By Rebecca Henely
A man who has been charged with two burglaries in Astoria is now free on a $50,000 bail, which has drawn criticism from City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria).
“I am warning the community that this dangerous individual is at large, and they need to still be aware of that,” Vallone said.
Eldin Ahmetovic, 33, was apprehended along with Yulia Bushuyeva, 32, Dec. 21 in connection with what police reported as a burglary pattern in the neighborhood, an NYPD spokesman said.
Ahmetovic is homeless and turned himself in after police circulated pictures of him and Bushuyeva, sources said. He also gave Bushuyeva up, sources said.
He was charged with burglary in two incidents, one on Dec. 3 and one on Dec. 15, police said.
Bushuyeva was charged with burglary in those two instances as well as another burglary that occurred June 23, police said. She was also charged with criminal possession of stolen property in a Nov. 17 incident, police said.
Besides the June 23 incident, most of the burglaries in what the NYPD marked as a pattern took place between Nov. 14 and Dec. 15 and all occurred at addresses between 30th and 34th avenues in Astoria, police said.
In all cases, the perpetrator entered through a window or door, police said.
The spokesman said NYPD was still investigating whether Ahmetovic and Bushuyeva were connected to the other incidents.
Bushuyeva, a Russian immigrant, remains in Rikers Island. The city Department of Correction’s website said she had a warrant against her related to immigration.
Ahmetovic, however, made bail.
The councilman praised the 114th Precinct’s police work but criticized how Ahmetovic was able to get out on bail. He called Ahmetovic and Bushuyeva “career criminals” and argued for longer sentences.
“Degenerates like this need to be held in jail for a long, long time,” the councilman said.
The NYPD recorded 461 burglaries in the 114th Precinct in 2011 as of Dec. 25, according to police statistics. The 114th Precinct encompasses Astoria, including Ravenswood, Queensbridge and the Dutch Kills neighborhood. This number represents an almost 4 percent decrease from 2010, when 479 burglaries occurred in the precinct as of Dec. 25. NYPD counted 483 burglaries in 2010 overall.
The slight decrease is consistent with an overall drop in burglaries since the 1990s. In 1990, 2,631 burglaries occurred within the precinct.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
