And now the fun begins...

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Looters target Coney Island after Sandy sweeps through

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.1195080

In broad daylight, thieves stole flat screens from Rent-A-Center. Others
swiped top shelf booze from Joann’s Discount Wine and Liquors.

By Matthew Lysiak AND Nancy Dillon / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, October 31, 2012, 1:21 PM

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http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo...ting2-1031.jpg
Cops arrest a typical american male-turned-looter
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A wave a looters followed the Sandy storm surge in Coney Island,
creating a double-whammy for business owners trying to pick up the
obliterated pieces. The thieves started down Mermaid Avenue Tuesday
morning as the chest-high water receded, turning the seaside community
known for its hotdogs and tourist attractions into a lawless
free-for-all.

"People were running in and out of Rent-A-Center carrying these big flat
screens. They were holding on tight," said witness Aisha John, 20. "I
couldn't understand how someone could steal a big TV in broad
daylight, but no one cared.”

She said people were running out of a nearby Rite Aid with bags of
diapers and wipes.

"Look, they've been looting our wallets for too long," said a young male
who claimed he helped himself to a TV at the Rent-A-Center.

“It's about time we start taking this sh—back," the youth, who
identified himself as Jesse James, told the Daily News.

"It was complete lawlessness,” said Ron Troyano, owner of Joann’s
Discount Wine and Liquors on Mermaid Ave.

He said looters used tools to bust through his steel security gates
around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The thieves then shattered his storefront and helped themselves to
thousands of dollars worth of top shelf liquor, he said.

"They pried open the gate, broke the glass and went straight for the
Hennessy and Grey Goose,” he said.

Police got a measure of control around 4 p.m. Tuesday, but two cops
positioned outside Joann’s into the night failed to stop more looters
from sneaking in through the roof, Troyano told The News.

"They broke right in through the roof while the cops were standing
outside. It's unbelievable. They were passing bottles down to each other
from the roof," he said.

Troyano said between the flooding and the plundering, his losses were
too high to easily calculate. He said he’s not sure when he’ll reopen.

"We are supposed to come together as a community during times of crisis,
not pick at each other like vultures," he said. "Next time I'm getting a
gun."

Looters also hit The Fresh Market five blocks down.

"They destroyed everything. They stole anything they could get their
hands on. Someone even ran off with the cash register," said employee
Fernando Mendoza as he picked up pieces of broken glass Wednesday.

"It was a mob of people. Fifty to a hundred. They were just running down
the street grabbing anything that wasn't nailed down," he said.

"They were literally walking out with shopping carts full of
merchandise. They didn't even look worried,” a Rite Aid employee who
declined to give her name told The News.

They looked like they were casually shopping," she said. "They looked
almost happy. I saw an elderly lady walking away with batteries and a
bag of Kit Kats.”