Intruder Arrested After Breaking Into Robert De Niro’s Apartment While Actor and Daughter Slept

Robert De Niro was the victim of a burglary early Monday. The suspect, Shanice Aviles, allegedly broke into the Oscar-winner’s Upper East Side townhouse and used his iPad while De Niro and his 10-year-old daughter Helen Grace De Niro, slept. It was initially reported that the woman stole Christmas presents around De Niro‘s tree, but those reports were incorrect, NBC New York reports.

New York City Police Department officers with the 19th precinct’s new public safety team saw Aviles, 30, trying to open doors of businesses near De Niro’s home, police told NBC New York. The officers followed Aviles as she turned onto East 65th Street. Officers lost sight of her briefly before they turned and noticed a townhouse door was open, police said. They did not know it was De Niro’s home.

A tactical team assembled and went into the building, where they allegedly found Aviles on the second floor. She was using De Niro’s iPad and the officers recognized her as a wanted burglar. After taking Aviles into custody, they went upstairs to see if there were other intruders when they noticed De Niro’s family photos, police said.

The officers then woke up De Niro to tell him what was going on. His daughter was sleeping in a nearby room at the time, police officials told NBC New York. De Niro and his daughter were not hurt, but the actor is expected to press charges against the suspect. Locksmiths were also seen at De Niro’s home late Monday.

Aviles was charged with burglary. She has been taken into custody nine times since Nov. 21 in the same precinct, reports NBC New York. She had two bench warrants out for her arrest and has been arrested 26 times before Monday. Aviles was also accused of robbery in Queens on Black Friday.

De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner. He starred in Amsterdam and Savage Salvation this year. Last week, he joined Entertainment One’s Mr. Natural, in which he plays an ex-convict who tries to reunite with his family in Palm Springs and has a dangerous scheme in mind to get rich. The series was created by Mitch Glazer and would be De Niro’s first regular series TV role if it moves forward. He is also attached to a Netflix limited series, Zero Day, in development.