A New York City woman was arrested after breaking into actor Robert De Niro’s townhouse in Manhattan while he was home sleeping. She allegedly tried to steal wrapped Christmas presents from under his Christmas tree.
According to the New York City Police Department, 30-year-old Shanice Aviles is a notorious thief in the city and was already wanted in connection to a string of burglaries. Aviles has an extensive burglary rap sheet, as she has 26 previous arrests, 15 of which happened this year.
Aviles had an open warrant after skipping court-ordered drug rehabilitation last week.
On Monday, December 19, NYPD officers were following Aviles in the early morning hours, and they saw her attempting to break into buildings in the area. Officers saw her entering the Oscar winner’s home near Lexington Avenue on East 65th Street.
She entered the house through the basement door, which she opened using an unspecified tool at around 2:45 am.
NYPD officers quickly entered the townhouse and found Aviles in the actor’s living room, taking wrapped Christmas presents from under De Niro’s tree. A spokesperson for the department said that she was taking the actor’s property and gifts and putting them into a bag.
A criminal complaint against her said that officers found her with a pair of headphones that were not hers, and she was also using the 79-year-old star’s iPad.
At the time, De Niro was asleep in his upstairs bedroom, and he was woken up by the commotion and went downstairs in his bathrobe to find officers arresting the suspect.
Police arrested Aviles without incident and charged her with burglary before taking her for an arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Court.
Police sources reported that they do not think the suspect knew she was breaking into the famous actor’s home beforehand.
As police escorted her from the station on Monday, Aviles told reporters that she did not go to Robert De Niro’s house and did not kill anyone.
A locksmith arrived at the townhouse on Tuesday to repair the basement door, and NYPD officers continued to visit the house throughout the day.
A police spokesperson told reporters that the suspect’s most recent arrest was earlier this month on December 8. Police arrested her in connection with six previous robberies around the city, but she posted bail and was released.
Her arrest on Monday comes after NYC Mayor Eric Adams urged Governor Kathy Hochul to do away with the arrest, release, and repeat bail reforms. They make it easier for criminals to be released back onto the streets after arrests, and then police officers pick them up again within hours.
Police charged Aviles with second-degree burglary, and the judge set her bail at $80,000 bond or $40,000 cash.
Speaking to reporters outside his house after the news of the burglary broke, De Niro said he was doing okay. He had been holed up at his house most of the day on Monday but came out at around 4:30 pm, holding a binder, and jumped into a Cadillac Escalade.
Stan Rosenfield, De Niro’s PR representative, said that the Goodfellas actor would not comment on the burglary.
As for Aviles, which celebrity will she rob next when she’s out on the street again?
