he was involved in. >> reporter: there are about 150 burglary cases police say they can link robert costanzo too. these are the black hoodie, pants and mask he wore which earned him the nickname ninja burglar. >> this man robert costanzo is the ninja burglar. he committed all the burglaries that were a blight on this community for 10 years. >> reporter: it wasn't just staten island. the 46-year-old hit homes in 2006. one burglary in historic grimes hill where investigators say costanzo grabbed a neighbor's ladder and tried to break in to a second floor window. >> quite often he'd target the master bedroom because that's where so many people would keep their valuables. >> reporter: investigators say costanzo who was also a registered level 3 sex offender from a 1992 conviction worked as a welder before he went on the ninja burglar crime spree. during the spree he had been living a normal life with a woman and children at this staten island home. >> he had a normal appearance, was going about business during the day that would not raise any suspicions. >> reporter: in 2014 detectives from the

police say he is 46-year-old robert costanzo. yesterday he pled guilty to a 2004 home invasion in connecticut. nypd detectives believe he may be responsible for more than 100 break-ins in staten island, mainly in the high mainly in the more affluent areas. one homeowner in 2007 described an encounter with a robber dressed in black carrying nunchakus. residents hired private security an attempt to stop the crime spree but he kept getting away until now. officials had officially said a group of albanian and macedonian nationals were responsible, now it appears they were not connected. police in connecticut were able to get a break in the case when thom say costanzo used his cell phone to make a call from the crime scene and they were able to track that call to find out what number it he confessed to that crime yesterday and will be on staten island this morning to face charges in some of these many robbery ies that occurred over the last decade. back to you. >> people have been waiting years for this. jen, thank you. >>> brooklyn p

robert costanzo is his name. he faces three burglary charges. they say he committed more than 100 over the past decade. there are statute of limitations issues. he could face 15 years in prison. >> the wall street journal says investigators are looking into deblasio's fundraising efforts. two donors are not accused of wrongdoing but investigators want to know if anyone was promised or given any benefit . campaign fundraising skirted contribution laws. >> curt schilling has been fired over social media commons on transgender sox reposted an image that marked state law . he added that a man is a man no matter what they call himself. the conduct was unacceptable and they fired him. he has been with the network since 2010. they declined to comment. >> it's been a pattern. he has been one. have a right to your opinion. you are working for a big company like that they have a good amount of money. sometimes you can't say what you think. we were talking about this in the commercial break. he had a reputation, even as a player, being difficult to deal wi

robert costanzo committed 100 burglaries over the past decade. because of a five-year statute of limitations, he is only facing three charges. he has served time for a string of rape in florida and he wore dark clothing with his face covered. he could serve up to 15 years in prison.>> federal prosecutors are asking them to sentence him prison. the 72-year-old democrat was convicted on federal corruption charges after taking millions of dollars in illegal payments . he wrote a letter to the judge apologizing saying , he failed the people of new york.his lawyer says he deserves little or no time behind bars. juliet: public service? that is a good one!ben: he is scheduled to be sentenced on may 3. the one that is rich. my dad would say that. ben: it is pretty rich . robert moses joins us now with the ms. room with information about the presidential candidates . robert: tuesday is the next big day to mark on your calendars. that's when they hold primaries . it looks like hillary clinton will hold enough delegates to clinch her donald trump could come

and as you said, robert costanzo has a long criminal past. he's a level 3 sexual offender, charged with a rape here on staten island back in 1989 and also a sexual battery in 1996 in florida. now, during the ninja burglary spree here on staten island, 19 homes have been hit. a few homeowners had even come face to face with a six foot tall man dressed head to toe in black. he was once stabbed by a victim, but he got away from homeowner said that he was threatened with numchucks. the crimes were never officially solved, but after costanzo was taken into custody for the 2014 connecticut burglary, authorities began piecing together evidence. eventually they say tying him to the staten island spree. now, d.a. michael mcmahon today will hold a press conference at 1:00 this afternoon, announcing the arrest. costanzo will also be arraigned today here on staten island. for now, we're live here on staten island, toni yates, channel 7 eyewitness news. back to you. >> all right, toni, thank you. >>> you're never more than seven minutes away from weather

