Put the weapon down and grab a pastrami sandwich.
An ex-convict, with over 40 arrests since the 1980s, has been targeting kosher delis and grocery stores, especially on Shabbat and during High Holy Days, despite having served five prison terms.
Angelo Robinson, known for his persistence, was picked up again on October 16 for allegedly breaking into two Brooklyn shops in 2024.
According to police reports, 61-year-old Robinson reportedly used a saw to force his way into a McDonald Avenue grocery store, making off with $30,000 from a kosher corner in Gravesend on Yom Kippur, which is a significant day in the Jewish calendar.
“This captures what’s wrong in New York,” the shop owner lamented. “How often can one person be arrested?”
“He just continues to rob Jewish establishments on Sabbath,” the frustrated store owner, who chose to be called Mr. Cohen, added. Observant Jews refrain from work from Friday evening until Saturday evening.
Less than a month later, on Friday night, November 8, 2024, he allegedly broke into Jerusalem Glatt, another kosher grocery located on Kings Highway, by accessing a hatch in the roof, according to law enforcement.
Robinson, who resides in Staten Island, then accessed the security room, tampered with the alarm system, and took $107,000 from a safe, as outlined in the criminal complaint against him.
He is also a suspect in a recent robbery from last month.
Video footage from Kosher Corner, one of the stores he targeted, allegedly shows him wearing protective gear and a mask inside the shop.
Prosecutors claim he utilized power tools to illegally enter the kosher corner.
The last notable incident involving Robinson happened in October 2017 when he was said to have broken into an office belonging to then-Brooklyn state Senator Simcha Felder and later stole $5,000 from a nearby Macy’s Gourmet store.
Robinson is currently incarcerated for robbery and attempted robbery. He had just been released from Bear Hill Prison in 2023 after serving a four-year term.
Records indicate he has faced robbery charges in 2014, 2008, 2001, 1992, and 1986.
Yet, the prison time clearly didn’t deter his criminal behavior.
Recently, complications arose in Robinson’s case, delaying the arrest after police matched fingerprints to him. Despite this, he entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment and was released on his own recognizance.
When asked about this situation, an NYPD spokesperson mentioned, “This arrest is ongoing, and the DA’s office is moving ahead with prosecution.”
Detectives tracked Robinson down after he left a Sawzall blade wrapper at Cohen’s store. Cohen recounted how he picked it up with gloves and stored it in a Ziploc bag.
Using the FBI database, officers were able to identify Robinson’s fingerprints from the wrapper.
In the most recent break-in at Mountain Fruit, which occurred on October 11, a burglar made off with $25,000 after accessing the store through the roof early in the morning.
The manager described the robber’s methodical approach—spending two and a half hours sawing into the safe. “He had enough tools on hand for the entire night,” he noted, emphasizing that the entire incident was captured on video.
