Burglary trend spans Riverdale to Yonkers

The 50th Precinct and the Yonkers Police Department are working together to stop a recent trend of nighttime burglaries in North Riverdale and South Yonkers.

There were four incidents in North Riverdale between March 14 and 21, according to Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke. Another three incidents occurred in Yonkers. Police believe the burglaries are connected because they all occurred after midnight in homes where residents were sleeping.

Four incidents occurred in the Riverdale Avenue area around West 261st and 262nd streets. Deputy Inspector Burke said there have not been any burglaries since March 21, which he attributed to the Five-O being on a “full court press” in North Riverdale. 

He said the anti-crime team was rescheduled from its 4 p.m. to midnight shift to begin at midnight and uniformed officers are patrolling the neighborhood after midnight. Yonkers police have been patrolling South Yonkers, too.

North Riverdale resident Jessica Schwab said someone broke into her house in the middle of the night on March 13.

“We didn’t even realize initially but when I went to take the kids to school, I realized I couldn’t find my purse or my jacket,” she said.

Also stolen were her husband’s briefcase with his laptop in it. His laptop was equipped with LoJack theft prevention software, which led the 50th Precinct to a man in Yonkers. The man said he bought the laptop from two young men on South Broadway in Yonkers. He was arrested for possession of stolen property and Deputy Inspector Burke said he is not believed to be the burglar.

In another incident in North Riverdale, the burglar, or burglars, ripped through a screen to get into an open window. The screen is being tested for DNA, Deputy Inspector Burke said.

The incidents are unusual for burglaries, which Deputy Inspector Burke said typically occur during the day when people are not at home. 

“We do have a general suspect but nothing to charge him,” Deputy Inspector Burke said. “It’s a top priority, we’re working on it.”