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Since the superstorm made landfall more than a week ago, killing many of its more than 100 victims in New York City and New Jersey and leaving millions without power, police said overall crime has actually gone down. There are few reports storm-damaged homes being looted. But Alex Ocasio wasn't convinced. The nursing home worker planned to ride out the latest storm in his first-floor Rockaway apartment
-- even after seeing cars float by his front door during Sandy. As the water receded, men dressed in dark clothes broke down the door and were surprised to find him and other residents inside, he said. "They tried to say they were rescue workers, then took off," he said. He put up a handmade sign -- "Have gun. Will shoot U" -- outside his apartment and started using a bed frame to barricade the door. He has gas, so he keeps the oven on and boils water to stay warm at night. "It gets a little humid, but it's not bad," he said. "I'm staying. Nothing can be worse than what happened last week." Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said it wasn't wise to stay put. "I think your life is more important than property," he said. Police have arrested 123 people citywide since the storm blew in last week, 54 burglary arrests and 41 others stemming from gas line disputes, Kelly said. Most were in areas suffering from the storm. "You would think, under the circumstances, you would see much more," Kelly said. "We haven't seen that." Burglaries were up 6 percent citywide compared to the same period last year, but overall crime was down 27 percent, police said.
[Associated
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