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Robert De Niro Says He's 'Good' After Woman Allegedly Broke Into His NYC Townhome And Tried To Steal His Christmas Presents
Police spotted a woman, later identified as Shanice Aviles, breaking into the basement of De Niro's Upper East Side rental home in the early morning hours Monday.
Actor Robert De Niro has said he is doing “OK” after an intruder broke into his rented Manhattan townhouse early Monday and tried to take off with his Christmas presents.
De Niro made the comment to reporters around 4:30 p.m. Monday while leaving the Upper East Side town home, saying he was “good” and thanking the media for their concern, according to The New York Post.
The New York City Police Department said in a statement to Oxygen.com that around 2:45 a.m. on Monday, members of the 19 Precinct Public Safety Team spotted a 30-year-old woman, who was known to the department for “numerous burglary arrests,” trying to break into a residence at 65th Street between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue.
They observed the woman, later identified by police as Shanice Aviles, enter the home through a basement door, which “had signs of forced entry.” They followed her inside and found the woman “attempting to remove property” from the home, police said.
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Although police did not provide any details about what items Aviles was trying to steal, WABC reported that Aviles was allegedly bagging up presents under the actor’s Christmas tree.
Police told CNN that the woman had no interaction with De Niro, who was home at the time but had been on another floor of the property.
Aviles has a lengthy list of past arrests, including at least six burglary arrests this year, The New York Times reports.
She was accused in October of burglarizing an apartment in Astoria, Queens before allegedly breaking into another Upper East Side apartment two days later and making off with $200 in cash, a bag and a woman’s ring, according to court records obtained by the news outlet.
That same month authorities allege she also broke into another apartment on East 70th Street and tried to steal a man’s wallet and keys, but the man woke up and discovered her hiding near his refrigerator and got into a physical fight with her, reportedly stabbing her in the thigh during the scuffle.
She was also accused of breaking into the St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Queens in October to steal money and the pastor’s backpack from the first floor of the church.
After similar arrests in Manhattan, she was released on Dec. 13 to the Cornerstone Medical Arts Center, a facility aimed at helping those with mental illness and substance abuse, the Manhattan district attorney told The Times.
A judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest two days later after she failed to show up for a court appearance.
Police told Oxygen.com that Aviles is also now facing a burglary charge in connection with the incident on Monday.
Workers were spotted Monday installing new locks on the property as a result of the brazen break-in.
