MANHATTAN – For the second time in less than six months, smash-and-grab thieves shattered the glass storefront of the TUMI store on Madison Avenue near East 83rd Street and helped themselves to the pricey purses inside.
A closed sign hung on the TUMI store’s glass door Monday morning, spared by crooks this time around. The storefront’s window to the left wasn’t as lucky— shattered top to bottom with a large hole where police say the suspect reached their arm in and swiped the luxury bags on display, valued at $1,800, sometime around 6:00 am.
Neighbors walking past the crime scene hours later were disgusted by what they saw.
“The City is safe?” one older woman asked sarcastically when she saw the damage.
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“It’s unbelievable… you should call the Mayor’s office and show them,” the woman told Upper East Site.
The break-in at TUMI is the latest in a series of heists targeting luxury retailers, mostly on Madison Avenue.
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Just last week, smash-and-grab burglars cut through a padlock in the middle of night to get inside Designer Revival, a luxury consignment shop on East 81st Street. Exclusive video shared with Upper East Site showed three suspects stealing $40,000 in high-end bags in fewer than thirty seconds.
Meanwhile, burglars struck the same TUMI on Madison Avenue store last November, smashing their way in just before 1:30 am, breaking the front door’s glass and leaving a pile of shards at the entrance. Police said $80,000 in merchandise was stolen at the time.
In this latest overnight burglary, investigators say they’re looking for a single suspect, but did not immediately have a description available.
If you have any information regarding these brazen crimes, you’re asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477.
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