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Just a heads up our house was broken into Tuesday afternoon. Apparently they were watching the house and when our dog walker came they hopped over a 6' locked chain link fence and pushed open a partially open window and climbed inside. Took a few laptops, and stuff in a nap sack that we had and made their way out. The police said that burglaries are up 75% this year, and in the last week there have been 3 break ins on our block alone (16th between 5&6) So be warned, obviously someone is staking these places out. The police said that the best thing to do is to engrave some personal information on the laptops so when they eventually make it to pawn shops in sunset park (apparently that is where a lot of the stuff ends up) they can identify it and have it returned hopefully.
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This really, really sucks. Sorry to hear, hope they get the guys (and the gear).i extend my battery life by turning down the brightness
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I'm really sorry! Thanks for posting this and being a good neighbor.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622That really sucks. If you are a renter, I highly recommend getting renter's insurance. I've had it for years. I may never need it, but if something like this happens to me, at least I'll get some cash. -
Flexi you're spot on. I had my house broken into once and they got away with about 7,000 dollars worth of my stuff. I have renters so I reported it to my insurance company and 500 dollars later I was able to replace everything. And I mean everything. From my computer to the liqour they stole.
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We own a house, so we did indeed have homeowners insurance. We found out after the fact that there is some fine print that shows it only covers 7500 worth of computer supplies and things like cameras and other devices with a chip inside are considered computer equipment. So everyone should check their policies for that and adjust accordingly if you have insurance. The detectives has been super helpful which is nice, but they basically said it is going to be a tough few months with the economy and there isn't really much they can do to prevent these types of things. They said that crimes like robbery and violence can be solved with increased police patrols, but it is harder to watch for people going in and out of houses as they don't always know who is supposed to be going in and out or not.
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fafner » They said that crimes like robbery and violence can be solved with increased police patrols, but it is harder to watch for people going in and out of houses as they don't always know who is supposed to be going in and out or not.
um, when they're hopping a fence and hauling themselves in through a window, it's a pretty safe bet that they aren't supposed to be going in and out. this really sucks, i'm sorry it happened to you (and everybody else it's happened to).your girl is something of a shrew, hubbell. -
Subject: Me too...
Yeah...my place (on 16th between 5th and 6th) was robbed a week and a half ago, as was another apartment in my building. Climbed up the fire escape and in a window. Same thing - they just took electronics. -
Thanks everyone for posting... I'm in the area and will be extra safe.Did Someone Say Walk?
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Thanks for the heads-up about the break-in and the insurance clause. I know the feeling and understand the psychological effect can be greater than the financial. I hope things get back to normal for you soon.
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It seems like climbing through open/unlocked windows is the entry method of choice, usually from a fire escape, or else an open door/picked lock. Has anyone on here been broken into when their windows were locked? I'm about to move into a 2-family on 4th ave, which has 4 windows that face the back. This is the first apartment I've lived in that doesn't have a fire escape and/or window guards. I'm on the second floor, but the first floor has a balcony, and there are somewhat stable ledges on which to stand from the buildings to the left and right, but I don't know how common it would be to exit thru a building window into another window that is locked already and isn't extremely easy to enter through?
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sorry it happen to you :(. I see homeless kids hanging out alot lately. I told some of these kids to leave a few times.Fight white guilt and injustice by smoking tax free guilt free Reservation Smokes or go gamble in a Native Casino.
I like to stick it to The Man, The Man happens to be Liberal in NYC(power Structure). -
Subject: me too...
My apt was broken into yesterday as well... They took an older apple computer, my xbox, an ipod, and some other stuff. It sucks, the first time I've been robbed, and I got home from a really long day to find my apartment completely trashed. The police were as helpful as they could be I guess, but it looks like I'm just gonna hve to deal. -
nas886 what street are you on and what time did it happen? sorry to hear it, it definitely sucks.
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Anonymous
Posts: 9,622fafner » nas886 what street are you on and what time did it happen? sorry to hear it, it definitely sucks.
details listed in the first post....... (16th between 5&6) Tuesday afternoon. -
Flexichick » [quote="fafner"]nas886 what street are you on and what time did it happen? sorry to hear it, it definitely sucks.
details listed in the first post....... (16th between 5&6) Tuesday afternoon.[/quote] Yah, that was my house. I was wondering where nas886 was in relation to that. -
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622ha....oops....my bad...LOL.....that's what happens when I multi-task. I read this as nas886 asking where fafner's house is. nevermind
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Just a few tips -- we had a walkthrough of the anti-theft prevention cop and he pointed out things that we could do to make the house more secure. Aside from the obvious like not leaving your door open here are the big take-aways Each door should have 2 deadbolt locks, one horizontal and preferably one verticle. The thoery is that if they manage to split the door frame on one axis, the other lock on the second axis will still be intact. All windows should not rely on the sash locks and you should instead instead rely on sash pins. This involves drilling a hole in the top corner of your window frame and inserting a pin (ie: a long nail) to hold the windows together from being lifted. You can also install a second pin 4.5-5 inches above the first to pin the window in an open position. He said that the recommendation is to not have the window open more than 5 inches as the crackheads can squeeze through that space. Also, air conditioners -- big problem to secure. The a/c's need to be screwed to the top and bottom of the window with screws. Also you need to attach a small L bracket on the inside of the window so they can't push the window into the apartment. He says he sees lots of cases where they just push the a/c into the apartment from the outside. Lastly he said you should have a small piece of old broomstick between the top of the window and the top of the window opening securing the window so you can't raise the window to remove the a/c. In theory the screws would prevent this, but this secures it in case they use a pry bar.
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Another note on renter's insurance: As with electronics, it often has a clause saying it covers only a certain amount of dollars worth of jewelry, or has an upper limit per piece of jewelry. Even if you're not rolling in Rolexes, a single engagement ring with a diamond take you to or beyond that limit. Getting a bit of extra coverage for jewelry is inexpensive but could go a long way. You need some record of the cost of the ring (or whatever your expensive jewelry is), and my insurance company said if it's inherited jewelry or you used an inherited diamond or whatever in a ring, get the stone appraised so you have evidence of its value. Also, remember renter's insurance covers stuff stolen while you're on vacation! This came in mega-handy when my laptop was stolen from a car in LA (just another reason never to go there.) I use Geico, or whatever insurer Geico subcontracts to in NYC (maybe StateFarm? I just remember that I went through the Geico site to get there.) Definitely worth the $350/year or something like that they charged.Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
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