A New York Police Department officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing a safe containing approximately $50,000 in jewelry and cash from a friend's apartment in the Bronx. Officer Luis Triunfel, 33, reportedly entered his childhood friend's Boynton Avenue apartment around 12:15 a.m. on August 31, taking a shopping cart that held a black metallic safe with a key lock, according to a complaint filed in Bronx Criminal Court.
The safe contained about $9,500 in cash, $38,500 in gold jewelry, the victim's passport, the title to his cars, his U.S. permanent residency card, and his Social Security card, as stated in court documents. Later that same day, Triunfel allegedly returned to the Soundview apartment and damaged the video surveillance system that recorded the incident, according to prosecutors.
One day prior to the burglary, Triunfel allegedly used his NYPD-issued cell phone to search for the victim's license plate, according to the District Attorney's office. On September 3 and 7, he reportedly accessed the department's database to look up the report regarding the theft. On September 16, he searched the database again for his own name.
Triunfel was arrested on the night of September 16 and charged with burglary, grand larceny, tampering with physical evidence, and computer trespass, according to police. He joined the NYPD in May 2024 and was assigned to the 28th Precinct in Central Harlem. Following his arraignment on September 17, he was released on his own recognizance and ordered to surrender his passport. The NYPD has suspended him without pay, as confirmed by the department. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.