A woman allegedly broke into actor Robert De Niro’s Upper East Side townhouse early Monday morning and began snatching up Christmas presents from under his tree, according to police.
Shanice Aviles, 30, was arrested on burglary charges after she was spotted entering De Niro’s home at 2:45 a.m., police said.
Police were following Aviles because she was wanted in connection with six other burglaries. Police sources described her as a recidivist who had just been arrested Dec. 8.
Early Monday morning, police saw her entering a townhouse on East 65 Street. When she did not come out, police entered the home and saw her taking presents from under the Christmas tree and putting them into a bag.
MORE: Recent string of celebrity home burglaries linked to social media posts: Police
Hearing the commotion, De Niro came down the stairs. Police did not know it was his house until he appeared.
There was no interaction between the actor and the alleged thief, police said.
De Niro, 79, was born and raised in Manhattan. Acknowledged as one of America’s greatest living actors, he’s won two Academy Awards and been nominated for six more. He was also honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2011 at the Golden Globes for his career body of work.
Woman arrested after breaking into Robert De Niro’s apartment, stealing Christmas presents originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
