March 25, 2008
After Crane Collapse, Looters Raid Ruined Penthouse
The Turtle Bay crane collapse took 7 lives, flattened a townhouse, and battered three other buildings, but the calamity’s toll doesn’t stop there: Two tenants returned “home” to find their roofless 19th floor penthouse looted of jewelry and electronics worth $30,000 or $80,000, depending on whether you believe the Post or the News.
Jennifer Battistello, 26, and Eileen Hayes, 25, were lucky they were away when the crane's boom fell onto their penthouse. But after convincing police to let them back into their home five days after the crash, they found that looters had scored some major booty. (Ready your tiny violins):
- The Audemars Piguet watch Hayes’s parents gave her.
- A diamond and sapphire antique necklace that once belonged to Hayes’s great-grandmother.
- Hayes’s digital SLR camera and her two MacBook Pro laptops.
- Battistello’s aquamarine cocktail ring and an antique necklace passed down to her by her parents.
Photo: gattogrosso212.
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john, your comments "(Ready your tiny violins)" & "It's a bummer, but you know what else sucks?" don't belong in the article. you should leave your snarky comments for the comment section.
Two Macbook Pros? Something seems fishy here already.
The NYFD didn't leave a thank you note?
Wow.
Stop building strawmen, John; the guy's mutilated body has nothing to do with these people getting things stolen from their home. Both things suck, one more than the other, but they are independent of each other.
This is just one more thing in a long line of events that surround this horrible thing. Considering you can't even get down 51st or 50th if you live in the neighborhood you have to wonder who is taking adavantage of this tragedy for personal gain?
And I agree no commentary is necessary. It's not ok that these things were stolen.
This is a blog, not the Associated Press, the comments were correct in intent and true.
Hey, John -- Get a life. Spewing hatred of well-to-do people won't make your life suck any less.
the only compensation they can count on is their security deposit and their March rent
Return of a security deposit isn't compensation. Still, I'm guessing when all the dust settles, they'll get their share of settlement money.
Remember construction workers get first dibs on the "clean up".
John del Signore, you're a fucking idiot.
Did these girls cause the crane collapse?
Did they cause the construction worker's death?
No? Then why the shitty little comments? WTF does the theft have to do with the death?
If it were a Seiko rather than a Piaget stolen would that make you feel better?
Wow. Gothamist - where do you get these jackasses?
shouldn't be really hard to find out who did it,
the building was controlled access. some FDNY family got some pretty nice st. patrick's day gifts.
don't feel bad for the workers either, they make a very nice living segregated from city riff raff.
aha- probably FDNY five-finger discounts
Wow, those are some rich 25 year olds.
macbook pro laptops can be traced via their serial numbers once said users are on-line, no?
as for family treasures, does that include the trunk filed with gold bars passed down by their grandaunt selma?
also, how did looters get to this spot past all the police etc, not to mention the extreme danger involved? perhaps it was the infamous spiderman.
haha, police go check into this. this sounds faker than hilary clinton.
I'd say FDNY too. That fire truck they found at ground zero filled with GAP products? It was real.
I have no sympathy for these two brats. Who doesn't have renter's insurance? It's the cheapest deal you can get; a couple of hundred dollars a year for up to $100K in coverage. Stupid.
Actually, the women can sue the crane company, since their things would not have been stolen but for the crane collapse.
Irresponsible of the author to belittle the loss the tenants suffered by someone else's neglect.
Apples and oranges comparisons are not only unprofessional, but irresponsible.
You don't necessarily have to interpret the comments as a "hatred of well-to-do people". I don't hate all rich people. I hate rich douchebags - which isn't to say that these two are. But in a case where seven people are dead and one of the two in the this story posed for pictures for the newspapers (check the links) I find my sympathy waning. I doubt I am too far off in assuming that these two are heavily supported by their families. The articles say that Battistello is an account executive at Ermenegildo Zegna. Isn't that the fancy way of saying she is in sales? So these aren't rich people. They're people with rich parents. That also alone doesn't irk me but I am surrounded by these types in the building I live in and too many of them have a ridiculous sense of entitlement. In my day (and I'm less than 10 years older than these two) you could have rich parents, graduate from an Ivy League school, and get a job on Wall Street and you ended up living in a cramped walk up apartment with roommates for a while. It's all in the parenting. Who has that much stuff lying around and doesn't have insurance? Probably the same types that - and I am going to strike a nerve here - died on 9/11 with three kids, a stay at home wife, and a huge mortgage and didn't have any life insurance. Buy one less MacBook Pro and get some renters insurance.
ouch! Man, John your getting worked in here!
