Wave of looting and theft takes hold in areas hardest hit by superstorm Sandy

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: looting, superstorm Sandy, theft

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(NaturalNews) The looting has begun in the wake of hurricane Sandy. Just as Natural News predicted -- much to the derision of critics who insisted there would be no looting whatsoever -- criminals are exploiting the downed power grid and lack of police presence to break into homes and businesses in order to steal valuable property.

"Looting Arrests Made" reports the Wall Street Journal.

More from that story:

New York City Police arrested 13 people for crimes that included looting in Sandy's aftermath... in the Rockaway section of Queens, a region that saw major storm damage, five people were arrested Tuesday for alleged crimes that included burglary, trespass, mischief and resisting arrest, an official said... On Long Island early Tuesday morning, police arrested four men and charged them with planning to loot businesses damaged during Sandy... The crowd was apparently indifferent to the area's big police presence... They dispersed upon his arrival, but not before burglarizing his business, shattering glass displays, swiping soap and pilfering cash from the till, he said. Witnesses said the police appeared temporarily overwhelmed by the looters.

"Looters swipe up the mess in chaos zones" reports the NY Post. "Guys were looting, pretending they were Con Ed and holding people up. It was sick... We will not tolerate these scumbags looting. We will arrest them on sight," said a police source.

Also from the NY Post:

In the Rockaways, lowlifes were sneaking into clothing stores and cleaning out pizzerias. Two men and a woman were arrested for robbing a BP gas station on Beach Channel Drive, three men and one woman were cuffed for pillaging a Radio Shack on Beach 88th Street, and two people were arrested for raiding a clothing store near Beach 86th Street, cops said. Stores were emptied along a two-block stretch of Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island. Seven people were busted.

"Hurricane Sandy Looting, Fights Plague South Brooklyn" reports HuffPost. The story goes on to report:

At about 8 a.m. on Tuesday, workers arrived at Mega Aid Pharmacy to find that not only had Hurricane Sandy obliterated the building's interior the night before, but thieves had broken in and gone through more than 10,000 pharmaceutical items. Most of the stolen goods were prescription meds. "The water went away and these people started walking down the streets and just robbed stores," a frustrated worker at the pharmacy, who wished to remain anonymous, told HuffPost Crime.

"Looting fears persist as much of city remain in dark," reports NBC New York. It continues:

...police made multiple arrests in the city Monday and Tuesday, officials said. Charges included burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing. In one incident, three men were arrested on burglary charges after they struck a Radio Shack in Rockaway Beach, Queens, on Tuesday morning.

"9 Arrested In Thefts Near Rockaways Amid Storm," reports a local CBS affiliate. "Nine people have been arrested for allegedly stealing from businesses near the Rockaways in Queens during and after Superstorm Sandy. Three people were arrested at a gas station, three at a Radio Shack, and two at a clothing store."

"Superstorm Sandy swipers: New York homes and businesses hit by looters" reports RT.com " The city has been hit with looters hoping to cash in on pricey goods left inside abandoned built... the thieves are swiping clothes and electrical goods in New York's hardest hit areas."

"Looting Reported At South Street Seaport After Last Night's Hurricane Sandy Surge" reports Gothamist.com "A security guard at the South Street Seaport observed approximately one dozen looters early this morning at the Brookstone on Fulton Street. The looters, some of whom were already wearing the headphones, also absconded with a DVD projector that is usually displayed in the front of the store."

Looters display their spoils, brag about loot on Twitter

Even more explosively, looters who are "scoring" items by stealing from commercial properties are now brazenly displaying their scored loot on Twitter!

That story, by Paul Joseph Watson, is available on InfoWars.com

In it, you'll see people posting photos about all the loot they stole, using hash tags like #FREESHIT

Other tweets read as follows:

TONITE WE B CHECKIN EMPTY HOSPITALS FOR DEY MEDICAL SHIT #SANDY #SANDYLOOTCREW