recent burglaries in PH/CH
I know, I know, another one of "those" threads, but:
So my apartment was burgled a few months ago, by someone who came in the fire escape window. They caught him breaking into someone else's apartment recently and I was subpoenaed to appear in front of the Grand Jury this morning.
(Before someone even starts: Yeah yeah, there were no bars on my fire escape window. They aren't exactly cheap. The landlord is not required to install them, at least not if you're a few floors up - not sure about ground floor apartments. The courtyard that the fire escape goes into is enclosed. And I've lived in window-bar-free apartments in much sketchier NYC neighborhoods in the last 20 years without incident. I took my chances and lost. Lesson learned, I bit the bullet and got them installed after the burglary. Snide comments about how I should have installed them the nanosecond I moved in not required.)
Anyway, the prosecuting attorney mentioned something I thought was interesting. I jokingly asked if the guy lived close to where he worked. He responded, "Actually, he said that he liked to take the train out to Franklin Avenue and start working his way in from there."
He was being charged with seven burglaries, mostly (maybe all) in PH and CH.
So, yeah. We are officially desirable neighborhoods for burglars. Well, at least this burglar, anyway.
ETA: Aaah, crap. I meant to post this on the PH board. Can a mod move this post, and possibly crosslink to CH if that's appropriate?
So my apartment was burgled a few months ago, by someone who came in the fire escape window. They caught him breaking into someone else's apartment recently and I was subpoenaed to appear in front of the Grand Jury this morning.
(Before someone even starts: Yeah yeah, there were no bars on my fire escape window. They aren't exactly cheap. The landlord is not required to install them, at least not if you're a few floors up - not sure about ground floor apartments. The courtyard that the fire escape goes into is enclosed. And I've lived in window-bar-free apartments in much sketchier NYC neighborhoods in the last 20 years without incident. I took my chances and lost. Lesson learned, I bit the bullet and got them installed after the burglary. Snide comments about how I should have installed them the nanosecond I moved in not required.)
Anyway, the prosecuting attorney mentioned something I thought was interesting. I jokingly asked if the guy lived close to where he worked. He responded, "Actually, he said that he liked to take the train out to Franklin Avenue and start working his way in from there."
He was being charged with seven burglaries, mostly (maybe all) in PH and CH.
So, yeah. We are officially desirable neighborhoods for burglars. Well, at least this burglar, anyway.
ETA: Aaah, crap. I meant to post this on the PH board. Can a mod move this post, and possibly crosslink to CH if that's appropriate?
Comments
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i always thought the bars are ugly
. i actually had my new place bars taken out. hmm should i have them put back in. do tenants like bars?
edit: sorry that this happen to ya
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i always thought the bars are ugly. i actually had my new place bars taken out. hmm should i have them put back in. do tenants like bars?
edit: sorry that this happen to ya. -
Hey Lydiabrunch... First of all just sorry that this happened and you are going through the follow through on this.
Ah .. window bars.....have some thoughts... They are ugly and the less you pay.. the uglier they are and if you don't own the building then it is harder to outlay the money because you are feeling like you are givng your landlord a gift and a positive rental boon to the next tenant .. when you move out and they move in...... get over it!! Security... whether it turns out to be real or just a situation of your emotional security that remains untested (g-d willing)is important..
Just a clue to anyone who lives with windows that are those 9 on 9 panes... It is possible to have bars put in that "trace " the nine 9/9/ pattern and become invisible.. the only bad person who could get in would be thin 9 year old!! Even if the windows are solid panes.. that kind of instalation makes the window look like they are 9 on 9 and can make the situation aesthetically appealing. The worst bars are the up to down. straight line, no curlicue option. -
Hey Lydiabrunch... First of all just sorry that this happened and you are going through the follow through on this.
Ah .. window bars.....have some thoughts... They are ugly and the less you pay.. the uglier they are and if you don't own the building then it is harder to outlay the money because you are feeling like you are givng your landlord a gift and a positive rental boon to the next tenant .. when you move out and they move in...... get over it!! Security... whether it turns out to be real or just a situation of your emotional security that remains untested (g-d willing)is important..
Just a clue to anyone who lives with windows that are those 9 on 9 panes... It is possible to have bars put in that "trace " the nine 9/9/ pattern and become invisible.. the only bad person who could get in would be thin 9 year old!! Even if the windows are solid panes.. that kind of instalation makes the window look like they are 9 on 9 and can make the situation aesthetically appealing. The worst bars are the up to down. straight line, no curlicue option. -
Sorry to hear about the burglary, OP. Thanks for posting about it.
