A Serial Burglar Is Pretending to Be a Guest and Robbing Hotels in New York City
Police are on the hunt for a man who has been robbing hotels across Manhattan.
According to the New York Post, he's been tricking housekeepers into thinking he's a guest so they let him into rooms as they are cleaning up.
The first burglary was on July 23 at the Club Quarters Hotel in the Financial District. Police claim he stole a $1,300 MacBook Pro, a $220 backpack, a wallet valued at $74, a MacBook case and Apple headphones. We reached out to the hotel for a statement, but they did not get back to us in time for publication.
Just a few days later, on July 27, he robbed both the Hilton Garden Inn on Water Street (also in the Financial District) before moving uptown to the Courtyard Marriott on West 40th Street, near Bryant Park. At the Hilton, he stole a a $2,000 laptop, $1,100 in cash and a $500 watch, among other miscellaneous items, according to police. He also stole two laptops, a tablet, a cell phone, earbuds, a passport, a checkbook and a credit card from the Marriott.
On July 30, the suspect stole another $2,000 worth of belongings from the DoubleTree Hotel downtown, and then later went uptown to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. A spokesperson for the Marriott Marquis said, "We are aware of this report . . . and are providing appropriate assistance as needed. Because it is a matter under police investigation, we [won't] comment further."
Yet the serial burglaries have continued, and on Aug. 8, he stole a $2,200 MacBook Pro and $400 Bose headphones from the Grand Hyatt near Grand Central Station.
Police said all of the victims were not from the area, and if you have any information, call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
In the meantime, travelers planning trips to New York City may want to take extra precautions to secure valuables. Be sure to use the hotel safe if one is available, and consider bringing a cable lock for your laptop — especially keeping in mind the thief's modus operandi. Guests may even want to carry certain valuables with them when they leave the hotel (namely wallets and headphones) or leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign up to prevent housekeeping — or serial burglars — from entering the room in the first place.
