The relatively peaceful and certainly serene Van Cortlandt Village is officially on high alert. Last week, on an otherwise normal day, unsuspecting residents of the community left their apartments only to read the dire announcement in their respective lobby postings. One resident was the victim of a burglary. Amongst the prized possessions were autographed baseballs, a rather lucrative hobby on part of the unfortunate victim, Arty (name changed to protect identity).
This ghastly tide of events, however, does not end here. This evening, another posting was pinned up–another burglary had taken place only one block over. Members of the community are still coming to grips.
The harbringer of unpleasantries, more commonly known as the postings board.
Both burglaries occurred during daytime. The residents were not home at the time, but there were no signs of forced entry. Fingerprint matches thus far have not produced any results.
B. Gmuer, Arty’s neighbor, said, “I just hope this doesn’t turn into the mess we had a few years ago, a string of burglaries followed by a frightened community.”
Another neighbor requested to remain anonymous, but made clear that he believed that this is not your average robbery, “I’ve known the guy for decades, and even I don’t know his erratic schedule. How did they manage to figure it out?”
A security guard also expressed his suspicions, “They couldn’t just sneak out a trumpet, a $3,000 computer station, a TV, and all that other crap. Not in broad daylight.”
The 50th Precinct has been notified and is investigating; undercover vehicles noticeably increased their presence. Meanwhile, the community’s Security and Civilian Patrols are working overtime.
Stay tuned…
Can be found in Daily News Crime section, Latest Crime News section in NY Post.