It was their consistency that ended up costing this group of Queens burglars, cops said.
Capt. Christopher Manson, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, told the community in December to watch out for thieves who were hitting commercial storefronts through the roof and breaking through the walls to steal cash. Nearly one month later, the captain celebrated the arrests of five men suspected of the crimes, citing their familiar pattern of apparent thefts recorded throughout the borough.
The 107th Precinct made the arrests around 3 a.m. on Jan. 3 after catching five trying to steal money from the JK Deli at the corner of 71st Avenue and Kissena Boulevard in Kew Gardens, the NYPD said. When it was all over, officers had arrested Christopher Aulet, 21, of Ozone Park, brothers Robert Martin, 27, and Sean Martin, 19, of Ozone Park, Jose Rosario, 25, of Woodhaven and a 15-year-old whose name was withheld because he is a minor.
All five were charged with third-degree burglary and possession of burglar’s tools, the NYPD said.
A spokesman for the NYPD said cops were called to the scene and found a hole in the roof of the deli and its ATM damaged. Cops spotted the suspects, who then tried to get away before they were apprehended along with $12,000 in cash, over 3,000 scratch-off lottery tickets, cigarettes; boxes of cigars and tools.
Manson said officers took note of the group’s style, keeping an eye on when they hit and where. Cops finally zeroed in on the thieves and caught them in the act at the deli, the department said.
“That’s when they hit,” Manson said. “That’s their normal M.O.”
Similar burglaries were recorded throughout the borough, including the 103rd and 113th Precincts, before the five were arrested – with several of which coming out of the Ridgewood area, Manson said. He recalled one incident in late September and another in early December in which a group of burglars broke into storefronts and stole cash from their ATMs and cash registers.
On Sept. 21, police said an unknown number of burglars busted into the San Remo Pizzeria at 56-01 Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood before going through the wall and into a furniture store next-door and taking roughly $9,500 in cash.
A similar crime was recorded Dec. 17 in Middle Village, when police said the suspects broke into Andy’s Deli on 82-17 Eliot Ave. through the roof and hit the
ATM before breaking through the wall and into the neighboring D&P Convenience Store. In that incident, Manson said suspects walked away with more than $600 in cash from the register alone.
By Phil Corso
