Police are searching for a knife-wielding, bike-riding man who burglarized at least five homes in Queens and Brooklyn in a little over a month.
The man made off with a heap of valuables, including electronics, jewelry and a bike, from early April until mid-May police said. The NYPD hopes to get him in custody before he strikes again.
Police say he has hit five homes in Ridgewood and Bushwick, with his most recent burglary at an apartment near Putnam Avenue and 60th Street on May 16. He gained entry to the apartment through a locked door. When the man who lived there returned, the burglar said he was a detective investigating a break-in and took off on a yellow bike.
The burglar has stolen thousands of dollars’ worth of valuables, police said. He gains access to locked apartments by using some sort of wallet-sized device to break into the homes.
Police believe he's behind another burglary on May 11 in which a laptop, camera, rings, watches and a bicycle were stolen. They say he’s also a suspect in three burglaries in April, including one in which he pulled out a knife and threatened a 27-year-old woman. He fled on a bike in that burglary as well, police said.
The 27-year-old woman, who only wanted to use her first name, Joanna, told News 4 New York that she caught the suspect picking a lock and trying to get into her home.
Joanna says she confronted the man from a window. She says he denied trying to break into her Catalpa Avenue home and then became defensive.
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"He took out a knife, and he said he was going to come get me," Joanna said.
After she yelled, he ran off and hopped on the bike.
"God forbid I was outside. Who knows what he would have done?" she said, adding that she no longer feels safe in her home.
"I hope they find this guy, because it can happen to anyone."
Police said the suspect has worn New York Islanders apparel during multiple break-ins.
