Hello Family, friends and New York City community. On February 28, 2024, I returned home from work around 1:30 pm, but to my surprise, the door was open and I thought that my daughter left the door open by accident she’s only 12 years old and I assumed that she was late for school. A lot of thoughts came into my mind all at once. I was thinking that my dogs got out of my apartment. My bathroom window was wide open when I came inside my apartment the things that I had in my window were no longer there and there were things lying on the floor. I was confused about what has happened because my place looked like a mess when I was looking around, I’ve been living in my apartment for over 12 years and I’ve always felt safe in the environment that I was in, so I never thought twice about leaving cash around my house. The man broke in from my bathroom window and he left a big shoe print on my dog’s wee-wee-pad, and then that’s when I realized that someone broke in. I went inside my bedroom and I realized that my money was gone, I lost about $15,000 (jewelry, electronics, etc...). I am a single mother I do not have any government assistance nor child support, I am the head of my home, it is very devastating. But thank god that my daughter was not home and was at school at the time that the intruder came in and luckily the intruder did not do anything to my dogs, but it is still very devastating because he took 2 months of rent money and other bill payments and he also took money that my daughter was saving up for to make donations for the people in need . Be aware if you live in Queens New York. In regards to the thief he was wearing a ski mask, gloves and a vest from Amazon, a video clip captured him by the building cameras but unfortunately his face cannot be seen. I have the police report. I'm surprised this happened to me. It's easy to read in the news about the horrible rise in crime and armed robberies, but then you realize how easily it can happen to you. As residents, we seem to be alone in fighting crime just to survive and live safely in this city with our loved ones, because the police and the government are not doing much . I care too much about this city to watch its people being attacked, sometimes even in broad daylight. Will anything ever be done to defend us and protect our rights? Will the police do anything to look for this man who is on the run and probably in the process of stealing and probably hurting other people right now?
These are issues that must be addressed, in the meantime we must also do what we can to work and survive. That's why I ask for help, if possible, to be able to do just that. Absolutely anything that helps and any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated. Even if you can't donate anything, all the support messages and well wishes received from my co-workers, friends and family have really lifted my spirits.
I will post updates on the police report. Thank you very much to everyone who helped me and to those who encouraged me to create this Go-fund and above all thank you for listening to my story. I am very grateful for each one of you.
Your friend and neighbor,
Jacqueline Islas
Organizer and beneficiary
Jacqueline Islas
Beneficiary