JAMAICA HILLS, Queens (WPIX) – Three people, including two disguised as construction workers, allegedly stole cash and jewelry worth approximately $3.2 million from a home in New York City earlier this month, police said Tuesday.
The suspected burglars are accused of breaking into a home in Queens at around 2:20 p.m. on Oct. 16, according to the NYPD. Surveillance footage released by police shows two of the suspects wearing reflective yellow vests, hard hats and face coverings.
After entering the home, the suspects in construction gear allegedly took a safe containing cash and jewelry valued at $3.2 million. They then loaded it into a blue Hyundai Elantra with the help of a third person who was driving the vehicle, police say.
The surveillance footage then showed all three suspects leaving the scene in the Hyundai.
No one was home during the Oct. 16 burglary, police said.
The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, told Nexstar’s WPIX that he was surprised the thieves managed to lift the heavy safe. It contained mostly his daughter’s jewelry, he said.
The victim has also been targeted in separate burglaries, he told WPIX. In December 2024, three men with sledgehammers snatched $800,000 worth of merchandise after breaking the glass windows of his jewelry store in Jackson Heights. At the time, the NYPD called it a “citywide pattern” and said the sledgehammer suspects had also tried to break into a jewelry store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
His home was also burglarized 10 years ago, he added.
The NYPD released photos and surveillance video of the suspects in this most recent break-in, as well as the blue Hyundai they were driving. They are asking for the public’s help in identifying the burglars. Those with information can call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
The NYPD also said there were no arrests in the December 2024 sledgehammer incident targeting the jewelry owner’s shop.
Andrew Fine
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