Photo by Jim.henderson via Wikimedia Commons
An Upper East Side resident was arrested during the early hours of Wednesday, January 1, after filming himself breaking into the mayoral residence of Gracie Mansion, located in Carl Schurz Park, and stealing a Christmas ornament, among other things.
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He allegedly hopped the fence that surrounds the house before leading on-duty police on a chase, and is accused of filming himself doing so. Surveillance cameras surrounding the property also reportedly captured this, according to the New York Post.
Aromando, who was arrested inside a bedroom just minutes after entering Gracie Mansion, reportedly showed arresting officers the footage he took on his cellphone, according to a criminal complaint. He had several items from the home in his possession when he was arrested.
Mayor Eric Adams was not home at the time of the break-in—which is a good thing, considering the mayor probably would’ve been pretty spooked; he has previously gone on the record to say that he believes the residence is haunted.
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The suspect, who was charged with burglary and illegal entry, lives only blocks away from Gracie Mansion. His bail was set at $5,000 during his Thursday morning arraignment. According to public court records, he pleaded not guilty to both charges.
A judge also slapped Aromando with an 11 p.m. curfew and ordered that he is not allowed to go within one block of Gracie Mansion, ABC7 reported on Thursday.
The NYPD told East Side Feed on Thursday afternoon that there have been no updates on the case, and City Hall didn’t immediately return a request for comment. We will update this story if and when we learn more.
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