The New York City Police Department issued a burglary advisory in the Upper East Side this week after a spate of robberies.
“Apartments below have been burglarized from 7/20 to present on the Upper East Side. Suspect(s) enter via fire escape or other accessible windows. Please ensure your windows are always locked,” the NYPD’s 19th Precinct tweeted Monday.
?BURGLARY ADVISORY:
Apartments below have been burglarized from 7/20 to present on the Upper East Side.Suspect(s) enter via fire escape or other accessible windows. Please ensure your windows are always locked.
If you ? anyone on roofs/fire escapes ☎️ 9-1-1 immediately! pic.twitter.com/QeeXY8VroI
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) August 17, 2020
The Upper East Side is one of the wealthiest areas in the city, is home to various celebrities, and where prominent families such as the Rockefellers and the Carnegies established residences in the 1900s.
The NYPD warned that residents should call 911 if they see anyone climbing fire escapes or spot them on roofs.
Over the last few weeks, four burglaries have been reported in a seven-block radius. Some of these burglaries occurred during broad daylight, including one at 3 p.m. on July 8 and another at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 9.
It is unclear what was taken from the apartments during the burglaries and if they were connected, according to the New York Post.
The city has reported an increase in crimes in recent months amid protests and riots sparked by the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day.
Many New Yorkers and local businesses have been packing their bags this summer for more residential areas, such as the Hamptons or Connecticut, citing coronavirus restrictions and safety concerns.
“We reached our New York expiration date,” one New York City mother recently told the New York Post. “Things weren’t heading in the right direction. What we’re seeing now isn’t at all surprising.”
