We've admired the Wee Ninja from Shawnimals ever since we were looking for a visual to go with posts about the Staten Island Ninja Burglar. Wee Ninja is actually not a criminal in Shawn Smith's Ninjatown - Wee Ninjas only train, harvest Stealth Wheart, and fight the Wee Devils (or something along those lines). And now it turns out that there's an event at My Plastic Heart on Forsyth Street this Friday, Keep it Ninja, NYC, in anticipation of new paintings and collages by Shawn Smith and new products like the Super Wee Ninja (above) and Ninja Zombie (left).
Which brings us to a Ninja Burglar update: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly promised Staten Island residents, who are hoping that the sneaky burglar won't rob for a 19th time, that the perpetrator would be caught, but "I just hope it's sooner (rather) than later." He did emphasize that many of the homes victimized did not have their alarm systems on. There are there are 24 police officers and 12 detectives, including members of the Major Case Squad (Law & Order: Criminial Intent), working the case.
Another Staten Island Advance article outlined why the Todt Hill area might be popular with the thief: Not only are the homes in a "'target-rich environment' of secluded, multi-million-dollar homes," it's a "lattice-work of winding streets, terrace houses, shadowy back paths and dead-end streets that would be easy for someone on foot to cross through but difficult for a car to follow." And some Ninja Burglar profiling: Not an amateur, but "not a Thomas Crown-style professional"; methodical; and savvy (he hasn't taken traceable goods).
