A woman allegedly broke into actor Robert De Niro’s New York City apartment Monday morning and tried to snatch his Christmas presents before getting caught red-handed with his iPad, the New York Post reported.
“She was stealing Christmas presents,” a police official said, according to the Post.
Cops said they spotted the woman break into the basement door of De Niro’s townhome with a crowbar, WIVB4 reported. They followed her inside and allegedly caught her in the act.
Once inside, sources said cops saw the woman taking presents from under the family’s Christmas tree and tossing them into garbage bags.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. at the Oscar winner’s apartment on the Upper East Side. De Niro was home during the break-in along with his wife and 10-year-old daughter, but the family wasn’t at the scene during police’s investigation, sources said.
Cops identified Shanice Aviles, 30, as the burglar in a statement to The Daily Beast. She’s been arrested for breaking into homes before, including a recent botched attempt that ended with her being stabbed in the leg and arrested, reported the New York Daily News. She was charged with burglary and criminal possession of stolen property.
The Post reported that Aviles has more than 25 prior arrests in New York. Police’s statement on Monday said she’s been charged with burglary for Monday’s incident.
A family rep said: “We are not making any statement at this time about the robbery at the temporary rental home of Robert De Niro.”
