Madison Avenue stores are cowering in fear behind locked doors due to a shoplifting crime wave.
“The normal thing now today is to lock our doors on Madison Avenue,” Carolina Herrera sales associate Michelle Singh said, according to the New York Post.
That’s not all. Some of the stores are keeping the lights low and even opening by appointment only to protect their goods from being stolen.
Thieves have made out with hauls of up to $500,000, according to WABC-TV.
This is @tumitravel store on Madison Avenue this morning. While @NYCMayor may want to entice Floridians to move here – why would anyone when crime is surging and can’t ride @MTA? @ManhattanDA clearly doesn’t care about public safety. @savetheuws pic.twitter.com/zJRQTpjavT
— West Side Community Organization (@westsideco_org) April 4, 2022
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Singh knows the score.
Not long ago, she said, a “normal-looking man in his 40s” stole “four or five” bags of items, the Post reported.
Singh wanted to go after him, but said her colleagues told her to stand down.
Have soft-on-crime liberals ruined New York City?
“We don’t feel safe,” said a store manager, who gave his name as Michael. “You feel violated when they come in.”
The manager said the store’s limited access policy has been in place for several months.
The pricey boutique is not alone. Chanel and Prada keep their doors locked and have security guards on the premises.
Not too many stores to rip off on Madison Avenue these days.
Why bother with the muggers when Gilt and Saks deliver?
Madison Ave retailers lock doors in daytime amid crime frenzy https://t.co/zrnH4KgwWT via @nypmetro
— NYCNews (@NYCNews18) April 30, 2022
“It’s very much an organized crime model,” said Matthew Bauer, president of the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District.
The thieves are “just the tip of the iceberg” and “following orders” as they rampage unchecked, Bauer said.
The 19th Precinct, which covers the ritzy shopping district, has recorded 470 grand larcenies this year — a 47 percent increase from the 320 at this time last year.
Petty larceny is up almost 60 percent from 709 crimes in 2021 to 1,129 this year.
