New video shows the moment a pair of bumbling burglars used a crowbar to smash through the glass door of a Queens drug store — but made off with absolutely nothing, according to police.
The duo showed up around 6 a.m. Dec. 15 at the pharmacy on 108th Street near 45th Avenue in Corona, and broke the roll-down gate, authorities said.
In a surveillance clip released late Thursday by the NYPD, one of the suspects is captured trying to pick or break the lock with the crowbar – to no avail – before handing the tool over to his pal, who successfully smashes one of the glass doors.
The clumsy pair made their way inside the store but ended up fleeing empty-handed, cops said.
But authorities say the bungled caught-on-video burglary is part of a two-week-long pattern including eight incidents that netted the suspects – at times joined by a third accomplice – more than $3,000, lottery tickets and drugs, authorities show.
The string of heists began around 5 a.m. Dec. 6, when one of the men broke the gate of another drug store on Main Street near 72nd Drive in Kew Gardens, cops said.
Then two other crooks barged into the store, snatching up about $200 and $35 worth of lottery tickets, authorities said.
About an hour passed before the trio smashed their way through the glass front door of yet another pharmacy on 164th Street near 64th Avenue in Fresh Meadows and grabbed about $100 from the register, cops said.
Another failed heist came around 5 a.m. Dec. 12, when a solo suspect tried to break the roll-down gate of a drug store on 51st Street near 31st Avenue in Woodside, but could not, authorities said.
He gave up, and fled empty-handed in a gray Infiniti sedan, cops said.
Joined by two partners-in-crime, he tried again a half-hour later to break the outer gate of another store on 30th Avenue near 23rd Street in Astoria, police said.
Then the miscreants tried throwing a cinderblock at a window, but still couldn’t get inside, authorities said.
The next burglary attempt came around 5:50 a.m. Dec. 15, when one ruffian acted alone, breaking the glass front door of a drug store on 39th Avenue near 63rd Street in Woodside, cops said.
He stole about $400 from inside and took off, police said.
Two suspects also targeted a pharmacy on 108th Street near 63rd Drive in Forest Hills around 6:20 that same day, authorities said.
They broke the glass door, barged inside and grabbed “various narcotics” before hopping into an Infiniti sedan, with a third person behind the wheel, cops said.
Their final burglary came around 5:50 a.m. Dec. 20, when they broke the locks securing the roll-down gate of a drug store on 13th Avenue near 81st Street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, cops said.
They then used a crowbar to smash the window before bagging their heftiest stash — $2,400 and even more drugs, police said.
Again, they took off in an Infiniti sedan driven by an accomplice, authorities said.
No arrests have been made in connection to the early-morning spree.
Anyone with information on the crimes is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
