Crime is really heating up at this New York City store.
A shoplifter found a creative way to get past those pesky plastic security cases locking seemingly every product sold in Big Apple drug stores — by brazenly setting them ablaze, wild video shows.
The burglar fired off a blowtorch to melt the plastic of the locked cases inside a Queens Walgreens Friday before grabbing several boxes and shoving them into his bag, according to footage making the rounds on social media.
The alleged thief stole about $448 worth of skin care products from the East Elmhurst store, located at 93-12 Astoria Blvd., as other shoppers and employees stood by silently filming the wild act on their phones, according to cops and the video.
The man, who wore a surgical mask and his hoodie over his head, calmly and causally lit the enclosed case on fire in the middle-of-the-day heist at about 2:35 p.m.
He fled the store, police said.
There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.
The firey theft comes as shoplifting in New York City grew by 77% over the past five years, according to the latest NYPD stats.
The rise in retail burglaries has plagued not just the Big Apple, but major cities across the country — prompting major retailers like Walgreens to lock up nearly every product behind plastic cases and plexiglass.
About 75% of Americans are now relegated to shopping in stores where products are being locked up in cabinets to avoid rampant theft, according to a new National Retail Federation survey that recently polled 5,000 shoppers nationwide.
The trend — which has left many shoppers frustrated by the inconvenience — has stores guarding products that cost only a few dollars, according to a Post analysis.
The Post visited a handful of NYC shops earlier this month to find a slew of low-priced items — including Dawn dishwashing liquid ($2.19), Vaseline lip balm ($2.79), kids’ toothbrushes ($3.99), Cadbury chocolate ($3.99) and the $1.79 can of tuna — locked in cabinets that require customers to ring a bell and then wait for employees to eventually get them.
“I be coming and ringing that bell all the time to get what I need,” said frustrated shopper Karen Brown, 62, as she tried to flag down a staffer to hand over antihistamines at the Duane Reade at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
“It’s totally annoying.”
