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CBS2 Exclusive: Victim Talks About Experience With East Village Burglary Suspect

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police on Tuesday were searching for a man accused of breaking into multiple homes in the East Village, using fire escapes and going for the priciest electronics he could carry.

One of the victims spoke exclusively to CBS2's Dave Carlin about a break-in, which has left him afraid for his family.

"I have a 5-year-old daughter," said burglary victim Dan Projansky. "I'm not pleased he was in her room and took her iPod."

A secure top floor apartment is what Projansky thought he had on tree-lined East 7th Street near Second Avenue. But that was before the burglar came into the picture.

Police released detailed daylight surveillance images of the suspect on the fire escape of a building on October 20. The fire escape looked much too familiar to Projansky.

"That photo you showed me is a picture of him on our fire escape, going in through our window," he said.

Investigators said it was his 10th burglary within a 10-block radius dating back to July. All of them involved fire escapes.

Projansky said he believes the same man cased his building, posing as a cable guy and talking to his wife at the front door. The conversation was brief.

"She was like: 'How did you get into the building? Get out of here,'" Projansky said.

It is believed the suspect went up a staircase in Projansky's building and to the roof, where he waited and watched the family leave before coming down a fire escape ladder.

"He came in through the back window and took a whole bunch of computers, tablets, phones -- stuff like that," said Projansky, who estimated his family's losses at near $10,000.

There are other apartment buildings all around, and neighbors in one across the way snapped photos of the suspect.

"It's a little confusing -- why they didn't call the cops at the time," Projansky said.

But he appreciated the photos, which investigators released to try and solve the four-month crime spree.

"Who wants somebody like that running around the neighborhood?" Projansky said.

(SOT Tanya Pelensky/ East Village Resident at 16:13

"He's probably from around the neighborhood. He probably grew up around here, right?" said Tanya Pelenksy. "Because he so comfortable."

The suspect has made off with portable high-end electronics worth tens of thousands of dollars in other incidents too, Carlin reported. In the first incident, he managed to get away with about $19,000 worth of electronics, Carlin reported.

People in the neighborhood are reminded to keep windows closed and locked, but some residents said they'd like to see more police officers in the area.

"You never see any police officers or anything on foot you really just see a patrol car every once in a while," one woman said.

Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.

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