
Cultured crook breaks window of Staten Island home, steals $500K painting: cops
A crook smashed his way inside a Staten Island home and fled with a half-million-dollar painting by a word-renowned artist, cops said.
The unidentified burglar broke a window and slipped into the home on tree-lined Tottenville Place near Wards Point Avenue around 9 a.m. May 15, police said.
The thief then ripped off the $500,000 painting, titled 'City Gleaners' by T.F. Chen, authorities said.
The thief ripped off a $500,000 painting, titled 'City Gleaners' by T.F. Chen, from a home in Tottenville, Staten Island, authorities said.
NYPD
T.F. Chen – also an art historian, writer and philosopher – founded the T. F. Chen Cultural Center in NYC, and he has put on more than 100 one-man exhibitions worldwide, according to his online bio.
No one was home at the time of the heist, including the owner of the painting, a 68-year-old woman, cops said.
Anyone with information about the sophisticated swindler is asked to 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 their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
NYPD cop fires at armed BMW thieves who tried to mow down officers during heist from Queens shop: cops
An NYPD cop opened fire on an armed crew who stole BMWs from a Queens auto repair shop and nearly plowed down the officers who closed in on them Friday morning, cops and sources said. The brazen suspects hopped into the luxury cars and sped off when cops caught them red-handed at the shop on 33rd Avenue near Miller Street in Flushing around 5:30 a.m., police said. They accelerated toward the cops – nearly striking them – prompting one officer to open fire, authorities and sources said. Advertisement 3 The luxury car thieves accelerated toward the responding cops — prompting one to open fire, police said. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 3 No one appeared to be struck by the gunfire, and the reckless drivers continued on their way, police said. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock No one appeared to have been struck, and the reckless crew continued to speed off, heading north on Miller Street, police said. Advertisement The officers were checked out at a local hospital for ringing in their ears, cops and sources said. 3 Two suspects were later taken into custody, and four BMWs were recovered, sources said. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Two suspects were later taken into custody, and four BMWs allegedly used by the perps were recovered, sources said. Charges were not immediately filed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting
More than 40 people have been arrested after a major drugs raid busted a "narco-boats" gang accused of trafficking cocaine into the EU. The investigation, dubbed Operation Black Shadow, saw police forces from around the world work together to seize nearly 3,800 kilos of cocaine, 69 vehicles and €100,000 (£84,232) in cash. A British national was among the 48 arrested during last Tuesday's raids, the National Crime Agency confirmed to Sky News. The gang used "mother ships" to transport cocaine from South America to the Canary Islands, with 11 speedboats used to ferry the drugs to shore. They even turned an abandoned shipwreck into a refuelling platform for the speedboats and boats, according to Spain's Policia Nacional. The criminal network used a "complex encrypted communications system" to evade police, including the use of satellite terminals, hard-to-trace phones and a coded language. Read more from Sky News: Twenty-nine houses were searched in Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. "The criminal network specialised in smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America into Spanish territory using high-speed boats, said an NCA spokesperson to Sky News. "Alongside our international partners, we are relentless in our efforts to tackle drug trafficking across borders, ensuring it's seized before it reaches the UK criminal supply chain."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A.: 'They're everywhere'
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were carrying out a series of immigration sweeps across Southern California on Friday morning, sparking fear and anxiety among immigrant communities. At least one video posted on X show federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away. Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes Westlake, said in a written statement that her office has received reports about immigration enforcement operations taking place in her district and other parts of Los Angeles. "These actions are escalating: agents arrive without warning and leave quickly, aware that our communities mobilize fast," she said. "I urge Angelenos to stay alert." The raids are the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of President Trump's promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area. Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, said federal agents in downtown Los Angeles were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. No other details were provided, and it wasn't known how many operations were taking place. Another video posted on Instagram shows six federal agents walking near the intersection of Towne Avenue and 10th Street in the Fashion District. Ron Gochez, a member of Unión del Barrio, an independent political organization advocating for immigrant rights and social justice, said his group has been "flooded" with calls about immigration sweeps taking place in Los Angeles and Orange counties. "There were ICE agents at a Home Depot in Cypress, there's ICE agents at Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue, a construction site in North Hollywood and in South L.A.," he said in a phone interview. "They're everywhere." This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is made available. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.