Three migrants living in Manhattan’s troubled Roosevelt Hotel were busted for a New Jersey shoplifting spree where they nabbed $5,300 worth of clothes, perfume and other items, cops said.
The thieving trio — Dugleidy Gonzalez-Riera, 28, Yefferson Prieto-Galviz, 23, and Morelis Blanco-Cineros, 41 — were arrested after a traffic stop in Wayne, New Jersey on Valentine’s Day with a car packed with drugs and stolen clothes from several stores, according to police.
“A search of their persons and the vehicle produced ecstasy pills, drug paraphernalia and large quantities of stolen merchandise including clothing, shoes and fragrances from Ulta, Kohl’s, JC Penney and Macy’s with a total value over $5,300,” WPD Detetive Captain Dan Daly said in a statement.
Wayne cops pulled over the car after they spotted it tailgating another vehicle — and an occupant was also seen not wearing a seat belt, cops said.
None of the three inside were able to provide a driver’s license or spoke English and the license plate was found to belong to another vehicle, police said.
In addition to drug paraphernalia, officers also noticed several clothing items from the Ulta Beauty store — which cops said is frequently targeted by thieves — with the store tags still attached.
Police contacted the store, which confirmed that clothing items matching those in the vehicle had been stolen within the last two hours and provided images of the suspects. The suspects were then placed under arrest.
They initially provided police with fake names before they were identified.
Each of the suspects was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and shoplifting.
Prieto-Galviz and Blanco-Cineros were additionally charged with hindering apprehension.
All three lived at the Roosevelt Hotel, now operating as a migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan.
Police said they believed the alleged thieves were at risk of jumping bail, so they are being held in custody in Passaic County Jail awaiting detention hearings.
New York City leased the Roosevelt Hotel from Pakistan last June for $220 million for three years to serve as a shelter amid a massive influx of migrants from the southern border.
Overcrowding by asylum seekers at the 1,000-room shelter has forced migrants to sleep on the ground and even in cars parked outside.
There have also been dozens of arrests at the once-iconic hotel since the migrants moved in.
