‘I didn’t murder anyone!’ The 30-year-old serial burglar who broke into Robert De Niro’s Upper East Side home smiles as she’s handcuffed during the perp walk – after snatching his presents from under his Christmas tree
- Shanice Aviles, 30, screamed as she was accused of breaking into De Niro’s home
- “I didn’t go to Robert De Niro’s house,” Aviles said, “I didn’t murder anyone!”
- Aviles was traced to the De Niro townhouse on the Upper East Side at 3 a.m. Monday
- She is a chronic burglar and has been arrested 26 times – 15 times this year alone
- De Niro, 79, was coming down the stairs in a bathrobe when officers arrested Aviles
A serial burglar allegedly caught stealing Christmas presents from Robert De Niro’s Upper East Side townhouse smiled as she was led in handcuffs from a nearby police station.
“I didn’t go to Robert De Niro’s house,” Shanice Aviles, 30, told reporters as she was escorted out of the 19th Precinct precinct Monday night, adding, “I didn’t murder anyone!” The New reported York Post.
Aviles was arrested for breaking into the home of 79-year-old De Niro in the early hours of Monday morning and attempting to steal gifts from under his Christmas tree.
Aviles was being followed by NYPD officers around 3 a.m. this morning when she broke into De Niro’s seven-bedroom townhouse on East 65th Street.
Shanice Aviles smiled as she was led in handcuffs from a nearby police station after being caught at actor Robert De Niro’s home
Aviles screamed, ‘At least I didn’t stab anyone!’ when she was led out of the police station
When police arrived, they found her trying to put presents in a bag and playing around with the actor’s iPad.
She has already been wanted for a number of other burglaries and has been arrested 26 times before, including 15 times this year alone.
According to CBS New York, she was last arrested on December 13, and about a month earlier, when she stole $700 from an Astoria Catholic church.
There was an open arrest warrant for Aviles after she skipped a court-ordered drug rehabilitation session last week.
She was caught because police followed her in the early hours of the morning and observed her making numerous attempts to enter commercial buildings in the area.
According to police, she was seen attempting a few doors before sliding around a corner. When officers caught up with them, they noticed a door to a townhouse standing open.
Robert De Niro, 79 (pictured in September), woke up at 3am this morning to police confronting serial burglar Shanice Aviles in his living room
De Niro’s seven bedroom townhouse on the Upper East Side. He awoke to the excitement of the cops confronting the burglar below
De Niro was sleeping in one of the seven bedrooms (above) when the burglar gained entry
The police were already watching the 30-year-old when she broke into De Niro’s apartment
Police said there were signs of forced entry and that they entered the building through a basement door.
It is not clear how exactly Aviles was being followed and how easily she was able to enter the house without being stopped.
De Niro initially slept upstairs in the townhouse he rents for $69,000 a month, but was awoken by the sounds of commotion and came downstairs when Aviles was arrested, police told the Post.
They found her trying to put presents in a bag under De Niro’s tree, and she was also using the star’s iPad, ABC 7 reported.
Aviles was charged with burglary and taken to the Lenox Hill circuit before being brought to Manhattan Criminal Court for her charges.
When she was escorted from the train station, she was wearing blue jeans, a black Nike sweater, a wool hat and a black parka that covered part of her face.
Police sources told the Post they didn’t think Aviles knew beforehand that she was entering the famous actor’s home.
Cops found Aviles hiding presents in her bag under the tree. She also played with De Niro’s iPad, it said
At the time, De Niro’s daughter was also sleeping in another bedroom at home.
The actor split from his second wife Grace Hightower in 2021. The couple have an 11-year-old daughter together.
De Niro, who grew up in Manhattan, sold the West Village townhouse where he had lived for 37 years for $9.5 million in 2012. During the pandemic, he moved into one of his homes in upstate New York.
Stan Rosenfield, a PR rep for De Niro, issued a brief statement indicating the actor would not comment on the robbery.
“We are not making any statements regarding the robbery at Robert De Niro’s temporary home at this time,” Rosenfield said.