Sometimes, The Worst Part Of Humanity Just Reveals Itself

And it happened over the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City:

The grinches struck early this year.

Residents of storm-battered Breezy Point returned from the Thanksgiving holiday to discover that thieves had looted their damaged homes — even taking one family’s change jars, The Post has learned.

At least three homeowners in the Queens enclave were robbed, including a couple that lost a $25,000 coin collection along with jewelry and watches at their flooded house.

The break-ins — part of a rash of recent burglaries — occurred between Wednesday and Thursday, when most residents were away for the holiday.

Burglars struck a house whose basement art and recording studios were lost to Sandy’s floodwaters — and made off with $400 in two change jars.

“I’ve been putting my best efforts forward into putting my home back together and staying strong,” said the home’s owner, Robert Bainbridge, 57.

“This just adds insult to injury.”

In addition to his studios, his family lost two cars.

“It’s a total lack of morals and ethics on their part,” said Bainbridge, a married father of a teenage girl.

“Whoever did this is not thinking, ‘This could happen to me.’ ”

He believes a screwdriver was used to pry open his front door. Fearing another burglary, he erected a wood barricade against the door.

“I have apprehension and angst that this might happen again,” he said.

Another break-in victim called it a “terrible violation.”

“It’s just been one big ordeal,” said the woman, who didn’t want her name used.

“I’m very uncomfortable. I don’t want them coming back here. All I wanted to do was come home.”

She and her husband had left their house Wednesday — their first day with electricity since Sandy — to stay with family for the holiday.

They returned yesterday to find a window near the dining room pried open and the front door unlocked.

Her husband’s collection of silver half-dollars, worth $25,000, was the most valuable item taken, but the couple is most upset about a pair of stolen watches.

One was a gift the wife gave to her husband.

The other was given to the man, a former ironworker, by his employer in honor of his retirement.

“Those are more sentimental to me,” he said.

He said cops told him he was one of many burglary victims in Breezy Point.

Just when I start to think the worst about my fellow human beings, they manage to sink even lower than my already low expectations.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Mikey says:

    What a damn shame. I’d wager if they didn’t have a neighborhood watch program before, they will now.

    I took my family out of town over Thanksgiving and gave a good friend a key to my house. Friday afternoon I got a text from my neighbor asking me “should a tall guy (gives description of my friend) be going in and out of your house?” I replied “Yes, it’s fine, that’s my friend (friend’s name).”

    My neighbor’s response: “OK, I’ll put my pistol away.”

    Somehow I don’t think we’ll have a lot of people burgling homes in my neighborhood over the holidays…

  2. matt says:

    There’s been a long standing problem with thieves hitting the houses of people who are at funerals.So I’m not really surprised by this. Part of the reason why I adopted a stray puppy that happened upon me a couple years ago. She’s now grown up and her warning bark sounds like it belongs to a huge pitbull (she’s actually 55lbs and brindle so that adds even more). Cheap and very friendly house security 😛

  3. Ben Wolf says:

    @Doug Mataconis

    Humans will always disappoint. That’s what they do.

  4. @matt:

    Dogs are the best, and the friendliest, burglary protection system

  5. @Ben Wolf:

    Admittedly, my standards are rather low at this point

  6. cd6 says:

    I figured this was going to be about Jonah Goldberg’s latest “the democrats are the real racists” screed

  7. David says:

    Only thing better than a dog security system is a two dog security system. One is an Aussie shepherd/chow mix (45lbs but with his coat looks closer to 55 or 60) and the other one is a shelte mix, we think. One night the dogs went nuts, next day we discovered someone tried to break in through one of our windows. We haven’t had an issue since.

  8. OzarkHillbilly says:

    When I bought my place, it had not one, but 2 burglar alarm systems. I tore them out as out here, they are next to useless. I am 20 mins from the nearest cop, and probably 45 mins from the ones that would come. Locking our doors is a joke as a chainsaw would make quick work of any door and neither of my neighbors (2) would take notice of it. My house can not be seen from either of their places nor from the road.

    We have a no trespassing sign at the top of the drive, halfway down there is a sign that says “If you can read this you are down range”, and inside the house (or in the yard) is a 95 lb lab who sounds like he is going to tear you limb from limb… and he will…. with his tongue.

    Truth is, if someone really wants to rip you off, they can and there is precious little one can do about it. 1st line of defense is to not advertise. 2nd is to make it look like somebody is always home.

  9. pcbedamned says:

    @David:

    And the only better than a 2 dog security system, is a 4 dog security system. A Husky/Border Collie, a Coy (Coyote/Husky), Husky/ Cocker Spaniel, and a Cocker Spaniel.
    Now, you would think that most would fear the Coy, and they do, but it is the baby of the family, the Husky/Cocker (aptly named Denny Crane), who is the real one to fear. One afternoon after hearing the boys go nuts for about 2 minutes, I went to the door to find an OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) officer at the bottom of the step about to reach for his pepper spray. Denny Crane was not allowing him access even to the door, let alone into it.
    I more fear that some out of town nut will mistake my Coy for a real Coyote and shoot him than I do someone making it into the house…(as one morning this summer 2 cars stopped in front of the drive and Songaa went as close as he could to watch them. Thank God my daughter was up because she heard one remark, “OMG, they have a Coyote in their yard!” She called Songaa back to the house and they proceeded to drive away. As it was still too hot for the boys to have on their ‘oranges’ yet, it was a close call.)
    As a side note, in the event of the Zombie Apocalypse, I would just let the Cockatoo free ;-}