About 400 bulletproof vests destined for
Ukraine were stolen from a New York City non-profit organization that’s been leading an effort to collect and ship
tactical gear to people in the warzone, police said Wednesday.
Police say the used vests, donated by local law enforcement, were taken from
the offices of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian
National Women’s League of America on Second
Avenue in Manhattan.
Police responded around 9:15 a.m. to a call of a burglary and “were informed that approximately 400 bullet
proof vests that were removed from the location,” NYPD Sergeant Edward Riley said.
A message seeking comment was left with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of
America.
Police departments in the New York City area have donated hundreds of
decommissioned bulletproof vests to charities supporting Ukrainian forces
fighting Russia’s invasion.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office on
Long Island said it worked with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America to
donate 450 used, decommissioned vests, but could not confirm that the vests
that were stolen were the ones it donated.
The sheriff’s office stops using the vests
after five years, but officials said they remain sturdy enough to offer
protection in warfare.
“It is despicable that someone would break into
a building to steal supplies and materials intended to aid those affected by
this humanitarian crisis,” said Vicki
DiStefano, a spokesperson for Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
Andrij Dobriansky, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of
America, said last week that the plan was for donated gear to be shipped by air
to Poland and then transported into Ukraine.
The items were most likely to be used by civilian security and medical teams,
including citizens who have joined the fight against the Russian military, not
Ukrainian soldiers themselves, officials said.
AP wires contributed to this report.