400 bulletproof vests designated for humanitarian workers in Ukraine were stolen from a Manhattan-based nonprofit.
QUICK FACTS:
- Bulletproof vests that were designated for humanitarian workers in Ukraine were stolen from a Manhattan-based nonprofit organization, according to The Washington Examiner.
- According to the New York Police Department, the vests were provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and were being stored in the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s headquarters.
- The theft was reported after a break-in was discovered around 9:19 p.m. on Wednesday following a break-in.
- Surveillance footage from across the street revealed that three vans pulled up as individuals in masks entered the building.
- The masked individuals left the building with the vests in hand.
COMMENTS FROM OFFICIALS:
- “People right now in our community, they’re either in church praying or everyone is feeling disenfranchised. They have no power right now, and then this happens, and that absolutely affects people,” UCCA spokesman Andrij Dobriansky told NBC 4 New York.
- “While we cannot confirm that the items the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office donated are the items in question, it is despicable that someone would break into a building and steal supplies and materials intended to aid those affected by this humanitarian crisis,” a spokesperson for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office told the New York Post.
- “We offer the NYPD any assistance it needs in locating these stolen items.”
BACKGROUND:
- Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine has launched a campaign to raise funds to replace the vests, calling the theft “disgusting.”
- According to Yahoo News, spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Sheriff said the investigation is underway and the theft is being seen as “despicable.”
