Suspected Park Slope Burglar Arrested Red-Handed

The could be on its way back down, thanks to a joint arrest by two stationhouses, according to the 78th precinct’s Commanding Officer, Captain Michael Ameri.

On April 5, police arrested a 24-year-old man while he was breaking into a Windsor Terrace apartment, which is covered by the 72nd Precinct.

The 78th’s top cop, Cpt. Michael Ameri, told Patch that his station was performing an investigation on that same man concerning , between Fifth and Sixth avenues, where he stole nearly $9,000 in jewelry.

The arrested suspect was since charged with two counts of burglary and the jeweled possessions, including a diamond and sapphire ring and a gold necklace, were recovered at a local pawnshop.

After this month’s joint arrest, Ameri said that Park Slope has seen a decrease in burglaries.

From April 1 to April 8, there were three burglaries—a 40 percent decrease compared to this week in 2011, which showed five.

“The impact this arrest has made is big, we believe he is responsible for multiple burglaries in this area,” Ameri told Patch, explaining that the burglar arrested on April 5 is believed to have burglarized other apartments in the area between Fourth Avenue and Sixth Avenue from Third to Ninth streets.

However, Park Slope is not totally out of the clear. Ameri explained that although burglaries have decreased in the area immediately around where the suspect broke into the Seventh Street apartment, they have also been occurring elsewhere in the neighborhood.

“We are still experiencing an uptick of burglaries between Fourth and Flatbush avenues around Bergen Street and St. Marks Place,” Ameri told Patch. “We are deploying more resources in the needed areas but we are definitely headed in the right direction.”

Ameri explained that in most cases, crooks are gaining entry to people’s homes by climbing through unlocked or open back windows of apartments and fire escape windows. They are also forcing inadequate locks open (mostly front doors) and front doors left open or unsecured. 

Ameri said that there are a few simple tips to keep your house and belongings safe:

• Make sure all windows and doors are locked and secured.
• Install and lock secondary locks.
• Do not leave your electronics (laptops, iPods, etc.) near windows in plain view.
• Install only FDNY approved safety gates on fire escape or ground level windows.

In order to make sure your home is properly protected, the 78th precinct is offering a free Crime Prevention survey for neighborhood apartments and homes. You can contact Crime Prevention Police Officer Vivian Santiago, and have the free survey done on your home, which consists of a walk-through and a list of security recommendations to help prevent your chances of being burglarized. Contact her at 718-636-6433 to schedule an appointment.

You can also sign up for the 78th precinct’s crime prevention newsletter to get the latest news and tips on crime in Park Slope. Click here to see April 2012’s edition and click here to subscribe.