Man breaks into elderly couple's home in Brooklyn, steals $320,000 in jewelry
MIDWOOD, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police are searching for a man who stole $320,000 worth of jewelry pieces from the home of an elderly couple in Brooklyn.
"It was my mother's whole life," one of the victims, 89-year-old Claire, told Eyewitness News. "Her whole treasure."
The NYPD released surveillance images of the man they are trying to find in connection with the burglary in Midwood on April 18.
Claire and her husband Henry returned to their home in the vicinity of Avenue L and East 26th Street to find it had been broken into through a side window.
"There was lots of jewelry," Henry said. "It says three hundred and something. It's some place between half a million and a million dollars worth of jewelry."
Investigators determined that the suspect had gained entry and taken the jewelry before fleeing in an unknown direction.
"They took everything," Henry said. "They neatly put it all back. Some of the stuff dropped. You could see the guy, the pouches dropped."
The NYPD says the thief also used a credit card stolen from the home at Macy's department store.
"They only took one, and thank God he tried to use it," Henry said. "Which really gave us the picture of who he is."
The man wanted for questioning was last seen wearing a black baseball cap and jean jacket/pants and was carrying red shopping bags.
The jewelry eventually was going to be passed down to the couple's daughter.
"We would love to get it back," Henry said. "It's not the money. She was devastated. She loves jewelry."
But they say some of the valuables have already been spotted.
"My daughter found some of the stuff online," Henry said. "And a pawn shop in Babylon, and even in Connecticut.
Claire has a simple message for the crook.
"Please give me back my mother's stuff," she said. "I think that he is on the wrong track. He needs help, and I don't wish him well."
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
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