New York City police are continuing to investigate a break-in at the Chanel store on Madison Avenue on Sunday night.
Shortly before 7 p.m., two suspects used a sledgehammer to destroy a glass display at the boutique at 737 Madison Avenue. The two men fled in a car with three handbags worth about $10,000 each, a New York City Police Department spokesperson said.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Chanel did not respond to media requests Monday morning.
Paolo Arabian, owner of the Artesi restaurant at 26 East 64th Street, said police arrived on the scene within minutes. “We heard a noise and one of our customers outside called us and said there was something going on across the street,” he said.
As a result, he played it safe. “We’re 100 percent going to have extra personnel on the floor to monitor what’s going on. And we’re going to keep the (entrance) door closed most of the time. ”
In recent months, there have been several thefts of luxury watches and designer handbags at restaurants in the West Village and Brooklyn, but this hasn’t been an issue at Artesi. “No, there’s no problem yet. Thank God,” he said.
Matthew Bauer said Monday that the approximately 400 businesses participating in the Madison Avenue BID from 57th Street to 86th Street are “all concerned about the window break-ins that occurred last night after business hours. It is clear that we must continue to be vigilant against retail theft that is impacting stores and communities across the country.”
The Chanel store is open and Bauer said he saw customers coming in and out of the store Monday morning.
He praised the efforts of the NYPD’s 19th Precinct, which has reduced grand thefts on the Upper East Side by 7.3 percent compared to last year, according to Compstat data. “I’m confident the department will make an arrest,” Bauer said, noting that NYPD surveillance cameras and other surveillance cameras have been installed at private buildings and businesses throughout the Madison Avenue BID district. .
Sunday night’s incident is being investigated as a robbery.
“We’re not changing anything about the structure or presence of the store at this time,” said a Madison Avenue store manager who requested anonymity, adding that there was nothing unusual about foot traffic or street traffic on Monday.
Dennis Basso said Monday that more than $1 million worth of sable coats were stolen from his former Madison Avenue store in a brazen robbery on Christmas Eve 2016. You feel violated and vulnerable. Although you are anxious, please move forward with a positive mindset. It just makes you more wary,” he said.
Shoplifting and organized retail theft continue to be a concern for retailers. According to the Criminal Justice Council, shoplifting increased by 24% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Last year, 81 percent of respondents to the National Retail Federation reported that organized retail crime offenders have become more violent, and 67 percent reported an increase in violence and aggression from ORC perpetrators compared to a year ago. I answered that I am.
In July, two men were arrested for stealing $2.3 million worth of merchandise from Target, Walmart and other chain stores in the Tucson area over a three-year period, then selling the stolen merchandise to a company in Connecticut. Separately in the same month, nine people were found guilty in three California counties of stealing $1.7 million in merchandise from Nordstrom, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci and specialty store Magnolia Park. received the verdict. At the time, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “I am committed to marshaling the full strength of the California Department of Justice to combat organized retail crime both in the field and in the courtroom.”
