'Even momma got outta house to loot new shirt': Looters brag on Twitter

Police have arrested 13 people in New York City on suspicion of looting



Looters have especially targeted Queens and Brooklyn, some even posting photos of their bounty

National Guard deployed 1,175 troops to protect New York City and Long Island amid fears

Borough President has begged for more troops to be deployed to storm-ravaged South Brooklyn

A mob of more than 50 thieves rampaged through Coney Island, stealing alcohol, flat-screen TVs and even diapers or Kit-Kats



Several brazen thugs have robbed their neighbors and their local shops of everything from basic food stuffs to expensive electronics and they are taking to Twitter to broadcast their spoils.

'Check out this laptop I scored,' SevenleafB tweeted earlier today. 'It's easy just reach out an grab it.'



It appears the looters are organizing through the hashtag #SANDYLOOTCREW.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has now called on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to put a stop to the crime-wave sweeping South Brooklyn.

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Looting for clothes: Tevon D'sean Jackson proudly announced on the social network that his mother had stolen him a new shirt

Catnapper: One person using the alias SevenleafB bragged about stealing a cat from a house during a looting-tour of New York

Police have so far arrested nearly a dozen people for the crime, but Mr Markowitz said that the FDNY, police, and other first responders are overwhelmed in the borough and desperately need relief.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, however, has stated that the only people he wants on the streets are New York's finest.

'Governor Cuomo also acted quickly by activating the National Guard prior to the storm, and I urge him to allocate as many troops as possible to Brooklyn—troops from New York or any other states that can spare them,' said Mr Markowitz in a statement.

'The devastation is so widespread and overwhelming that it’s in the best interest of all of our residents for a more significant National Guard presence to supplement the great work being done by our brave—but overwhelmed—first responders.

'In addition to flooding, power outages, lack of utilities, sanitation and water issues, and no transportation in neighborhoods such as Coney Island, Sea Gate, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, DUMBO, Red Hook and others, there have been unfortunate incidents of looting in some locations.

Recruiting: As if the cat and the games was not enough, brazen thief SevenleafB also encouraged others to loot in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

'All of our resources have been stretched to the limit, but in the name of public safety we need to send more National Guard personnel into Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Red Hook and any other locations the governor deems appropriate.'

Neighborhoods like Brighton Beach and Coney Island are still without electricity, and suffering form a lack of basic services, causing residents to fear the worst and either stay inside their ravaged homes or risk the streets.

A mob of more than 50 thieves made the most of the opportunity on Coney's Island, starting down Mermaid Avenue on Tuesday morning as the water receded.

'People were running in and out of Rent-A-Center carrying these big flat-screens,' witness Aisha John, 20, told the Daily News . 'They were holding on tight. I couldn't understand how someone could steal a big TV in broad daylight, but no one cared.'



She said people were running out of a nearby Rite Aid with bags of diapers and wipes.



A young man calling himself Jesse James claimed he had helped himself to a TV at the Rent-A-Center. 'Look, they've been looting our wallets for too long,' he added.



Looters used tools to break through the steel security gates of Joann’s Discount Wine and Liquors at around 11.30am.

Prepared: A boarded up pizza restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey

Ron Troyano, owner of said the atmosphere was one of 'complete lawlessness'.



The thieves then shattered his storefront and helped themselves to thousands of dollars worth of Hennessy and Grey Goose, he said.

Two police guarded Joann’s over night but failed to stop more looters from sneaking in through the roof and passing bottles down to each other from there.



Mr Troyano said that between the flooding and plundering, his losses were too high to calculate and he is not sure when he will reopen.



'We are supposed to come together as a community during times of crisis, not pick at each other like vultures,' he said. 'Next time I'm getting a gun.'



Looters also hit The Fresh Market five blocks down, 'destroying everything', according to employee Fernando Mendoza.



'They stole anything they could get their hands on,' he said yesterday. 'Someone even ran off with the cash register.'



'It was a mob of people. Fifty to a hundred. They were just running down the street grabbing anything that wasn't nailed down.'



A Rite Aid employee, who declined to give her name, said: 'They were literally walking out with shopping carts full of merchandise. They didn't even look worried. They looked like they were casually shopping.



