Colonie gun shop burglary 2nd in region in week

PHOTOGRAPHER: Photo Provided

Inside NY Shooter Supply in Colonie during Sunday's burglary.

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For the second time in less than a week, a Capital Region gun store has been burglarized.

Five handguns were stolen Sunday morning by a thief who broke into NY Shooter Supply at 1593 Central Ave. in Colonie. Town police said they are not yet certain but early indications are that this theft is unrelated to the Oct. 23 break-in that netted more than 40 firearms from Target Sports on Route 50 in Glenville.

Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working with town police in both investigations. There are several differences in the circumstances of the two thefts:

At least three people are believed to have broken into the Glenville store and spent more than two hours there, eventually making off with more than 40 rifles and handguns. The burglar alarm malfunctioned.

A surveillance video shared by Colonie police shows a single person smashing a glass door with a crowbar, ducking inside, smashing a glass display case and triggering an alarm, dropping five pistols into a backpack, then scampering back out the smashed door in a total elapsed time of 19 seconds.

The video indicates the incident happened at 1:27 a.m., and shows cars passing by on Central Avenue as it happens.

At 1:32 a.m., town police got a call about the burglar alarm and almost simultaneously a call from a representative of the business who’d checked remotely via video surveillance and noticed the front door was broken.

The first officer arrived at 1:36 a.m. and confirmed a burglary had occurred. An Albany police dog was able to track the thief only as far as the next side street off Central Avenue, Mordella Road.

The suspect is described as a man of average height and thin build wearing a white mask, light-colored gloves, black-and-gray hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and dark shoes, carrying a dark backpack with a white design or writing on it.

He escaped with three 9mm Glock pistols and two .40-caliber Glock pistols.

Meanwhile, local, state and federal law enforcement officials continue to investigate the Glenville theft.

Late Saturday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced arrest warrants had been issued for two men previously sought as persons of interest in that case: Christian Roman, 23, and Jose Fontanez, 36. Both were recently residents of the Schenectady County area but both also have ties to New York City.

The wanted poster indicates Roman is wanted on a stolen firearm possession charge. Fontanez is wanted on a charge of stealing a firearm from a firearms dealer.

The poster advises the public not to approach the two men if they see them, but to contact law enforcement personnel at once.

The ATF and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are offering rewards of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for the Glenville burglary.