Video: Home Invasion Costs Rich Guy $300K In Turtle Bay

(A screengrab of the home invasion surveillance video, and George Bardwil in happier times.)

George Bardwil, the linen king of New York, was lounging with his friends in his posh Turtle Bay apartment Monday afternoon when two gentleman came to his door with guns and bad intentions. The eccentric millionaire—who in 2009 struck his housekeeper so hard with an ashtray she wound up in intensive care and then accused cops of stealing his $187,000 diamond- and emerald- encrusted gold belt buckle—tells the Post, "There was a buzz at the door. I assumed it was somebody I knew. There was a large black male with a gun. We were all tied up and relieved of our watches, wallets, money."

He believes the men had been in his East 51st Street home before, because the invaders knocked out the surveillance system he has installed in his home, and they knew exactly where to find his safe, which they proceeded to clean out. Bardwil, who is the semi-retired CEO of Bardwil Home, which he inherited from his grandfather, says he can't remember whether the safe was locked, but he tells City Room it contained a collection of antique currency, including 10 $1,000 bills, and several watches worth $50,000 to $100,000 each, including a diamond-encrusted Louis Vuitton watch. Whatever! "I make 10 times that in one month," he tells the News.

The whole thing lasted less than 10 minutes, and then Bardwil and his friends were able to free themselves from their binds. He believes the perpetrators likely cased his apartment during one of his wild parties. "I’d invite 10 people, and there’d be 100. And they’d go on for two days,” he tells the Post, adding he would sometimes lock himself in the bedroom to get away from the party animals. "I was lucky there was so little in there, and I was lucky nobody got hurt. They were definitely not nice people." But they were caught on surveillance video before they shut down the system:

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on October 5, 2011 9:24 AM

Comments [rss]

VXIII

Why is he allowing parties and uninvited guests to come into his home, the maid also could be pissed at him too, but seems like the guy has no sense or responsibility to maybe hire a security company for his parties, keep his valuables in a safe deposit box or otherwise protect his assets... Since he is so rich why dont he hold his parties at another place too? stupid man...

Rocknrope

"I make 10 times that in one month,"

Another asshole for the stocks.

pendejito

"Whatever! "I make 10 times that in one month," he tells the News."

Rich people problems.

nicemarmot

So last weekend 52nd Street was the Upper East Side, and now 51st is Turtle Bay?

Also, this story is totally fishy. I bet it's an insurance scam or something like that.

FU Boy

Or he's just that much of an idiot. Which is also possible.

AGWAGW

"Can't remember whether the safe was locked." I don't know. This seems a little weird. If I bothered to have a safe, I'm pretty sure I would lock it regularly. And some party crashers case his house and figure out how to disable his surveillance system (only after it had already recorded their faces) and track down his safe? And then they end up with some fruity watches and antique currency? If I were this guy's insurer, I'd have investigators all over this one.

Justin C. Shea

His apartment looks like the set of a sitcom.

Spirit of 76

"I make 10 times that in one month,"

Well, so much for sympathy for this guy. It's one thing to be rich. It's something else entirely to brag about it.

shocktheday

Or the fact that he knocked his housekeeper so hard it caused brain swelling ?

Sinchy

Those big horizontal stripes are so slimming.

antimisogynycrusader

That's what Rottweilers are for - to fend off "large black males" who come to your home uninvited...

sharpshoota

Those two are so busted....nice quality video

Roger_the_Shrubber

"...when two gentleman came to his door with guns and bad intentions."

So why do you refer to these armed thugs as "gentlemen?"

celmira9

this is what he gets for being dumb and opening the door HERE IN NEW YORK when you hear a knock and you have no idea who it is.

petey2

Because its a rich white guy as a victim.

FU Boy

I say, my good man, terribly sorry for this inconvenience but I've come to relieve you of some of your valuables.

Roger_the_Shrubber

Damn! Robbed by Cary Grant and David Niven yet again!

CityFace

Did he leave a white glove embroidered with a "P"? Because then it could have been David Niven or his nephew Robert Wagner.

whatidsay

$187K belt buckle?! Man, some people just have it coming to them.

FU Boy

"CEO of Bardwil Home, which he inherited from his grandfather"

Don't you mean "some people have everything handed to them without any effort."?