Wanted for 19 Brooklyn Break-Ins, Suspect Arrested After Biking Wrong Way Down Street: NYPD

Pictured: One of two suspected burglars. Second thumbnail: NYPD Captain Pete Rose, center, of the 94th Precinct.

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — NYPD Captain Pete Rose said Wednesday that cops have arrested one of two suspects tied to 19 recent burglaries — both successful and unsuccessful — that targeted homes in North Brooklyn. Seventeen were in Greenpoint and Williamsburg; one was in Bushwick; and one was in Carroll Gardens.

Capt. Rose leads the NYPD's 94th Precinct, which covers Greenpoint and the northern part of Williamsburg.

At a meeting with community members Wednesday night, Rose would not release the name of the suspect, but said he was arrested on March 26.

Officers with the 94th Precinct stopped the suspect because he was riding his bike the wrong way down a street, Rose said.

The officers then questioned him and came to believe he was connected to the crimes, according to the captain.

The suspect is under 25 years old and homeless, Rose said, and was jailed two years ago for burglarizing homes in South Williamsburg.

He's now being held on $35,000 bail, the captain said, and is facing charges from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

According to the NYPD, the suspect and one other accomplice, who is still at large, stole about $1,200 in cash during a string of break-ins running from Feb.17 to March 22. The duo also allegedly nabbed electronics, debit cards and jewelry — even someone's car.

But these two are not master lock pickers, Rose said.

The captain claimed that in each of their burglaries, the suspects were buzzed into apartment buildings, then wiggled door handles until they found one that was unlocked. At that point, they'd grab whatever valuables were in sight and run, he said.

Rose said most burglars target unoccupied apartments. These suspects, though, carried out a group of burglaries at night while victims were home, he said.

For that reason, Rose said he believes the suspect is "a thrill seeker" who enjoys the risk of being caught — one of only a few he's encountered in his career.

"I think he should stay in jail for a long time," Rose said.

Asked if jail was the right place for the alleged offender, Rose noted that he had previously been paroled — an approach that apparently didn't stop him from striking again.

Detectives in the 94th Precinct are currently following a trail of electronic evidence linked to the other suspect in the case, some stemming from his use of stolen metro cards and credit cards, Rose said.

That suspect is also about 25 years old, and was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt with a red zipper, black sweatpants, black sneakers, a black North Face backpack and a gray knit hat, according to police.

Anyone with information can confidentially report it on the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers website, or anonymously call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Los hispanohablantes pueden llamar 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be text-messaged to the NYPD by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Rose also offered the following tip to residents: Don't buzz strangers into your apartment building, and lock your doors.