State Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. claimed yesterday that his home office was burglarized hours after he helped Republicans orchestrate a historic power grab in Albany.
Espada told reporters that the break-in on Tuesday at his Westchester home has left him shaken — and he suggested his political opponents were involved.
“Things are on the precipice of violence . . . People will get hurt,” he said on the Senate floor yesterday. “It’s unfortunate. Office papers and files are missing.”
Espada (D-Bronx) said he suspects that protesters outside his home had something to do with the break-in.
“This was a burglary. I have to tie it in to demonstrations outside my home,” he said.
Last night, Espada was spotted entering his house with Mamaroneck cops. He said afterward that he had filed a police report.
He explained that his housekeeper, who discovered the break-in, was scared to call police right away.
The burglary took place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, he said.
“Whoever came in that window, that had to be for personal financial documents, because they could have easily gone upstairs, where I had jewelry and other personal belongings and cash, and none of that was touched,” he said.
The house was empty at the time of the break-in except for a dog.
Espada said police told him not to touch anything, so he hasn’t gone through the documents to see what was missing.
Police took fingerprints yesterday and plan to interview the housekeeper, Espada said.
Later, he issued a statement saying he went to the home “to assess the situation in terms of damage and stolen property,” adding, “Since this is now a police matter, I will have no further comment
Earlier this week, Espada and fellow Democratic Sen. Hiram Monserrate announced they were joining forces with the Senate GOP.
That move effectively ended the Democrats’ control and propelled Espada into the post of Senate president.
Espada is the subject of several ongoing investigations, including one by the Bronx DA for allegedly living outside of his district.
He insists he has a residence in both The Bronx and the leafy suburb of Mamaroneck, which are about 10 miles apart.
The lawmaker also has been hit with a slew of fines totaling more than $60,000 for failing to file city and state campaign-finance disclosure reports.
Additional reporting by Fredric U. Dicker in Albany