Rick Pitino on St. John's office burglary: ' They were amateurs, they'll get caught'
Rick Pitino’s office at St. John’s was burglarized by two unidentified males on Tuesday night who made off with a few pieces of memorabilia and alcohol, the Hall of Fame coach confirmed to Newsday on Wednesday.
Pitino’s office is located on the second floor in the Taffner Fieldhouse practice facility adjacent to Carnesecca Arena, where the Red Storm play some of their home games.
Pitino told Newsday in a text message that the memorabilia stolen “were things I was to sign and send back to people.” The memorabilia included a bullhorn and ceremonial sword, according to the Associated Press.
Asked if thieves wouldn’t typically steal autographed items, Pitino replied with a tongue-in-cheek text that read, in part, “They were amateurs – they will get caught.”
According to a police report, the two thieves illegally entered campus at a university building at 168-10 Goethals Avenue in Jamaica. The report said they made off with the goods on a moped westbound on Union Turnpike.
Pitino initially responded to a published report by making a joke about stolen wine with a social media post that read “Really upset! Taking my memorabilia is one thing but the 1985 6L Petrus Pomerol has me livid!!!”
He shortly followed that with another post that read “The 1985 Petrus was a jokeI would never keep that on my desk! Saving that one in a wine cellar to open after the Johnnies go to the final four!”
Police released a surveillance video of the two males walking in a hallway on the first floor of the building. One is carrying the bullhorn and the other the sword.
Police have not made any arrests but asked for the public's assistance in identifying the individuals depicted in the video.
Tips can be called into the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or on the social media platform X to the handle @NYPDTips.
With Anthony M. DeStefano
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
