The Office of Staten Island Borough President
02/12/2026 | Press release | Archived content
'Be Vigilant': Borough President Vito Fossella, Law Enforcement Detail Spate Of Luxury Car, Home Break-Ins
Borough President Vito Fossella, NYPD Borough Commander Assistant Chief Melissa Eger and District Attorney Michael McMahon addressed burglary patterns involving forced home invasions and the theft of high-end luxury vehicles and urged residents to take preventative measures.
Despite Staten Island recording a 14% decline in grand larceny autos thefts, a 69% decline in burglaries and an 8% decline in overall index crimes so far this year, a recent burglary pattern in Todt Hill and Dongan Hills, involving several forced home entries and thefts of personal vehicles, as well as an attempted grand larceny auto theft in Arden Heights, has raised the alarm among law enforcement officials and residents.
The suspects have been dubbed the "Crowbar Crew" by law enforcement officials as they allegedly use crowbars to open windows to gain access to homes and vehicles with this current pattern taking place between Feb. 1 and Feb. 9.
"Part of why we're here today is to remind the people of Staten Island to be vigilant and to take caution," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of the 121st Precinct in Graniteville. "There are bad people on the streets. The effort and the goal are to get rid of them so that you can live in peace, but there are little pockets in Todt Hill and Dongan Hills, and more recently Arden Heights, where there are people looking to steal cars. We're going to do everything we can to ensure it comes to a halt or is minimized as much as possible."
Borough Commander Eger said the NYPD has stepped up its patrols in the areas most impacted by the burglary pattern and has increased the number of unmarked cars, particularly overnight.
Residents are urged to take precautions by ensuring they remove their keys from their vehicles, remaining with their vehicles when warming them up, keeping their windows closed and locking their vehicles upon exiting them.
"The message here to Staten Island residents is be vigilant but at the same time, we know what's going on, we're doing everything we can to make sure we bring those people to justice so that you don't have to wake up with a car out of your driveway," said Borough President Fossella.
Despite Staten Island recording a 14% decline in grand larceny autos thefts, a 69% decline in burglaries and an 8% decline in overall index crimes so far this year, a recent burglary pattern in Todt Hill and Dongan Hills, involving several forced home entries and thefts of personal vehicles, as well as an attempted grand larceny auto theft in Arden Heights, has raised the alarm among law enforcement officials and residents.
The suspects have been dubbed the "Crowbar Crew" by law enforcement officials as they allegedly use crowbars to open windows to gain access to homes and vehicles with this current pattern taking place between Feb. 1 and Feb. 9.
"Part of why we're here today is to remind the people of Staten Island to be vigilant and to take caution," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of the 121st Precinct in Graniteville. "There are bad people on the streets. The effort and the goal are to get rid of them so that you can live in peace, but there are little pockets in Todt Hill and Dongan Hills, and more recently Arden Heights, where there are people looking to steal cars. We're going to do everything we can to ensure it comes to a halt or is minimized as much as possible."
Borough Commander Eger said the NYPD has stepped up its patrols in the areas most impacted by the burglary pattern and has increased the number of unmarked cars, particularly overnight.
Residents are urged to take precautions by ensuring they remove their keys from their vehicles, remaining with their vehicles when warming them up, keeping their windows closed and locking their vehicles upon exiting them.
"The message here to Staten Island residents is be vigilant but at the same time, we know what's going on, we're doing everything we can to make sure we bring those people to justice so that you don't have to wake up with a car out of your driveway," said Borough President Fossella.
The Office of Staten Island Borough President published this content on February 12, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 17, 2026 at 17:07 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]