The New York Attorney General has recently announced that a burglary crew has been caught for committing over 200 robberies across multiple locations, including some in Westchester. The crew had stolen cash, cars, and merchandise during their criminal activities.
Six members of a notorious crew have been convicted by New York Attorney General Letitia James, for over 200 burglaries of car dealerships, ATMs, and cellular phone stores located in the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City, and on Long Island. The crew, consisting of Willie Baines, Josepher Cartagena, Brandon Collazo-Rivera, Justin Herrera, Douglas Noble, and Alexander Santiago, all of Bronx County, were found guilty of stealing cash, merchandise, cellular phones, and cars valued at more than $3 million, including at least 54 vehicles. The convictions were the result of a 13-month joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Auto Crime Unit, and 29 local and county police departments.
According to Attorney General James, the six people who were found guilty and given sentences were responsible for a string of crimes that affected various businesses and inhabitants in downstate New York. The burglars caused extensive damage, including shattered glass, vandalized businesses, and perilous high-speed car chases. The Attorney General expressed her gratitude to local law enforcement partners for their assistance in apprehending this dangerous group. She also stated that the communities are now safer with the six offenders brought to justice.
“This particular case serves as a testament to the remarkable collaboration among various police departments and agencies in the New York Metropolitan area,” expressed NYPD Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban. He further added, “The NYPD Auto Crime Unit takes pride in working alongside the New York State Attorney General and all other departments involved in apprehending this audacious burglary gang.” After a rigorous 13-month investigation, it was revealed that this group of thieves was responsible for over 200 commercial burglaries in 11 downstate counties, including Westchester County. The gang of six, consisting of Willie Baines, Josepher Cartagena, Brandon Collazo-Rivera, Justin Herrera, Douglas Noble, and Alexander Santiago, had stolen cars, cell phones, merchandise, and cash amounting to over $3 million, including a minimum of 54 vehicles.”
According to the findings of the investigation, the theft crew would target areas with multiple car dealerships and cell phone stores, and carry out burglaries in several stores during one night. During their burglaries at automobile dealerships, the crew members would break the large windows at the front of the building and search for boxes that contained key fobs. They would then steal cars that they could start and easily drive through the broken windows.
The theft crew behind the cell phone and ATM store burglaries had a modus operandi that involved breaking the front doors’ glass, gaining entry to the stores’ showrooms and offices, and making off with as much cash and merchandise as they could carry. What made matters worse was that the crew would often wait for the police to arrive in response to a burglary alarm and then engage in high-speed chases that posed a significant risk to law enforcement and the community. This dangerous behavior prompted law enforcement to name the investigation “Operation Redline” after the redline on speedometers, which the burglars would often exceed as they fled the scene of the crime. The OCTF and NYPD investigators were able to identify the six individuals charged in the case using various methods such as video surveillance recordings, cellular phone data, license plate reader data, and information from county and local police departments.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted a search of the homes of two suspects and were able to recover a significant amount of stolen cell phones and key fobs that had been taken from car dealerships. What’s more, it was discovered that some of the defendants had posted pictures on different social media platforms where they were posing with the stolen vehicles and flaunting large amounts of cash.
After the crimes were committed, it was discovered that many of the stolen items were being flaunted on social media platforms, mere minutes after the incidents took place. The investigators were able to connect the stolen property featured in these posts to specific burglaries and their respective defendants. This investigation was a collaborative effort between various law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. Attorney General James expressed her gratitude towards the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, New Haven, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York Field Offices, as well as the Eastern District of New York and District of Connecticut U.S. Marshal Service for their commendable work. She also extended her thanks to her local law enforcement partners – including the Westchester County Police Department, Yonkers Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, New Rochelle Police Department, White Plains Police Department, Greenburgh Police Department, Tarrytown Police Department, and Mamaroneck Police Department – for their close coordination.
The group of six individuals faced charges of committing multiple offenses, including Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (Class C felony), Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class D felony), and Burglary in the Third Degree (Class D felony).
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