A high-flying cat burglar scampered from the roof of a tony Upper East Side high-rise and onto a penthouse balcony yesterday, where he broke though a door, held a maid at gunpoint and stole a sackful of jewelry, cops said.
The bandit struck just after noon at 19 E. 88th St., raiding a multimillion-dollar 16th-floor duplex where he is believed to have delivered shrubbery on Thursday, cops said.
After holding a gun to the head of maid Raquel Perez, the bandit then grabbed a pile of jewelry belonging to her employer, Martha Burton. He then forced Perez into a closet and put a heavy dresser in front of the door to box her in.
“He scared her terribly,” said Burton, a real estate agent who was not at home during the attack. “He forced her upstairs. It looked like he had a gun. He just asked her where the jewelry was.”
After grabbing what Burton described as some less-expensive “nominal jewelry,” the bandit told the maid, “I’m not here to hurt you.”
He then made his escape by heading down the building’s stairwell to the second floor. He then took the elevator the rest of the way, cops said.
A witness who saw him waiting by the elevator said the suspect looked like the actor and pro wrestler The Rock.
“I wanted to ask him if he was a movie star,” said Ilona Maddio, 66, a caregiver who works in the building. “He was real nervous as he jumped into the elevator. He was breathing very heavy.”
Police described the man as a 6 feet tall, black, clean-shaven and in his 30s. He wore a a blue checked shirt, yellow jacket and black gloves.
Cops took a man into custody for questioning about the crime, but weren’t sure yet whether he was the bandit, a police source said.
Police said the burglar probably was among the crew delivering shrubs, because a man fitting his description was asking a lot of questions during the delivery.
Burton said she has lived in the apartment for 10 years, and that Perez has worked for her for six years.
“It was very upsetting for her and of course for me, but I’m glad she’s safe,” Burton told The Post. “It’s just one of those things that happens in New York.”
Residents of the apartment include director Ron Howard’s daughter, sources said.
Residents were left shaken by the crime.
“To be honest it kinds of makes me feel not safe,” said resident Farah Amin, 36. “Especially in this neighborhood, you feel violated somebody’s been into your space.”