MANHATTAN – Just over a week after a team of criminals ransacked the Givenchy store on the Upper East Side, pilfering pricey purses worth nearly $80,000, a TUMI Store on Madison Avenue was targeted early Thursday morning— the shop now the scene of smash and grab burglary.
Police say someone came up to the front door of the luxury luggage and bag purveyor— located on Madison Avenue between East 82nd and 83rd Streets– while it was closed and smashed their way in just before 1:30 am, breaking the door’s glass and leaving a pile of shards at the entrance.
“This is horrible. This is horrible!” a neighbor exclaimed as they walked past the crime scene around 8:00 am— one in a steady stream of stunned passersby, not used to seeing things like flashing lights, broken glass and police tape on their morning commute.
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“Wow,” another man said out loud to himself as he walked by the store, visibly stunned by the latest break-in on Madison Avenue.
“That’s crazy.”
Through the smashed glass door, a broken mannequin could be seen laying on the floor inside the TUMI store— investigators say several items were stolen by the suspect in the overnight burglary, though there appeared to be many more expensive bags still sitting in place.
This break-in on Madison Avenue comes eight days after the Givenchy store at the corner of East 65th Street was robbed of 39 purses, by an organized crew of ten to fifteen men.
The Upper East Side’s luxury retailers have long been the target of criminals— back in July an attempted robbery was foiled by security at the Dior store at East 59th and Fifth Avenue.
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Last January, the Balenciaga store on the Upper East Side was targeted in a 3:00 am smash and grab.
When reached by Upper East Site for more information, TUMI store employees said they could not comment on the matter.
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This story has been updated with new information from police regarding the time of the break-in and the burglary that occurred.
