Two Upper East Side women could soon be en route to the big house – for targeting rich Manhattan residents at open houses and making off with their valuables, cops said yesterday.
Jessica Joyner, 39, and Jennifer Jones, 33, were arrested on Saturday and charged with petit larceny, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
Detectives believe the two posed as potential buyers to get inside high-end apartments, where they grabbed expensive belongings during their month-long crime spree.
The suspects allegedly hit four apartments during this string, three on the Upper East Side and one on the Upper West Side.
Jones’ mother broke down in tears when told of the arrest.
“I’m going to need a tranquilizer!” a sobbing Laura Rothman said.
“This is impossible. I can’t believe my daughter would do this.”
The suspects allegedly pocketed diamond rings, a fur coat, a Coach bag and a Tiffany clock during their heists, cops said.
A stunned Rothman confirmed her daughter is pals with Joyner and that they both live on the Upper East Side.
“The arrest was yesterday [Saturday]. Why wouldn’t she [Jones] have called me?” said Rothman, a Trenton, NJ, resident. “You get one phone call in jail, right?
The anguished mom did not believe such a crime could be pulled off.
“I just don’t know how someone could even do this,” Rothman said.
“I mean there are Realtors, other people there in the apartment. Isn’t there supervision?”
The key break came from a witness who took down their license-plate number after one heist.
The open-house thieves were nearly caught in their last job, said broker Douglas Heddings.
While looking at a $1.9 million three-bedroom duplex near Broadway and West 88th Street on Nov. 11, an agent caught them red-handed before they barged out.
“I didn’t feel unsafe, because this is such a rare thing. But it’s nice to know the NYPD stepped up and did their job,” said a relieved Heddings, a vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman.
“The primary thing is that sellers have to not just put things out of sight. Valuables need to be locked up.”