I have an ugly accordion type gate on my window. It cost me almost $400. I've had it in two different apartments so far...when I move, I take it with me. If I leave NYC I'll sell it on craigslist or somewhere. -
Sorry to hear about the burglary, OP. Thanks for posting about it.
I have an ugly accordion type gate on my window. It cost me almost $400. I've had it in two different apartments so far...when I move, I take it with me. If I leave NYC I'll sell it on craigslist or somewhere. -
I think bars on windows are ugly. They make me feel like I'm living in a prison. I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
OP, sorry that happened to you. Hope you didn't tlose anything irreplacable. But I'm sure the sense of being violated is hard to get over. (The only thing I've had stolen was the stereo out of my car years ago, and it was disturbing how violated I felt, and that was only my car, not my home.)
On NYE the next-door neighbor had some friends over and they were haning out on the fire escape talking in the middle of the night and it freaked me out. -
I think bars on windows are ugly. They make me feel like I'm living in a prison. I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
OP, sorry that happened to you. Hope you didn't tlose anything irreplacable. But I'm sure the sense of being violated is hard to get over. (The only thing I've had stolen was the stereo out of my car years ago, and it was disturbing how violated I felt, and that was only my car, not my home.)
On NYE the next-door neighbor had some friends over and they were haning out on the fire escape talking in the middle of the night and it freaked me out. -
GC72 wrote: I think bars on windows are ugly. They make me feel like I'm living in a prison. I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
I hope you have insurance.
OP, sorry that happened to you. Hope you didn't tlose anything irreplacable. But I'm sure the sense of being violated is hard to get over. (The only thing I've had stolen was the stereo out of my car years ago, and it was disturbing how violated I felt, and that was only my car, not my home.)
On NYE the next-door neighbor had some friends over and they were haning out on the fire escape talking in the middle of the night and it freaked me out. -
GC72 wrote: I think bars on windows are ugly. They make me feel like I'm living in a prison. I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
I hope you have insurance.
OP, sorry that happened to you. Hope you didn't tlose anything irreplacable. But I'm sure the sense of being violated is hard to get over. (The only thing I've had stolen was the stereo out of my car years ago, and it was disturbing how violated I felt, and that was only my car, not my home.)
On NYE the next-door neighbor had some friends over and they were haning out on the fire escape talking in the middle of the night and it freaked me out. -
armchair_warrior wrote: do tenants like bars?
I think this really depends on the tenant. I know folks that prefer them (I would have been happy to see them) but other people I know get that prison-like feeling described above.veets wrote: if you don't own the building then it is harder to outlay the money because you are feeling like you are givng your landlord a gift and a positive rental boon to the next tenant
I am taking those suckers with me when I move, purely out of spite. Even if they don't fit the windows of my next place, whenever that move happens (I like where I live so I'm probably not going anywhere soon.) I had to take my landlord to court to replace my door, so I'll be good goddamned if I gift him with window bars when I leave. I did search around on Craigslist for guards before getting mine installed, so selling them there is always an option.veets wrote: I have an ugly accordion type gate on my window.
I thought about the accordion guard, but I was able to get two windows done for about $600 with the straight metal bars so I got those. I'd heard stories about people getting through the accordion ones with crowbars. I doubt most burglars are that motivated - from what the prosecutor said, this guy was an opportunist who looked for easy ins - but I figured I'd sleep better with the straight bars. And I do :-)GC72 wrote: I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
I live on the third floor, and my window was locked. That said... the lock was always a little off. I could only get it about two-thirds turned. I couldn't lift the window when I "locked" it though, so I figured it was fine. Evidently not.
The funny thing? Whatever the guy did to pop the window fixed it. It fully locks now. :shrug: But my point is, I wouldn't count on locking the window being enough. If the guy could jimmy my mostly-locked window, it's very possible that someone could jimmy your fully-locked one.
My bars were installed deeply enough that I was able to put shades in front of them, so they're not really obvious. Of course, those windows frame a delightful view of the unnecessarily tall building across the courtyard, so I pretty much never have a reason to raise the shades. That helps.
And I second Carnivore's comment - insurance didn't pay for absolutely everything but it helped a lot.
Anyhoo. Thanks for the good thoughts. But mostly I just wanted to share that our nabes are such a great target that burglars will commute to "work" here.
:roll: -
armchair_warrior wrote: do tenants like bars?
