Home Invasion Suspect Arrested on Rugby, But Another Burglary Reported

Yesterday afternoon a neighbor spotted a man in her back yard on Rugby Road between Glenwood and Avenue H, and when police responded, they say they realized he matched the description of a suspect in a home invasion from earlier in the day in our neighboring 66th Precinct. The suspect was identified by a witness to that home invasion, but police say it’s unknown whether this man was responsible for any of the other recent burglaries in our area.

Unfortunately, another neighbor reported yet another home burglary yesterday morning. At some point before noon, someone broke into a home on Rugby at Dorchester by breaking a window pane in a door, leaving with money and jewelry–despite the alarm having been set off.

Both incidents are a reminder that if you notice something unusual, something that, as Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez often says, “makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” don’t ignore it. Call the police.

Detective Dominick Scotto from the 70th Precinct spoke to us about the recent burglaries, and noted that the 70th had made another arrest in the past couple of days, also catching a man in a neighbor’s backyard.

“He said he was looking for bottles,” Detective Scotto said. “We don’t know if he was responsible for any of the burglaries.”

He also mentioned a recent community outreach, where several officers went door-to-door in an area that has been targeted by burglars to make sure people were aware of the problem and are taking the right precautions. A big thank you to the 70th for taking the time to do that. Unfortunately, at a few of the homes they visited where nobody was home, officers found windows on the ground floor wide open.

“People should not be leaving their windows open,” Detective Scotto said. “This is how some of the burglaries have happened. It’s just not safe.”

Additionally, remember that the 70th Precinct can do a crime prevention survey in your house or apartment. They’ll look around and make suggestions about what you can do to help prevent break-ins. Contact the officers in the Crime Prevention unit at 718-851-5504 for more information.