Someone allegedly stole 400 bulletproof vests intended for Ukraine out of a building in New York, police said Wednesday.
The vests, which law enforcement donated, were allegedly stolen from the Manhattan offices of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, police said, according to the Associated Press (AP). Police responded to the incident Wednesday morning following a call indicating that a burglary had occurred, the AP reported.
Police determined that someone had forcibly entered the building when responding to the call, according to the New York Post. The vests were reportedly stored in the hallway of the building, the outlet reported. The stolen vests were said to have been donated by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, though a representative for the office was unable to confirm this.
400 bulletproof vests about to be sent to Ukraine have just been stolen from a Ukrainian community center on the Lower East Side. Disgusting. NYPD investigating.
Let’s help @UkrCongComAm raise funds to replace these.
Link to give: https://t.co/apFqISAb1Ohttps://t.co/OtPsMug7HM
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) March 16, 2022
“While we cannot confirm that the items the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office donated are the items in question, it is despicable that someone would break into a building and steal supplies and materials intended to aid those affected by this humanitarian crisis,” spokeswoman Vicki DiStefano said in a statement published by the NY Post.
The vests were going to be sent to Ukraine via Poland, according to News 12 The Bronx. The items would have most likely supported Ukrainian civilians fighting against Russian forces as well as medical teams, the outlet reported. (RELATED: US Ammo Company To Send 1 Million Bullets To Ukraine)
War erupted in Ukraine in late February, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would conduct a “special military operation in Donbas” and reports of explosions in Kyiv followed moments later.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Congress virtually Wednesday, pleading with the U.S. for more support in the fight against Russia.