Caught On Video: Community Refrigerator Stolen Off Midwood Street In Broad Daylight
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Caught on camera in broad daylight: Two men slowly wheel away a fridge that doesn't belong to them.
It belonged to the community of Midwood, Brooklyn.
"It was good for the people, and I feel very sad," said Waqil Ahmed, founder of Pakistani American Youth Organization, or PAYO.
Ahmed is the man who set up the community refrigerator says he stepped outside on Friday, Sept. 17.
"There's no fridge," he said.
Ahmed checked his surveillance and watched in disbelief.
"That guy took it like they bought it. Like this is garbage," he said. "They didn't pay for it. This is organization money. This is people money."
Since April, it helped supplement food for the hungry in between PAYO's food pantry distributions.
"This fridge used to feed more than 100 people every day," Ahmed said.
Now, a power cord waits for a replacement.
Community members shared mixed reactions to the theft.
"Shame on them, son. They're mad greedy and stingy," one person said.
"There are a lot of people in this area that need things because of COVID," said Rob Redding of Midwood.
"I have no words. I feel so sad about this," said Mossan Ali.
"They should be ashamed. That's all I'm gonna say," Ahmed said.
The fridge would be stocked twice daily with essentials like milk, yogurt and onions, loved by people in this community.
"We have Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Turkish and African - we all love onions," Ahmed said.
Ahmed hopes the world will chip in to ensure nourishment for his neighborhood. He set up a GoFundMe – so far, more than $800 raised – to replace the community refrigerator stolen so casually in broad daylight. CLICK HERE to learn more.
THE NYPD says there have been no arrests.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
