While many New Yorkers have stepped up to volunteer help for those dealing with the destruction left behind by Hurricane Sandy, looters have come crawling out of the woodwork, too, according to the New York Post.
Some crooks were even posing as Con-Ed workers, duping their victims into letting them in before robbing their home.
On Tuesday afternoon, Twitter user @HQSatmar warned Williamsburg residents about the ruse: "WARNING: in Williamsburg people posing as Con Edison workers and knocking on doors DO NOT answer they just robbed someone at gunpoint."
Cops were on the patrol throughout the city Tuesday, warning residents to not let in workers without proper ID. Con-Edison says to call 1-800-75CONED if worried about an imposter.
“We will not tolerate these scumbags looting. We will arrest them on sight,” a police source told the Post.
Many stores at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan had damaged windows, leading to looting of high-end merchandise from Ann Taylor and Brookstone before cops showed up to guard the stores.
“I saw two people walking by the Ann Taylor store and reach in and take some shirts that were just laying right there by the mannequin,” one man told the paper.
In the Rockaways, two men and a woman were arrested for robbing a BP gas station on Beach Channel Drive, three men and one woman were arrested 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.
A two-block stretch of Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island also saw heavy looting, leading to the arrest of seven people.
