NEW YORK (PIX11) – A real-life crime caper played out when a burglar targeted the Midtown production studio of the "Law & Crime" network on Sunday.
The suspect was caught on surveillance video on Oct. 6, knocking off a television network owned by Dan Abrams — the man who hosts and produces shows about true crime.
"It is kind of absurd, right?" Abrams told PIX11 News. "Let's put it this way: It was terrible luck for him."
The media personality, who also anchors a show on PIX11's parent network, NewsNation, doesn't believe he was targeted.
However, his extensive security camera network tracked 28-year-old David Jaramillo's every move as he took almost anything not nailed to the floor.
"He took a dozen laptops, iPads, and a bunch of audio equipment. Checks, personal papers, even stole a bunch of hats," Abrams said.
After the two-hour spree Sunday night, police say Jaramillo hauled all the loot — $30,000 worth — out in a wagon.
The next day, the staff arrived at work and called 911. One of the workers realized some of the stolen equipment had GPS on it. They tracked it down in real-time to a pawn shop in Keyport, N.J.
Tom Rizzo, Abrams' cop co-host, alerted nearby law enforcement, which responded to the scene.
"He wasn't in the pawn shop, but beside it, packing up the stolen stuff. It was wild!" Rizzo said.
Rizzo is a Captain in the Howell Police Department and co-host of "On Patrol: Live" on Reelz.
"It was perfect. NYPD was investigating this, and you have an address in an area where I work," Rizzo told PIX 11 News.
Rizzo dispatched responding officers, who caught Jaramillo red-handed without incident. Rizzo noted, "Any police officer will tell you luck comes into play."
Abrams concluded, "This was resolved based on the tracker, luck, and New Jersey cops."
And they say the best part — they got all of their stolen stuff back.
Jaramillo has several arrests in New Jersey dating back to at least 2018.
He is being held at the Monmouth County Jail before he's extradited to New York City to face charges in the burglary.
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