NYPD searching for brazen bandit targeting Queens businesses, police say

The NYPD is searching for a person linked to a series of burglaries targeting businesses across Queens in August, authorities said.

According to police, the alleged burglar broke into eight businesses between Aug. 7 and Aug. 18, mostly in the early morning hours and made off with varying amounts of cash. The thief entered the establishments by either forcing open the back door or sneaking in, then fled with anywhere between $100 and $6,500 in stolen money, officials said.

The first reported incident occurred at a business on 254-11 Northern Blvd. in Little Neck, where authorities said the burglar entered through a rear window and took $100 from a drawer on Aug. 7. Over the next few days, the same individual is believed to have targeted three more businesses along Northern Boulevard, including one on Aug. 10 at 209-35 Northern Blvd., where they reportedly stole $600 before breaking into another business 30 minutes later, this time leaving empty-handed, the NYPD said.

Police said the thief struck again on Aug. 14, stealing $650 from a business at 253-23 Union Tpk. in Glen Oaks. However, the thief’s most lucrative night occurred on Aug. 18, when they allegedly robbed three businesses on 162nd Street in Murray Hill within an hour, authorities said. According to officials, the burglar stole $6,500 from one establishment, $1,000 from another and $5,000 from a third.

In surveillance photos released by the NYPD, the suspect is seen wearing a hoodie with the lower half of their face covered and carrying a backpack.

Anyone with information regarding the incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).