Surveillance tape catches parrot thief in action

A parrot disappeared from BTJ Jungle pet store in West Islip last Monday, and workers say when they checked the store?s surveillance tape, they realized something was not right. Police are investigating

News 12 Staff

Jan 27, 2009, 11:08 PM

Updated 5,702 days ago

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A parrot disappeared from BTJ Jungle pet store in West Islip last Monday, and workers say when they checked the store?s surveillance tape, they realized something was not right.
Police are investigating a surveillance video that reveals a parrot thief in action. The man allegedly hovered over a cage, pulled out a parrot and walked into another aisle where he allegedly placed the bird in his coat pocket.
?Within 10 seconds, he was in there. It is a very tame bird so it was very easy for him to put him inside his coat. They are very friendly,? says BTJ Jungle owner William Neihoff.
Neihoff says the man stole a 5-month-old black-headed Caique parrot. The parrot sells for about $1,400.
?That?s a lot of money. It hurts, business isn?t as busy as it usually is, something like that hurts a lot,? says Neihoff.
Neihoff says the thief walked into the store with a man wearing a black and white coat and looked directly at the surveillance camera while walking out of the store.
Suffolk police are investigating and are asking anyone with info to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.