The dastardly duo that robbed senior homeowners in Zerega, Pelham Bay and Throggs Neck in 2009 is still on the loose. They hit Pelham Bay again on Tuesday, January 12.
At least cops know more about the duo that they did in September, when the burglars first appeared in the 45th Precinct. George John, 29, a 5-foot-8 160 pound white male, poses as a “water department” worker. His partner, named by the New York Post as Steven Demetro, a 5-foot-7 230 pound white male, slips in to pocket cash and jewelry.
The talented grifters belong to a ring of gypsy crooks, a police source said. They speak Italian and target seniors who live alone. John and Demetro were last spotted in southern Brooklyn, where they worked a similar scam.
On January 12 at around 11 a.m., a Burr Avenue homeowner was fooled. The crooks asked to check his water. One kept the homeowner busy in his kitchen while his partner, dispatched to “check on the water in the basement,” grabbed $150 cash, the source said.
Police want homeowners approached by suspect utility workers to phone 911 first and ask questions later. One of the crooks wore an ID badge around his neck on January 12, the source said.
The duo has also hit Edenwald in the 47th Precinct. John and Demetro are gypsies, in the ethnic sense and in the sense that they wander from one neighborhood to another, the police source said.
45th Precinct community affairs personnel have visited senior centers to warn homeowners.
Reach reporter Daniel Beekman at 718 742-3383 or [email protected]