About 400 bulletproof vests destined for Ukraine were stolen from a New York City nonprofit that has been leading an effort to collect and ship tactical gear to people in the war zone, police said Wednesday.
Police say the used vests, donated by local police, were stolen from the offices of the U.S. Ukrainian Congressional Committee and the U.S. Women’s National League of Ukraine on Second Avenue in Manhattan.
Police responded around 9:15 am to a burglary call and “were told that approximately 400 bulletproof vests were removed from the scene,” New York City Police Sgt. Edward Riley said.
A message seeking comment was left with the Ukraine Congressional Committee of America.
Police Departments in the New York City area have donated hundreds of decommissioned bulletproof vests to charities supporting Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office on Long Island said it worked with the Ukraine Congressional U.S. Committee to donate 450 used and decommissioned vests, but could not confirm that the stolen vests were the ones it donated.
The sheriff’s office stops using the vests after five years, but officials said they are still tough enough to offer protection in war.
“It is despicable for someone to break into a building to steal supplies and materials intended to help those affected by this humanitarian crisis,” said Vicki DiStefano, spokeswoman for Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
Andrij Dobriansky, a spokesman for the Ukraine Congressional Americas Committee, said last week that the plan was for the donated equipment to be flown to Poland and then transported to Ukraine.
The items were most likely used by civilian security and medical teams, including citizens who have joined the fight against the Russian army, not by Ukrainian soldiers themselves, authorities said.
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