I'm a new commenter who specifically registered to voice my disappointment with John's belittling of the looting victims. It just seems inappropriate and unnecessarily mean-spirited.
The articles say that Battistello is an account executive at Ermenegildo Zegna. Isn't that the fancy way of saying she is in sales? So these aren't rich people.
It's a managerial level; and as someone who once worked at a Brooks Brothers in a suburban-ish area, you can easily make 80-100k as an account executive at an upscale clothing store in New York City if you're good at your job.
I'm actually looking a renters insurance providers right now because of this...
i don't understand people who don't have tenant's insurance. i highly recommend it. even if you don't own anything extravagant, look around your apartment and do a quick tally on how much you'd have to pay to replace everything if there were a fire. no-brainer.
you can easily make 80-100k as an account executive at an upscale clothing store in New York City if you're good at your job.
I figured as much but this means if they both made this much they would barely qualify for a $3900 apartment without a cosigner. Like I said, they have rich parents. Not that there's anything wrong with that unless you turn your kid into a brat. And again, not saying these two are brats but people like this are a dime a dozen in this town.
I should mention no one hates rich people more than me but even this was low. anyhow, more reason to booby trap one's home for intruders. I heard cigarettes are sometimes missing, some rat poison in a few packs ought to teach a thief a lesson.
Who has this much stuff lying around? more than one may think.
This sounds like a law school torts exam; identify who can be held liable and litigate away!
completely agree with zodak. the framing of the article is really tasteless and unnecessary.
I'm glad most other commenters think the article is inappropriate.
I also think the police/FDNY/construction workers need to be investigated for this theft. But I know they won't be because there is very little moral direction in city politics. Each of these is a very political group.
I say sue the city and it may make them take responsibility for controlling this kind of theft in future.
All that stuff and no renter's insurance! Doh!
If you're eligible, USAA has great deals. I've been very happy with the coverage I receive (thankfully, I've never had to use it).
sounds like a padded claim!
screw them.
receipts, copies of wills, appraisals will do, not boo-hoo-hooing about it.
all that high value stuff in one apt needs renter's insurance! HAHAHAHA good for you!
Now we know why they call it a "recovery effort" for days after the collapse!
Looting is such a vile and despicable act. If it was a public servant like a cop or fireman I would be in favor of taking there pension and a good old tar and feather. Sickening!
Wow. I have been reading gothamist for a while and have never actually commented until now. Can you imagine the emotional effects of coming home to find your apartment totally destroyed? And having to replace everything you owned. I don't care if you are rich or poor, that would be horrible. Of course it is not as bad as the people who tragically passed away, but it's something I doubt most of us would wish on our worst enemy. The fact that you belitteled it like that, quite frankly, disgusts me. "Ready your tiny violins"? Have a heart because karma can be a bitch.
macbook pro laptops can be traced via their serial numbers once said users are on-line, no?
Uh, no.
macbook pro laptops can be traced via their serial numbers once said users are on-line, no?
Uh, no.
Losing a loved one is by far worse. But apples ≠ oranges.
Don't minimize the pain for people who lose their homes. If you were thrown out of your home because of an accident and couldn't return, and then found out you'd been robbed after, I think you would all be upset about it.
I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with this post. You think the Post picked up this story because they felt BAD for them? Having your stuff stolen sucks, but it's just stuff. Pouting in The Post and The News about your heirloom jewelry is in bad taste and SHOULD elicit a tiny violin.
Hi first time commenter, just registered to say that this guy John should be fired for this article. I don't see what these girls did wrong, what if they were inside when it collapsed, would that make you feel any better? asshole
I'm as disdainful of penthouse-dwelling yuppies as the next guy (assuming the next guy is JDS), but... no one deserves to have their stuff stolen, particularly heirloom items that can't be replaced. Yes, it pales in comparison to what the families of these construction workers have to go through.
But...
Someone used this tragedy, which resulted in seven horrifying deaths and countless people living on friends' couches, as an opportunity to scarf up free stuff. To me that's as outrageous in its own way as the soon-to-be uncovered rampant neglect and corrution which caused the accident in the first place.
And if the looters were FDNY, whose brothers do the work of heroes and are hailed as such, so much the worse.
"I have no sympathy for these two brats. Who doesn't have renter's insurance? It's the cheapest deal you can get; a couple of hundred dollars a year for up to $100K in coverage. Stupid."
a million dollars worth of renters insurance would not replace my dead grandmother's engagement ring asshat.
