By: Abe Wertenheim
Brooklyn’s Jewish business community is reeling from a wave of calculated burglaries that appear to target kosher establishments during sacred observances — crimes that have described as both brazen and emblematic of a broken justice system. At the center of the spree stands Angelo Robinson, a 61-year-old career criminal whose record stretches back to the 1980s and who, despite five prior prison sentences, continues to elude meaningful incarceration.
As VIN News reported on Saturday, Robinson has emerged as the primary suspect in a series of Sabbath and Jewish holiday burglaries across Brooklyn, including high-profile break-ins at Kosher Korner in Gravesend and Jerusalem Glatt on King’s Highway, where he allegedly made off with staggering sums of cash after meticulously dismantling alarm systems and cutting into safes.
Law enforcement officials, speaking to the New York Post and corroborated in the VIN News report, have described Robinson’s methods as “sophisticated, deliberate, and disturbingly ritualistic” — timed to coincide with moments when religious observance would ensure minimal resistance.
The pattern is unmistakable. According to the information provided in the VIN News report, Robinson’s criminal activities have centered on exploiting the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, when Orthodox Jewish business owners close their stores and refrain from using electronic surveillance systems or responding to alarms. On Yom Kippur 2024, one of Judaism’s holiest days, Robinson allegedly used a sawzall to cut through the exterior of Kosher Korner, stealing approximately $30,000 in cash.
Weeks later, in what the VIN News report characterized as a “highly orchestrated” break-in, Robinson allegedly struck again — this time at Jerusalem Glatt, a well-known kosher grocery on King’s Highway. He is said to have disabled the alarm system by cutting wires, forced open a safe, and escaped with an astonishing $107,000. Surveillance footage, later reviewed by investigators, reportedly showed the perpetrator in a hazmat suit and ski mask, concealing his identity and minimizing forensic evidence.
Robinson was eventually arrested on October 16, charged with burglary, grand larceny, trespassing, and possession of stolen property, among other offenses. But as VIN News reported, his release soon after has sparked outrage among local business owners and community leaders who say the justice system has failed to protect them.
In one particularly egregious procedural lapse, prosecutors were reportedly unable to act swiftly because a fingerprint match was not submitted in time, allowing Robinson to walk free on his own recognizance.
“The system isn’t working,” Jerusalem Glatt owner Danny Farah told VIN News in an impassioned interview. “He needs to be behind bars for a long time. We’re trying to make a living, serving our community, observing our holidays — and he’s out there waiting for those same days to strike again.”
Farah’s frustration is shared by other Brooklyn shopkeepers, many of whom have begun reinforcing their storefronts with metal plating and investing in additional surveillance systems. Yet, as VIN News observed, even these measures offer limited reassurance when repeat offenders are repeatedly released despite overwhelming evidence.
Robinson’s criminal history reads like a decades-long chronicle of recidivism. With five prior prison sentences and arrests spanning nearly forty years, his criminal career has been defined by an ability to exploit procedural gaps and lenient bail standards. Police sources told the outlet that his pattern of breaking into businesses through rooftops or side entrances has remained consistent since the 1990s, but his methods have evolved with time — incorporating more advanced tools, from electric saws to industrial-grade cutting torches.
Investigators believe Robinson has used similar techniques in other unsolved burglaries across Brooklyn, particularly in neighborhoods with dense clusters of kosher markets and bakeries. The NYPD, in a statement cited by VIN News, confirmed that the investigation remains active, and that detectives from multiple precincts are now cross-referencing surveillance footage from at least six separate incidents possibly linked to Robinson.
“We are aware of his methods, his timing, and his history,” an NYPD official told VIN News. “He’s deliberate. He waits for the Sabbath, he studies his targets, and he knows the community’s patterns. That makes him difficult to catch in the act.”
Authorities have been particularly alarmed by Robinson’s technical proficiency. As the VIN News report highlighted, his burglaries often involve multi-hour break-ins during which he bypasses security systems, disarms sensors, and even enters buildings from rooftops or adjoining structures. The hazmat suit, investigators believe, is not merely for disguise but to prevent leaving behind hair or fiber evidence, suggesting a level of criminal foresight rarely seen in typical burglary cases.
These tactics, coupled with his selection of targets — kosher establishments during Jewish holidays — have led some observers to question whether the crimes may carry an antisemitic undertone. While police have stopped short of designating them as hate crimes, several community leaders interviewed by VIN News have called for the possibility to be formally examined.
“Whether motivated by prejudice or profit, the result is the same: the Jewish community feels hunted,” one Brooklyn rabbi told VIN News. “It’s not just the money — it’s the violation of sacred time and space.”
The repeated release of a seasoned burglar like Robinson has reignited debates over New York’s bail reform laws, which critics argue enable repeat offenders to cycle through the system with little consequence. The VIN News report noted that many within Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community view Robinson’s continued freedom as symptomatic of a broader failure in city policy — one that prioritizes procedural leniency over public safety.
“This is not about ideology,” said a Brooklyn civic activist quoted in the VIN News report. “It’s about deterrence. If someone with five prison terms and multiple recent arrests can still walk free after targeting religious businesses on holy days, then clearly the system isn’t deterring anything.”
Elected officials representing the area have echoed similar concerns. Calls for legislative review of bail protocols for repeat property crimes are mounting, with some proposing that serial burglary involving religious institutions or observances be treated as an aggravated offense.
As the NYPD continues its investigation, officers admit the challenge is not only capturing suspects like Robinson but ensuring that once apprehended, they remain detained long enough for charges to be fully processed. According to VIN News, the delay in fingerprint evidence submission that led to Robinson’s recent release has become emblematic of bureaucratic inefficiency — a procedural failure that effectively nullified the efforts of detectives who had tracked him for months.
Despite these setbacks, law enforcement sources insist that new warrants are being prepared and that surveillance evidence, including footage from Jerusalem Glatt, could soon provide the basis for a stronger case. “We have him on tape, and we have multiple corroborating witness statements,” an investigator told VIN News. “This time, we’re determined to make it stick.”
For Brooklyn’s Jewish community, however, confidence in the justice system remains deeply shaken. Shop owners in Gravesend and Midwood have described feeling like “sitting ducks” during the Sabbath, when their religious commitments prevent them from responding to alarms or checking surveillance feeds. As VIN News documented, some are now hiring private security firms or coordinating watch patrols to monitor business districts during major holidays.
Yet beneath the anxiety lies a sense of collective defiance. “We will not close our stores forever. We will not stop observing our faith,” said Farah, the Jerusalem Glatt owner, in remarks to VIN News. “But we expect justice. We expect protection.”
The case of Angelo Robinson stands as a microcosm of a broader crisis at the intersection of crime, bureaucracy, and faith-based vulnerability. His alleged targeting of kosher businesses on sacred days represents not just theft, but a calculated exploitation of trust — and a profound failure of institutional accountability.
As the VIN News report noted, the persistence of such a criminal — despite decades of convictions and repeated arrests — has left both police and victims questioning what deterrence, if any, remains in New York’s justice system.
Until Robinson and others like him are held to account, Brooklyn’s Jewish merchants will continue to lock their doors with trepidation — praying not only for prosperity but for protection.
