Small business owners in Bay Ridge have voiced their outrage over a string of robberies in the neighborhood over the last few weeks.  

Mashallah 99 cent store has been in business for 30 years without a robbery. On Sept. 18, two suspects broke into the store. 

The owner of the store, Amjad Javed, says the two suspects broke the glass after cutting the gate to enter the store. They stole $18,000 in cash. 

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is blaming the state’s bail law. 

“Cops make an arrest, and they're back out on the street before the cops' shift is even over,” said Malliotakis Monday. “It emboldens criminals when they see that punishment is not really occurring in our city and that there's zero accountability.” 

In 2019, the state Legislature rewrote the bail law so that those accused of less serious crimes wouldn’t have to wait for trial in jail because they’re unable to afford to post bail. 

The law has been modified twice to allow judges to impose bail for more crimes and consider criminal record when setting bail.  

Grand larceny theft in Bay Ridge is up 46% to date compared to last year, while petit larceny is up 90% in that time frame, according to the NYPD.