Caught on camera: 2 men chip tiles away from ‘Pizza Invader’ mosaic in Greenpoint
Surveillance video shows the men scaling the side of a building and carving into the colorful artwork mounted above a pizza shop on Nassau Avenue.
A brazen late-night theft in Greenpoint has left neighbors shaken after two men were caught on camera climbing a ladder and chipping away at a beloved mosaic – just feet from a child’s bedroom window.
Surveillance video shows the men scaling the side of a building and carving into the colorful artwork mounted above a pizza shop on Nassau Avenue. A witness says the mosaic sits directly below her 7-year-old’s bedroom.
“My husband and I woke up in the middle of the night hearing some scratching,” said Anna, who lives in the building. “One was holding a ladder on the street, and the other was carving into the mosaic. It’s really scary to have someone practically in your bedroom window in the middle of the night.”
Anna says the men ran off down Nassau Avenue after ripping nearly 20 tiles from the “Pizza Invader” mosaic – from the famed French artist known as Invader. The piece had been on the wall for over a decade. Works by the internationally known artist have sold for as much as $20,000.
“You know, that’s something I always admired on top of this pizza shop,” said Edwin, another neighbor. “This thing is very valuable. People should have respect for [mosaics].”
Police say around 1:30 a.m., officers received a call about the duo using a ladder to climb up and bang on a resident’s window just 10 minutes away at 35 Nassau Ave. Neighbors claim the men are known for targeting tile artwork in the area and worry about what, or who, could be next.
“At first you think it’s just vandalism,” said Rahmel Pacheco, a customer at Nonna’s Pizzeria. “But then they’re banging on people’s doors. What else could they be wanting to do? This is odd.”
Police say no damage was done to the window or the property.