I'm so tired of this nonsense ranting about how horrible rich people are simply because they are rich. Its bullshit.
People are so fucking bitter. It's pretty simple: Don't live in a city that is as wealthy as this one if you hate rich people.
and FWIW (as if it makes my comments more or less valid) I am *far* from wealthy. I was able to file my taxes on line for free :)
Can you imagine the emotional effects of coming home to find your apartment totally destroyed?
Well, it wasn't totally destroyed now was it? Total destruction is what happens when a tornado or hurricane flattens your house like it was made of matchsticks. So the apartment isn't habitable now but they don't even own the apartment! And 99% of their possessions are still there. But because they couldn't be bothered with insurance I'll bet the sue everyone imaginable: the city, the crane operator, the general contractor, the developer, their own landlord, etc. which only serves to raise insurance costs for those of us dumb enough to pay for it.
This isn't a news site. It's a privately-owned news BLOG. If he wants to post his opinions, then he can. That's why we read this site instead of the Daily News or the Post.
Does it suck that they were looted? Yes. Do I feel pity for them? No. I'm sure their possessions will all be replaced very fast by Mommy and Daddy.
The only sad part in regards to the looting are the family heirlooms that can't be replaced no matter how much money they have that they probably did not earn themselves.
JenChungsBra, I'd like to see your evidence on the FDNY/Gap/9-11 thing. I tried to do more research myself and found nothing more than hearsay.
Our building had a fire, I came home to find my fridge emptied by New York's "Hungriest". I didn't know I was required to feed the firemen.
I hope all of you miserable people have some catastrophic accident happen to your home just so I can laugh at you when you complain about losing your property.
Who cares if the tenants were rich or poor? They don't deserve to have their stuff stolen.
Novanglus... read American Ground by William Langewiesche. Not a trash read. It will detail the finding of the Gap clothes in the fire engine. It's a very sad but very true story.
The fact that people would treat the death of 7 people as an opportunity to get free stuff is just low. The looters compounded the tragedy by essentially defiling a gravesite to steal a few pawnable items.
So that makes John angry at...the victims. For complaining about it. Or for...not dying, I guess. Or for being rich. Or something. Seriously.
We, too, are aghast at the glib attitude displayed here toward these devastated young ladies and their missing jewelry! This is our first time commenting and our last - cancel our subscription Gothamist!
Did this slip by you all?
$3,900 for a 2 Bedroom Penthouse apartment?
I thought 1 BR high rise in Midtown East are starting at $3900
http://www.tregny.com/manhattan-apt-rental-report.jsp
Yay, finally other people realize what an ass JDS is!!! Cut him loose, Gothamist! As someone who came home one day to find her apartment covered in soot from a fire and most of her belongings fried, I can attest that, while you realize that possessions are ultimately only "things," it is pretty traumatic. JDS is always snide and rude in his posts -- Gothamist would be much better without his bitter, pathetic contributions.
And yeah, everyone should have renters' insurance, but after the fire, I took a survey of my friends, and only one person I knew had renters' insurance. So, kids, learn from the mistakes of others, and hook yourselves up today! You don't want to deal with trying to sue someone after something traumatic like this happens.
The Ladies Auxiliary won't be back until you publish a post with JDS's head on a stick!
Anyone else remember the Heath Ledger story that was written by John? It, like this article, contained much more snark appropriate for a story revolving around death.
http://gothamist.com/2008/01/25/heath_ledger_up.php
While we want to/like to know your opinion, please keep it decent. You're a good writer, John, but you need to tone down the offensive remarks.
god i hate new york
people who blame the FDNY for missing items are just one step up from being fucking brain dead.
I think that the tone is acceptable for Gothamist; as someone else said, this is not the AP or the NY Times -- it's a blog. I kind of tend to agree with John, the writer of this article, too, and the way he framed it ... if for no other reason than the fact that this kind of wealth (see: the Gothamist post on the new Yankee Stadium "premium" website) is sucking the life and excitement and reality out of the city. (Personal note: I put lots of blame on Sex on the City, may that show rot in hell.) Two twentysomethings should not have $80k worth of jewelry in their apartment. They should also not have a $4000 a month rent. That's just disgusting.
And, yeah, they shouldn't've gotten ripped off ... but compared to what happened to the people who died in the crane collapse (which is just one more example of how unchecked greed, wealth, and capitalism is killing -- literally! -- this city), this is nothing. Also, renter's insurance is like $13 a month. Buy it.
I like snarky, rude remarks. And I like all different sorts of opinions. I don't think John's comments were insulting towards the victims so much as they were toward the press for taking attention aw