By Carol Tannenhauser
A burglar stole packages on two separate occasions from the lobby of the same Upper West Side building in what police are calling a “burglary pattern.”
On Sunday, July 2, at around 11:47 a.m., a man — who is described as light-complexioned with a medium build and facial hair — allegedly “entered the lobby of 123 West 74 Street [between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues] without permission and removed a package from the lobby,” according to the NYPD. He then fled on foot to “parts unknown,” with no injuries reported. On July 5, at approximately 2:12 p.m., the same sequence of events was repeated at the same address.
The burglar was last seen wearing a black hat, glasses, a white t-shirt, khaki pants, and dark-colored shoes, carrying a multicolored recycling bag. Anyone with information regarding this individual or crime(s), please 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 tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
I’m confused. Don’t you normally need a key fob to enter the lobby if the doorman isn’t there?
Even buildings that have locked street access from street to vestibule, then perhaps another locked door to gain access to lobby are not immune to unauthorized entry. This has been true ever since multi-family housing appeared in NYC (or elsewhere for that matter) and certainly after buzzer/intercom systems were invented.
In no particular order people gain entry into buildings…
1. Using various tools to “Jimmy” lock open.
2. Follow behind someone into building.
3. Stand near door and wait for someone to enter or leave building. These people often without asking any questions will hold door open for said person to enter.
4. Buzz various apartments via intercom until someone opens door. Career thieves usually know what apartments are a soft touch and will buzz anyone into building. They will tell their friends and peers this information as well.
5. Walk right into building because front door or doors are propped open. This happens with USPS, UPS, FedEx and others making deliveries. It also happens when there are workmen in buildings that do not have doormen or other lobby security and superintendent is either busy elsewhere or not even on premises.
Contractors, workmen, etc.. do not have keys to building. If they are going to be in and out during course of their work it is rather common for them to prop open doors instead of having to buzz intercom each time to get in. Meanwhile anyone passing can see inside lobby and if there is anything such as packages or whatever worth stealing.
Nothing to be confused about. Someone presses buzzer, resident lets someone in, thief takes packages and waltzes out the door.
Umm,
1. Not every building has a door attendant. (Not every door attendant is a “man”.)
2. Some doors still use actual keys (you know, those hard metal things with notches and teeth ), not newfangled “fobs”.
Otherwise I agree with you completely.
People need to stop indiscriminately buzzing people in. Thieves count on someone who will just buzz in any ring.
I agree — but we also need some kind of system for legitimate delivery workers to enter. We get buzzed several times a week by Amazon delivery worker,s UPS, even USPS, if they’ve got packages. They have a cart full of stuff and they’re not going to bother looking for each apartment and buzzing those, they just hit buzzers to get in to be able to drop off the load and move on.
The guy in the pic has a Fresh Direct bag over his shoulder — as Fresh Direct delivery people do (and as plenty of random NYers running errands).
I don’t know what system would really work to solve this, as giving out a key (nevermind expecting companies who rely on an army of delivery people to somehow organize those) isn’t feasible or safe,
Maybe more of the streetside lockers to handle most Amazon stuff? I dunno but it’s not as simple as ‘stop buzzing people in’ because there are lots of legitimate people who need to be buzzed in and will hit buzzers indiscriminately.
Don’t have packages delivered to any building that cannot secure the package. Send the package to your office or a friend or family member, or use a PO Box, either post office or private. Otherwise, it’s a mess.
That’s a Fresh Direct bag.
And, he’s wearing a Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the USA” t-shirt.
This has been happening in my building for years and it’s usually because tenants will buzz in anyone who claims they’re making a delivery. During Covid the UPS drivers told me they were aware that men were following them into buildings, so they made a point of calling/texting tenants directly and we started accepting packages for each other. There were still days though when I’d come home and find boxes ripped open and left on the floor of the entryway. I suppose it’s easier to steal the contents than it is to carry a pile of boxes out of the building. In any case, I started sending my packages to the UPS Store and CVS for pick up. : (
If you don’t have a doorman, be absolutely certain that the door locks behind you. Don’t walk away until you are certain.
There are still a lot of old non door-staffed buildings where the outer door is left un-closed by one means or another a large percentage of the time. I’ve done volunteer visits multiple times weekly to so many buildings, from small old row houses to big NYCHA buildings with fob entry outer doors – and 90% of the time the outer door is open or easily openable. (About the same percentage of the time, intercoms are bust, so unless you have a cell phone contact there may be a connection – like, people hate getting buzzed at all hours.) The only reliable protection I’ve seen against package thieves is large “box lockers” in some lobbies where the delivery person must text a code to recipients.
Building in question (123 West 74th) is a pre-war co-op where apartments are not exactly cheap. Thus am surprised they do not have a full time or even part time (day) doorman or lobby security.
Much in common with many other buildings today 123 West 74th makes do with video cameras for lobby security. This and building superintendent is supposed to “accept packages”.
https://streeteasy.com/building/123-west-74-street-new_york?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiqHC_ZuBgAMVfHFvBB0TsAG2EAAYASAAEgIHLfD_BwE
https://www.6sqft.com/new-york-times-columnist-frank-bruni-nabs-an-broadway-corridor-pad-for-1-65m/
Would have to pay staff salaries and benefits then. And there’s an union.