'I saw an elderly lady walking away with batteries and a bag of Kit Kats.'

Urgent request: Brooklyn Bourough President Marty Markowitz (pictured) urged New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to send the National Guard to Brooklyn in order to put an end to looting

Although there have only been reports of a dozen or so arrests related to lootings, media coverage and online accounts indicate the actual problem is much more widespread.

Thieves have posted photographs of everything from video games to subwoofers to dehumidifiers.



Twitter user @OG_MLK posted a photo of a man grabbing hold of a big screen television with the caption Pics of my boy Demarcus swiping that tv #SANDYLOOTCREW.'

Another user posted a photo of a woman running on the street with a mannequin wearing a white shirt with the caption 'Last night even Momma got outta her house to loot me a new shirt... Luv U Momma #SANDYLOOTCREW'

Some accounts that claim they are participating in the illegal activities are clearly fake with only a few previous tweets. Others appear to be genuine.

Other people have used the hashtag to announce their disgust at the actions of the self-proclaimed 'loot crew.'

'Can we track down all the people on the #SandyLootCrew and give them the death penalty? Disgusting behavior in a tragic time,' said @randomscreenname.

Abandoned: Thousands of shops and businesses were boarded up before the superstorm struck, including this branch of Saks on Fifth Avenue in New York

Mayor Bloomberg has rebuffed Mr Markowitz's call for support, saying that the does not want the National Guard in Brooklyn.

'The NYPD had 80 light towers up last night in areas with power outages and the goal is to have 100 more for tonight,' he said earlier today.

Residents have said they are afraid to leave their apartments, even though they have no hot water nor electricity.

'People are turning on each other -- they're attacking each other,' said Dena Wells, of Ocean Towers.



'Even when there's no disaster, this building is disastrous,' the 39-year-old told the Huffington Post . 'But after the hurricane, it just got crazy. We have to get out of here.'

Photographs of alleged looters breaking into abandoned stores have been widely published, as well as tweets announcing the illegal intentions of some Brooklynites.

'It's getting dark, and it's real dangerous out here -- that's why there's a cop on every block,' said one NYPD officer. 'You could get your stuff stolen.'

Anybody in there? Firefighters believed the collapsed building in the north of Philadelphia was empty until they heard the man crawling out of the wreckage

The situation has been different in Lower Manhattan, however, and nearby Newark where the police have reported no instances of looting.

'There’s been no problems out here,' said one NYPD officer who asked not to be named to Fox News. 'It’s been really quiet and everyone’s been really helpful.'

Some Lower Manhattan residents have said that the neighborhoods above the devastated Financial District bustle as usual during the day and are desolate at night.

'It’s like a curfew,” Gina Williams, Lower East Side resident, said. 'As soon as it gets dark everyone goes upstairs because nobody wants to be out here.'

Newark Mayor Cory Booker announced on Twitter that his city came together after the hurricane.

'Police have reported ZERO looting or crimes of opportunity in Newark. And ceaseless reports of acts of kindness abound everywhere #Gratitude,' he said yesterday.

Emerging from the wreckage: The man raises a smile as he drags himself out of the collapsed building in Philadelphia... but he was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of looting

Looters, however, are becoming more greedy and more clever.

One cab driver described seeing the thieves in action when he returned to his home in Brooklyn’s Gerritsen Beach.

Eric Martine, 33, told the New York Post: ‘Guys were looting, pretending they were Con Ed and holding people up. It was sick.’

Police have allegedly warned locals that looters were disguising themselves as utility workers.

A police source told the Post that the ‘scumbags looting’ will not be tolerated and will be arrested ‘on sight’.

In the Rockaways, Queens, eight suspects were arrested: three at a petrol station, three at a Radio Shack electronics store and two at a clothing store.

The Rockaways were particularly badly hit by the storm. More than 80 homes in the Breezy Point section of the peninsula were destroyed by a fire whipped on by violent winds.

Furthermore, Queens and Brooklyn officers had an especially tough time tackling the looters as some police precincts had to be evacuated on Monday due to flooding.

None of the crimes were reported to have been violent and no one was injured.

