Police Searching For Man On Crutches Accused Of Robbing Manhattan Apartments
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- A midtown Manhattan thief made off with diamonds, gold, and computers while conducting the entire heist on crutches.
CBS2's Ali Bauman spoke with one victim who wants police to catch the crook before he strikes again.
Wanted posters can be seen warning the residents of 320 West 56th Street to look out a three-legged thief. The man appears to be leaning on crutches and wearing a medical boot on his foot. However, that didn't stop him from stealing a $1,000 laptop from Emily Dafilou's third floor apartment on July 26.
"We came home, the door was turned a little bit, we walked in and it looked normal and we saw my boyfriend's brand new laptop was gone," she said.
That's not all he got away with. Police said that sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday, the man plundered through at least three apartments, stealing two computers, four pairs of earrings, a diamond necklace, gold bracelet and a Rolex watch.
The building has a part-time doorman that works for a few hours a day. But even when he's not working, residents said the place feels safe.
"In this building? Because it's such a safe building I was really surprised," tenant Nancy Carlson said.
Many who study the surveillance photo are torn, wondering whether the burglar's injury is real or if it was just a disguise to defer suspicions.
"I think it was pretty sneaky so I would have held the door open for him too," Dafilou said.
She and her boyfriend have now invested in a deadlock.
