I figured I should post this in CTHTF, we are not too far from NJ so some may head up this way. It is quiet a unique collection.

Link to thread

Wow that unbelievably sucks!
Really nice stuff he had.
I will say this....I wouldn't have had a collection like that in an apartment

Doesn't make a difference where it was, they apparently took the entire safe (both of them). Downside was the guy didn't bold down the safes because his landlord prohibited it. Guy indicated because he didn't bolt them down, he weighed them down (400-500lbs). Apparently the weight didn't deter the thieves.

A guy (police officer) who lives down the street from a family member in southern Jersey had his house broken into a few years back, they got into his safe and took the guns. If the thieves want it bad enough they are going to get it.

ETA: Don't see those guns making their way to CT. Probably will end up in Newark, NYC, Philly or Camden.

^ Couple reasons I said that.......
Wasnt allowed to bolt down the safes....because it was an apartment.  If they were bolted down, there's a good chance they'd still be in place.
Having so many firearms, means they had passed through the parking lot, the apartment building, etc. many times.....People take notice.

Very little privacy at apartment buildings.  2 gun safes, full of expensive guns....asking for trouble.


ETA:  No way those are coming to CT, it is illegal to bring those un registered AR15's into the state.

There have been quite a few "shipments" of illegal firearms caught coming from NY recently. IIRC one was coming through metro north and the other was being driven in by a NY resident.

Gotta bolt em down. To the floor...to studs.

The Metro North one was gang members in NYC buying guns in a variety of other states including CT and bringing them back to NYC (see this news link). They moved some of the trafficked guns on Metro North into NYC. Point I was making is that there are plenty of other cities before hitting the CT border that a thief from NJ could sell/unload the now stolen guns too. Of course it wouldn't surprise me if it was someone the guy knew who stole his guns as they apparently left the ammunition that was supposedly right next to the safes. ETA: The ATF gun trace data for 2006-2012 shows that NJ doesn't make the top 15 states who's guns were found in CT and subsequently traced back to another state.

I am sure the serials will get flagged in the ATF database. Most likely these will go to a gang banger somewhere or an islamic whack job.

I am willing to bet he will never see them again or has enough, if any, insurance to cover those.

Had to be a neighbor or someone who knows the owner. To move 2 heavy safes requires equipment.

I am with Bending. If I lived in an apartment I would not have expensive iron like that. If I am renting I would be saving my money to get a house not making LaRue richer. We are not here to judge, we need to help if we can and offer support.

These won't come to CT. We have laws against "assault weapons" and illegal guns.

400-500lbs ain't shit to move with a good dolly and 2 people

I move 350 by myself. And I'm no superman.

I don't get around much but will keep an eye out.

That's too bad. That job took a couple of guys, and a bit of time.

3 guys, no more than 10 minutes depending on how they enetered the unit. If they just smashed the door or a window they were gone in under five minutes.

One guy was prob just a driver/lookout. 500# isnt shit. My safe weighs ~300 and my sister helped me move it. These arent professional movers taking their time not dinging walls and shit. They probably tipped it over on to a dolly and could have rode it down the stairs for all they cared.

Like this?

Hahahahahahahaha just about

My point was you don't just hide safes under your basketball jersey and walk out. They made probably two trips with a hand truck. Nobody noticed them?

Hide in plain site.   Best bet for this would have been to just do this from like 9-5 when he's at work.  When I've acquired things from the Mil or other units to bring to my own I'd just act like I'm supposed to be driving a civi truck on the flight line with a brand new Snap-On tool box in the back or an even larger port-a-cooler.  


That sucks hard for the owner, I had half an MG-34 I was rebuilding stolen from a garage when I was back in AZ.  That happened around noon too, pretty sure when I was home too.  Must have been inside with the door open a little too long.

White or Hispanic with a labeled (stolen) truck and coveralls and dropcloths? Nobody blinks.

 

I have to agree with you. I don't think a B&E like this was done quickly, discreetly, or quietly; Someone saw something. Another thing that I'm curious about, how did the would-be burglars know the stuff was in the home? Previous burglary, repairman, landlord?

That is exactly why I said this was an inside job. Someone had to tip them off. You don't just break into an apartment and walk out with 2 safes full of guns. You had to have gone there and planned.

The victim said that he asked if he could bolt them down. So obviously the landlord and super knew he had guns. Neighbors had to see him moving the safes in and carrying guns in and out.  Maybe the building super? A neighbor? The cable TV guy?

I wonder if the police are even trying to catch these guys. Only on TV do they find DNA, fingerprints, find surveillance camera footage and solve all crimes. In reality the attitude is, "call your insurance company".

My brother had his house broken into and the the assholes stole his quad. There was blood and fingerprints all over the place. The police department gave him some BS about why they could not use the blood or fingerprints. The responding officer literally said "call your insurance and wait for the check".  We did some investigating on our own. We found out who did it and we recovered the quad within a couple days. This happened in a town with no real crime problem.

In a city like Edison NJ the cops have more important things to do than hunt down and return his guns. They will flag the serials and when found they will be evidence. The original owner will never see his guns again, even if the police find them. They will be evidence and once the case is closed they will get "lost".

This reminds me to up my insurance for my collection and get more pictures of everything.

As did I. I just don't see the run of the mill thief looking for a quick drug fix score wanting to lug out two 400+ pound safes. Who other than a pro or someone who knew the safes were there would bother to have a hand truck or dolly on them for the break in? Then there is the vehicle needed to move the safes. This has all the feelz of an inside job where the thief's knew what was there. They didn't even bother to take the ammunition for the guns. I didn't read that entire thread so I don't know if the thief's took anything other than the safe's. If the safe's were all that was taken then it was definitely an inside (most likely two man) job. And yes someone saw something they just may not realize they saw a robbery in progress.

I lived in an apartment complex with 36 units, and I only talked to one neighbor. Very often, mid day, I could be the only person there. Even if I werent, not everybody is as paranoid or nosy as us and looks outside to see who is making noise or doing what.

Guys carting two safes out is not particularly suspicious, and now-a-days, people dont even know what their neighbors look like, especially in an apartment complex that could have hundreds of tenants. If these guys werent wearing orange jumpsuits with their prisoner number on it I dont know why anyone would have reported it or even made note.

Id bet money it was an "inside job". But there is nowhere near enough details to come to any real conclusions.

I never had the "pleasure" of living in an apartment. I did 18 months in 1/2 of a two family while I saved for a house. That was horrible. I can't imaging living in a building. I am sure there are so many people moving in and out nobody notices anything.

I feel bad for the guy who lost his stuff. I bet he had no insurance and is out all the money. It just sucks.