History repeated: New York's 1977 blackout prompted riots, looting and mayhem causing millions of dollars worth of damage

Meanwhile, in South Street Seaport - a stone’s throw from Manhattan’s Financial District - multiple stores were allegedly ransacked.

While a visible police presence is deterring any potential looters, some businesses have also enlisted private security.

Mayor Bloomberg reassured residents and business owners on Tuesday that there is a ‘very heavy police presence’ in the areas worst hit.

Shortly before the super-storm hit New York, thousands of National Guard troops were mobilised to prevent looting sprees on homes and shops.

Scores of trouble makers took to Twitter threatening to ransack stores and burgle abandoned homes as Sandy passed.

Prepared: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo quickly activated the National Guard before the storm

The online threats prompted the New York National Guard to deploy 1,175 troops in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley to maintain law and order.

The National Guard said they had been mobilised to 'provide command and control and logistical support', adding that one of the troops' main duties would be to 'protect against looting.'

The move came as President Obama declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island after the Superstorm hit overnight on Monday, leaving the area looking like the set of a disaster movie.

Sandy hit the mainland at 6.30pm local time on Monday, having battered the eastern coast all day with 13ft waves, causing widespread flooding, damage to buildings and power cuts.

On Wednesday morning, the storm had claimed the life of at least 50 people, 22 of whom were killed in New York.



The damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is estimated to be $50 billion (£31 billion).

Members of the National Guard load a truck heading to flooded areas caused by Hurricane Sandy in the New York area

On Monday, a Philadelphia man rescued from the wreckage of a collapsed building was promptly arrested for looting.

The abandoned three-storey building in the north of the city had been reduced to rubble after Superstorm Sandy battered the east coast.

Firefighters working to make the building safe didn't think anyone was inside, until they heard someone crawling out of the rubble.

After helping him to safety, police officers arrested him for disorderly conduct on the suspicion that he had crawled in to the building, located on Cumberland Street, looking for things to loot.

The exact cause of the building's collapse is still unknown but Philadelphia was buffeted by 50mph gusts as a result of the storm.

Help: A member of the Army National Guard delivers emergency drinking water to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter to aid victims from Hurricane Sandy earlier today

Saviors: A member of the National Guard takes charge of an evacuation of elderly victims in New Jersey

Stepping in: A man walks his dog past two National Guard vehicles in central New York as the city tries to recover from the after effects of Sandy

The use of Twitter to organise looting has echoes of last year's London riots and follows a phenomenon of 'flash robberies' in America in which organised mobs descend on stores or individuals to steal goods.

The plans are made on social networking sites such as Facebook or by e-mail.

One Twitter user called 'GT: OpTic TUMES' wrote on Monday: 'Just started a looting clan. LL - Luscious Looters. Message @OpTicPauL. for tryouts must have mask. #HurricaneSandy.'

Another, Matt Worman, posted on Sunday: 'Bout to do some looting when this hurricane finally hits...gonna get a new laptop and tv...this hurricane might be the best thing to happen.'

Lucas Emil wrote: 'If this hurricane gets real bad I'm looting stores! I always wanted to do that...'

Looters often take advantage of hurricanes to loot - the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became notorious for large scale lawlessness in New Orleans.

The practice became so commonplace that police officers were eventually told not to stop people ransacking stores.

Police were caught on camera looting a Wal-Mart store, later claiming 'they had received permission from superiors to take necessities for themselves and other officers.'

Evacuees: Victims in New Jersey were picked up by the National Guard and taken to safety

Hoping for a rescue: Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz has asked for the National Guard to be deployed to Brooklyn to bring order among looters

Abandoned homes were also pillaged during Hurricane Irene last year.

Some New Yorkers will remember the city's 1977 blackout which prompted riots, looting and mayhem that caused millions of dollars worth of damage.

Lightning knocked out electricity for 25 hours on July 13, 1977, at a time when the city was suffering from a financial crisis and high unemployment levels.

Reports at the time included 50 cars being hot-wired and driven out of the showroom to be dismantled for parts, and hundreds hospitalised after fires and fighting broke out.

Around 4,500 people were arrested after the blackout chaos which caused damage estimated at around 61 million.