I think this really depends on the tenant. I know folks that prefer them (I would have been happy to see them) but other people I know get that prison-like feeling described above.veets wrote: if you don't own the building then it is harder to outlay the money because you are feeling like you are givng your landlord a gift and a positive rental boon to the next tenant
I am taking those suckers with me when I move, purely out of spite. Even if they don't fit the windows of my next place, whenever that move happens (I like where I live so I'm probably not going anywhere soon.) I had to take my landlord to court to replace my door, so I'll be good goddamned if I gift him with window bars when I leave. I did search around on Craigslist for guards before getting mine installed, so selling them there is always an option.veets wrote: I have an ugly accordion type gate on my window.
I thought about the accordion guard, but I was able to get two windows done for about $600 with the straight metal bars so I got those. I'd heard stories about people getting through the accordion ones with crowbars. I doubt most burglars are that motivated - from what the prosecutor said, this guy was an opportunist who looked for easy ins - but I figured I'd sleep better with the straight bars. And I do :-)GC72 wrote: I always keep the window to the fire escaped closed and locked and open the other window (the one not in front of the fire escape) if I want some fresh air. Of course I do live on the third (top) floor.
I live on the third floor, and my window was locked. That said... the lock was always a little off. I could only get it about two-thirds turned. I couldn't lift the window when I "locked" it though, so I figured it was fine. Evidently not.
The funny thing? Whatever the guy did to pop the window fixed it. It fully locks now. :shrug: But my point is, I wouldn't count on locking the window being enough. If the guy could jimmy my mostly-locked window, it's very possible that someone could jimmy your fully-locked one.
My bars were installed deeply enough that I was able to put shades in front of them, so they're not really obvious. Of course, those windows frame a delightful view of the unnecessarily tall building across the courtyard, so I pretty much never have a reason to raise the shades. That helps.
And I second Carnivore's comment - insurance didn't pay for absolutely everything but it helped a lot.
Anyhoo. Thanks for the good thoughts. But mostly I just wanted to share that our nabes are such a great target that burglars will commute to "work" here.
:roll: -
Subject: Yeah, too bad to hear of such thing...
The bars suffocate me, therefore I can't have any @ home...but hey it's better to have some type of protection. : ) -
Subject: Yeah, too bad to hear of such thing...
The bars suffocate me, therefore I can't have any @ home...but hey it's better to have some type of protection. : ) -
***bump***
Someone tried to break into our apartment last night. The front door was wide open, and the faceplate to our doorknob was unscrewed. Luckily no one got in, and we changed the locks on our door and contacted the police/LL, but this scared us a great deal. The LL and one other tenant said that in around 30 years in this building, this is the first time they've seen this happen, so I hope this is a one-time occurance for us! -
Glad to hear that nothing was stolen.
What block do you live on? -
if the door was wide open, i'm guessing someone was in your apartment.
glad nothing was stolen, though. -
well, the front door was wide open. . . so certainly they were in our building, but i don't think they were in our apartment. i think they heard someone and left before they could finish un-screwing the face plate to the lock.
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ohh, i thought you meant the door of your apartment was wide open.
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No, thank God! I would have really freaked out then! I am still a little bit nervous, but I really hope this was just a "fluke" so to speak. I didn't get the impression that break-ins were very common in the area, and I guess I should just be glad we caught it when we did, and got new locks, etc., so hopefully, moving forward, we'll be fine.
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yikes. probably was a former tenant who hadn't turned in their keys. good on you to change locks, etc. glad you're okay.
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Funny you should mention that. The cops said it may have been a former tenant, as well!
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TaurusGirl wrote: well, the front door was wide open. . . so certainly they were in our building, but i don't think they were in our apartment. i think they heard someone and left before they could finish un-screwing the face plate to the lock.
There should be no screws on the outside of the door. Any screws on a lock are meant to be on the inside of the room/apartment. If there are screws on the outside (perhaps for a deadbolt cover plate or the metal strip that prevents "jimmying" a door) I recommend replacing them with security screw or drilling out the head ever so slightly so that a screwdriver won't be any of any use. -
the faceplate to our lock (which i believe was called a cylander lock) was screwed on the outside. I just checked now, and our new cylander lock is screwed on the inside (so, the side of the door facing our kitchen, not the outside hallway.) Maybe they made a mistake when they first installed the lock? You're right-- that doesn't seem like the best way to do it.
Also, the deadbolt on the top of our door seems pretty secure, so my fingers are crossed now!
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