The NYPD is hoping the public can help them find the wicked witch who stole a pair of replica Wizard of Oz ruby slippers from a Staten Island hotel. And she was caught on video!
According to the cops, just around 2 a.m. on Saturday, March 3, a woman removed the shoes—worth $2,500—from a display case in the lobby of the Staten Island Hilton, located at 1100 South Avenue.
The hotel's owner, Richard Nicotra, told the Staten Island Advance that he and his wife bought the shoes in Paris: "Displayed for the last several years, they were meant to remind guests that while 'there's no place like home,' the Hilton strives to provide a reasonable facsimile." Nicotra said, "'Disappointed' is the word. You feel violated."
There are dozens of security cameras at the hotel, and apparently two men helped open the glass case. According to the Advance, "The trio proceeds to the adjacent elevator and a camera picks them up on the sixth floor; the woman apparently donned the slippers in the elevator cab. When last seen, by an exterior camera, she's climbing into a taxi."
Anyone with information in regards to this grand larceny is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
