Cops Seek Serial Thief Breaking Into Cars In Far Rockaway

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Still image of a suspected burglar entering a Far Rockaway train station after using a stolen credit card to buy a MetroCard on Oct. 12, 2018. Photo courtesy of the NYPD.

Still image of a suspected burglar entering a Far Rockaway train station after using a stolen credit card to buy a MetroCard on Oct. 12, 2018. Photo courtesy of the NYPD.

By Christina Carrega

Police are searching for a serial thief who broke into almost a dozen cars in Far Rockaway and stole thousands of dollars in property, including medical supplies and an E-ZPass.

Between Oct. 5 and Nov. 6, a man allegedly broke into several unoccupied vehicles at all hours of the day and night to steal random items.

The thief struck mostly in the vicinity of Channing Road and Beach 12th Street four times and twice near Virginia Street and Caffrey Avenue, police said. Other break-ins happened near Alonzo Road and Doughty Boulevard, Cedar Hill Road and Reads Lane, Neilson Street and Dinsmore Avenue and Mador Court and Cornaga Avenue.

Police have not determined if the alleged burglar targeted a particular make and model of vehicle he breaks in.

During the fifth reported incident on Oct. 12, the man broke into a car on Harris Street and Moss Place and stole the vehicle owner’s wallet that contained credit cards and numerous gas cards, police said. The suspect then used one of the stolen credit cards to purchase a MetroCard at a LIRR station in Inwood and later swiped it at the Mott Avenue subway station, located at Beach 22nd Street.

It was there that the suspect was captured on surveillance video.

The suspect is described as a white man, in his early 50s and medium build. He was last seen wearing sunglasses, a gray hooded sweatshirt, a dark gray coat, blue jeans and carrying a brown messenger bag.

Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.