Burglars Hit Lindenwood: Two Apartment Buildings Targeted

Burglaries continue to plague Lindenwood residents, the two most recent incidents occurring late last week. Residents at the Southgate Apartments, located at 149-30 88th Street, say they observed a suspicious Hispanic male, approximately 5’8”, in his late 20’s around the building before leaving for work on Friday morning. Upon their return home, they discovered their apartment had been broken into. Police say that the burglar entered the premises from a fire escape. Among the missing items were a 32” flat screen TV, a computer system with a monitor and an X box game console.

An additional burglary was also reported last week at the Eastwood Apartments located at 89th Street and 155th Avenue. It is believed the suspects entered the apartment building using keys for the front door and then again at the apartment door because there were no signs of forced entry. An undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry was stolen from the apartment. Residents who spoke with The Forum and wished to remain anonymous said they believed the incident to be an “inside job.”

In total, police sources at the 106th Precinct confirmed that there were six separate burglaries in Lindenwood between January 15th and February 11th. Two of the incidents occurred at private homes and four were committed in apartment buildings in the area.

“We realize that the police are doing everything they can,” said Joann Ariola, co-founder of the newly formed Lindenwood Alliance, “but we have to do everything in our power to assist them with their investigation thorough observation and accurate reporting.”

Ariola said it is the intention of the Alliance to foster improved communications with the 106th Precinct and make residents more aware of things they can do to safeguard themselves and their property. To that end, the Alliance will have a host of guest speakers at their next meeting.

Expected to address Lindenwood residents are Claudia Filomena, Queens Director of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit and Capt. Thomas Pascale, Commanding Officer of the 106th Precinct. Also on hand will be Agent James Capozzi, a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who will speak with residents about InfraGuard, a national program dedicated to sharing information and intelligence in order to combat terrorism in the United States. The group is a non-profit organization that is a public-private partnership between U.S. businesses and the F.B.I. InfraGuard is an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants.

The meeting will be held on March 14th at 7: 30 p.m. at the Rockwood Park Jewish center located at 156-45 84th Street with an entrance on 85th Street between 156th and 157th avenues. All residents are encouraged to attend.