Robert De Niro is victim of attempted burglary in Manhattan
A 30-year-old woman was charged with burglary on Monday, accused of breaking into a temporary rental home where actor Robert De Niro was staying in the early morning hours and trying to steal items.
Officers from the 19th Precinct on the Upper East Side saw the woman, Shanice Aviles, entering the home on 65th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues about 2.45am.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Aviles entered through a basement door, which had signs of forced entry. When officers followed Aviles into the house, they discovered her attempting to remove property, according to the police. They did not provide details on what she had in her possession.
Aviles was arrested at the rental property. She was expected to be arraigned on Monday evening or Tuesday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney.
De Niro, a New York native, won his first Oscar for best supporting actor for his 1974 portrayal of a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, and his second for best actor for the 1980 film Raging Bull.
He was nominated for best leading actor for The Deer Hunter and has appeared in several critically acclaimed films over the past five decades, including Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Irishman, Meet The Parents and A Bronx Tale.
De Niro left the home at around 4.40pm on Monday, wearing a hat and mask, and hopped into a black SUV. "I'm good, thank you," he told reporters before being driven away.
It was unclear whether Aviles, who police officials said has been arrested on burglary charges many times, targeted one of the planet's best-known actors on purpose.
Court records indicate that Aviles, who lives near Union Square in Manhattan, has been charged in at least six incidents in 2022 alone.
On Oct 1, she burglarised an apartment in Astoria, Queens, according to a criminal complaint.
Two days later, on Oct 3, she burglarised an apartment on East 70th Street on the Upper East Side, according to Manhattan prosecutors, who said she took US$200 (S$271) cash, a bag and a ring from a woman.
On Oct 11, Aviles again attempted to rob an apartment on East 70th Street, according to the complaint. A man woke up at around 2.15am and saw that his wallet and keys were missing from his night stand.
When the man went to search his apartment, he discovered Aviles hiding next to the refrigerator. A fight ensued, and the man stabbed her in the left thigh, the complaint said.
Aviles was charged with three counts of burglary on Oct 11, according to the district attorney. She was granted supervised release. A day later, she was arrested in the Astoria burglary.
About two weeks after she appeared in a Manhattan court, on Oct 23, the pastor of St Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Queens woke to find approximately US$1,000 placed on top of a desk and a dining table, as well as his black backpack, missing from the first floor of the church, according to a complaint from the Queens district attorney.
According to the complaint, the pastor reviewed surveillance video and saw a woman whom the police identified as Aviles looking into a window around midnight, then walking away from the church at around 1.15am with a black backpack in hand.
Aviles was arrested and charged in December in Manhattan over similar incidents. On Dec 13, she was released to Cornerstone Medical Arts Centre, a therapeutic facility for those who struggle with substance abuse and mental illness, the Manhattan district attorney said.
Two days later, a judge issued a bench warrant after Aviles failed to show up to a court appearance.
On Monday, members of the press waited in the cold for De Niro outside the four-storey brick townhouse that was the site of the attempted theft.
Passersby stopped to inquire about the media presence, with one woman laughing and saying, "So this is where it happened!"
About 1.30pm, about 10 dark blue bags with gold lettering from Nobu, a restaurant, hotel and hospitality chain co-owned by De Niro, were delivered to the house.
About an hour later, workers were seen installing deadbolts on the front door. NYTIMES
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