Package theft suspect (Photo courtesy of StuyTown Property Services)
By Maria Rocha-Buschel
In what seems to be an ongoing battle to stay a step ahead of local package thieves, a couple of buildings in Stuyvesant Town were hit recently by a man who management also believes is responsible for some graffiti.
StuyTown Property Services notified residents in an email this week that a man has been stealing packages and vandalizing apartment doors, most recently “piggybacking” into 649 East 14th Street on Monday. Packages were subsequently reported missing from the hallway and management believes that the man also vandalized a number of doors in 17 Stuyvesant Oval.
A resident confirmed to Town & Village last Friday that a delivery man had been running loose in the building, staying inside for 40 to 50 minutes last Wednesday, during which he drew penises on three apartment doors on two different floors and “trashed” the second floor, ripping open multiple packages, although it was unclear if anything was stolen from the boxes. The resident noted that the doors had been cleaned and repainted by Thursday.
The NYPD did not have a record of a report being filed as a result of the incident at the Stuyvesant Oval building but management has identified the delivery person and is working with the Public Safety department to determine the employer.
Public Safety Chief Fran Martin noted in the email that the suspect has been active primarily between noon and 3 p.m. The email also warned residents not to hold the door open for anyone that is unfamiliar and that the door should not be propped open.
Another resident posted on a local Facebook group this week that three packages were stolen from 431 East 20th Street on Tuesday evening, including two from the ninth floor and one from the third floor, but it was unclear if the same suspect is connected to these incidents.