There are non-union buildings. In fact many new construction “luxury housing” all over city but especially from Hell’s Kitchen south to FiDi are non-union.
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Back in old days UPS, FedEx, USPS and rest would deliver packages to one’s door. If there was no one home to accept a notice was left to arrange delivery. That largely no longer happens.
For several years now none of the above usually bother bringing packages to door. You’re lucky if they even ring your apartment letting you know they are delivering. Everything is simply left in lobby or vestibule. If UPS, FedEx or whoever have your phone # or email address you’ll get a text or some other message advising package was delivered, and that’s all.
Asked our local UPS and USPS delivery guys about this years ago and was told volume of packages now is so great they cannot take things back because no one was there to accept. Instructions from “above” say packages are merely to be left in a “secure” location. Shippers agree to this as part of TOS.
Only way to make certain packages shipped by UPS, USPS, FedEx are delivered to door and signed for is by shipper requiring a signature, sending things via Registered Mail, or insuring package for a high enough value that everyone to touches it from acceptance to delivery must sign off. These things all cost extra so few shippers bother.
Nope. Doesn’t work. Delivery people ignore instructions. Even when you say “Must be signed for by addresee” they let anyone (including thieves) sign for it. Signing off means nothing. People make up names, say they are the super and are not. Thieves gonna be thieving. Too clever and too persistent.
Don’t buzz anyone in unless you know they are specifically for you and you meet them.
Now that so much commerce is online with subsequent delivery, it’s a real problem for people in buildings without door staff. Are there other examples of buildings where residents have pooled to improve security?
Having one’s packages sent elsewhere is a hassle but sounds like a workable move if “elsewhere” isn’t too far away.
Many just simply have packages sent elsewhere. UPS, FedEx and others are teaming up with Duane Reade and similar places to create drop off locations for deliveries. Many local delis and convenience stores are also signing on to provide that service.
Mayor Adams has another idea: https://nypost.com/2023/07/03/nycs-plan-to-reduce-porch-pirates-from-stealing-90k-packages-daily-public-lockers/
There is basically no penalty for this type of crime. And that lies at the feet of Linda Rosenthal and Gale Brewer. Legislators for life
Penalties for crimes have nothing to do with one or two local politicians. Penalties are set by the judicial system in conjunction with the laws passed by the legislature. It’s all of NYS State. but that has nothing to do with solving the problem.
They represent the upper west side. Who is responsible if not them?
Yes. Everything coming from these two is bad for our community. They are busy scoring political goals in front of each other. We don’t matter to them.
I used to live in a bldg where the buzzer’s automatic unlock feature was intentionally disabled. The bldg mgmt’s policy was that you come downstairs if someone buzzes you. It was inconvenient of course, but doable. Wouldn’t be convenient for the sick and elderly though.
Or for some of us who are wheelchair bound or have mobility issues.
How does that work during business hours when a lot of ppl are out and delivery people have loads of stuff?
That seems super frustrating for delivery workers, who would have to stand there buzzing until someone came down. And it’d end up “punishing” people on the first floor, or those who happen to be home more.
Many times most delivery persons don’t stand around waiting. Those working for Amazon either directly or otherwise simply leave packages outside vestibule door (on street) or just inside vestibule but not in locked lobby.
Door Dash and other food deliveries are doing this now as well. If order is paid for via CC and no one answers intercom/buzzer or their phone food is left in vestibule, in front of building, in lobby….
I didn’t say it was convenient. Back in the day there was no insane amount of delivery boxes. Delivery people buzzed your specific apartment number, if you weren’t home they would attempt to deliver once more, and then leave a note to come pick it up at the location.
I used to my work address. Back then we didn’t have humongous packages off goods delivered in regular basis.
And why shouldn’t he just take what he wants if in the moment he feels like it would make him happy? Society has decided this is a crime of poverty outright and that any punishment is really just making it hard on poor people to get by.
We have made a decision through our elected representatives that this sort of thing is pretty much totally fine – there are no disincentives to trying it so have at it young man!
If we borrowed one policy from Saudi Arabia I guarantee you this sort of behavior would stop right in its tracks. But alas, robbing people is considered minor in New York.
One issue with older multi-family buildings is often intercom/buzzer system was run through telephone lines. That was great when everyone had landline telephones, but times have changed.
Young people and many others often only have mobile phones, which are useless far as building’s bell/intercom system is concerned.
Many buildings are going with virtual doorman services such as Carson. While this may solve issue of getting deliveries it does not provide a remedy to package theft. Things are still often left in an unattended lobby or other area easily accessible by anyone.
https://www.habitatmag.com/Publication-Content/Building-Operations/2019/2019-December/This-Remote-Doorman-Is-More-Attentive-and-Less-Expensive
https://www.forbes.com/sites/heathersenison/2019/01/30/missed-a-package-again-apps-bring-service-style-living-to-non-doorman-buildings/