allegedly told them there was a child in the Lincoln Navigator they were driving. The child was later identified as Natindim’s daughter.
The arrest report also indicates that officers observed Natindim with bloodshot eyes, and incoherent speech. It also alleges that the defendant admitted to earlier smoking ‘meth.’
According to the complaint, police also found various other electronics and a New York state benefits card inside the vehicle.
A further search of Natindim’s home led to the recovery of a stolen credit card, two blow torches and additional rock-like substances believed to be methamphetamine.
Some of the recovered property has been identified by complainants in the four other burglaries the men are accused of in Kew Gardens Hills, Fresh Meadows and Flushing.
Natindim is being held on $40,000 bail and Mortel on $15,000 bail.
The District Attorney’s office released no information on the status of the child.
