On 6/6/20, at approximately 1:30 p.m., two suspects robbed a jewelry store of over $150,000 in jewelry by impersonating officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD). The two suspects were identified as Ismael Igartau, 59 of Queens, NY and Jose Rodriguez, 59 of the Bronx, NY.
The suspects were buzzed into the store because the owner believed they were officers. The men wore bulletproof vests and one of them had what appeared to be a detectives badge. The suspects requested to inspect the owner’s firearm. They claimed that firearms at city stores were at risk of being stolen because of looting of commercial establishments.
The owner gave the men his gun for inspection. The men were armed with guns themselves. The men then zip-tied the owner and proceeded to steal jewelry. Shortly after the robbery, police apprehended the men at a nearby subway station. Click here to read a statement from the NYPD commissioner about this brazen crime.