Men Who Stole $40K In Goods From 16 Shops Hit Rego Park Jeweler: NYPD

REGO PARK, QUEENS — A group of young men stole tens-of-thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and merchandise from over a dozen citywide shops, including one in Rego Park, police said.

On the afternoon of March 29th, a man walked into a jewelry store on 64 Road near Booth Street and asked an employee behind the counter to see an expensive piece of jewelry, according to the NYPD.

Meanwhile, another man asked to be buzzed into the shop, and as soon as the door was open the duo ran out of the store, hopped into a Black BMW, and drove away with the jewelry, police said.

The NYPD couldn't specify the value of the jewelry, but said that a group of three to four men have pulled off this same sort of robbery 15 other times in shops across The Bronx and Queens, stealing about $40,000 in total.

On February 25th, for instance, a pair of men entered a shop at 259 East 138th Street — a building that includes a Dollar Tree, among other businesses — and walked out with unpaid-for merchandise, pushing a store employee out of the way before taking off in a car, police said.

Police described the thieves as men in their 20s or 30s, and included a photo, but as of April 3rd no arrests have been made and the investigation remains open.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked by police to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.