Three suspects have been accused of smashing their way into a Park Avenue jewelry store in New York City early Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at Cellini Jewelers in the 400 block of Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the suspects got away with over $500,000 worth of items, according to the New York Post.
Surveillance footage showed the three suspects breaking into the first set of glass doors. Moments later, one of them used a sledgehammer to bust the second door to pieces and push it onto the floor.
The group ran into another room and appeared to break open display cases and grab items sitting inside before moving to another area. They eventually fled the building.
“A full inventory of the items removed is pending at this time,” police explained in a statement, adding, “The estimated value of the items removed is over $500,000.”
The group later got into a grey or silver-colored sedan, which sped away on East 56th Street, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
As of Monday, no arrests had been made in the case and police are asking for citizens’ help in finding those responsible.
“According to NYPD’s latest crime statistics, burglaries and grand larcenies were up more than 31% and 41% respectively, while robberies have seen an increase of 35.5%, compared to the same time last year,” the Post article said.
New York Gov Kathy Hochul, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams (R), delivers remarks about their joint effort to combat gun violence at the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) office on August 24, 2022, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Social media users commented on the incident, with one person writing, “We live in a city where anything goes with no consequences. Big shoutout to Leticia James, Alvin Brag[g] and Hochul. You guys did it, congrats!!!”
“Tells you the state this city is in, it took time, and noise to make that happen. The Criminals have no fear,” another replied.
Meanwhile, rising violent crime across President Joe Biden’s (D) America is emerging as the deciding issue in the upcoming midterm elections, Breitbart News reported October 5:
A Politico poll released Wednesday found that 77 percent of Americans believe violent crime is a significant problem in the country. The survey also found that 74 percent of Americans believe violent crime is increasing nationally, while 88 percent think it is increasing or staying the same within their community.
Americans also believe more police department funding is one of the main answers in the fight against the crime wave, the article said, noting the recent poll numbers came as Republicans shifted their campaign messaging to the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies that hurts communities.