Grim sign for Soho
It’s a sign of the crimes. The NYPD has placed a large, flashing sign in the heart of Soho warning drivers, “Beware of vehicle break-ins,” and to not leave valuables in their cars.
The display (above) stands at the corner of Prince Street and West Broadway, in an area once considered one of the chicest in the Big Apple — but which has lately been a playground for thieves. In the latest heist, bandits last month lifted $52,000 worth of shoes, bags and clothing from the Givenchy store on Greene Street.
“It’s sad. I have noticed so much has changed here in recent years. It’s sad to see the birth of all of the graffiti and crime,” said Simon Mulligan, 50, a concert pianist from New Jersey visiting a friend in Soho this week.
The sign, he continued, sends the message: “This is a dodgy neighborhood, stay out.”
Eva Besselmann, 43, a Brazilian landscape designer and frequent visitor to the city, was “shocked.”
“I didn’t know it was happening here; I thought everything was fine,” she said. “I thought ‘Wow, that doesn’t really belong here.’ I’m surprised . . . . There are so many tourists, and I think it’s like a really expensive neighborhood.”
But Zoran Cmkovic, 54, an artist who sells his paintings at the corner of Prince Street and West Broadway, said crime had become commonplace and that his artwork has been swiped when he’s briefly stepped away. His van was also broken into in Soho about three months ago.
“I would see groups of young guys running with stuff from stores. It’s kind of obvious that is happening here,” he said.
There have been 17 vehicle larcenies in Soho through Feb. 26, up from 16 during the same period in 2022, according to the NYPD, which said most happened near where the sign was placed.