investigators say 46-year-old robert costanzo admitted to roughly 150 break-ins on staten island since 2005. police say the convicted rapist is also linked to similar crimes in new jersey, upstate new york and connecticut. >> he detailed how he targeted homes between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under the cover of darkness and checked to see there weren't any outside alarms or sirens. >> and they're standing, facing me was a ninja, a guy dressed up as a ninja. >> costanzo is charged with only three of the crimes because the statute of other burglaries. >>> a law requiring all new police vehicles in new jersey be be equipped with cameras has been struck down by a state panel. the council on local mandates has ruled that the law passed in 2014 is unconstitutional. the panel cited the financial burden the demand would place on local governments. >>> new this morning, a chemical plant blast in mexico that left three people dead is under control at this hour. the explosion at pemex yesterday afternoon injured more than 100 workers and sent plumes of toxic chemicals into the air. it happened in t

and police say 46-year-old robert costanzo admitted to pulling off several burglaries here on staten island in 2007, 2008. they say he admitted this after he was arrested in connecticut where he was accused of holding a woman at knifepoint and forcing her to take $75,000 worth of jewelry from her safe. now, costanzo has a long criminal past. he's a level three sex offender for a 1989 rape here on staten island. also a sexual battery charge now, during this ninja burglary spree here on staten island, 19 homes have been hit. a few homeowners have even come face to face with costanzo who stands six feet tall. he was dressed head to toe in black for all of his crimes. he was once stabbed by a victim, but he got away. one homeowner was even threatened with numchucks at one point. the crimes were never officially soffed by police, but after costanzo was taken into custody for the 2014 connecticut burglary, authorities began piecing together the evidence, eventually, and they say they tied him to this staten island spree. now, d.a. michael mcmahon will have a press conference at 1:00 this a

ht 36-year-old robert costanzo admitted to a crime spree while living as an unaassuming family man on staten island. he is a level 3 sex offender following the rain of a grandmother at knifepoint in her staten island apartment in 1989. >>> there are 251 million reasons you may want to buy a ticket for saturday's powerball drawing. no one lit the jackpot in last night's drawing, so the pot grows to $251 million with a lump sum payout of $166 million. you can see the winning numbers channel 7 during eyewitness news at 11:00. and the watch abc app. >>> if you are a fisher person, you want to pay attention to this. a spectacular catch for a florida fisherman. eyen, took a number 1 wrench, added two hooks and posted it on facebook. the real shocker came when a 400-pound grouper bit the first moment he threw it in. >> i couldn't believe the gear held up and we landed the fish. that was unbelievable for me. >> he lost the wrench later that day fighting a smaller fish but he is in the research and development stage for a new look, using a fork and a butter knife. >> 400-pound group year that

police say the bandit's real name is robert costanzo and he's confessed to more than 150 break-ins overdecade. homeowners in several states tell police, they awoke in the middle of the night and found an intruder dressed like a ninja. one man even says the burglar attacked him with nunchucks, before fleeing. prosecutors say they will ask a judge to sentence costanzo to decades in prison, as part of a plea deal. it's xx and we're just getting started. breaking news right now in maryland. crews are on the scene of a serious fire. we have the very latest from fire crews.. coming up. the presidential campaign focuses on the d-m-v. we'll tell you what's happening as we count down to the the maryland primary. good morning washington. 50s right now. temperatures will be warm again today above average highs. clouds increase and eventually become mostly cloudy. staying dry in the metro with temperatures in the mid 70s this afternoon. we are following breaking news out of laurel right now. a huge fire at a commercial building. this is happening on lafayette avenue. the prince george's county fire

robert costanzo confessed to more than 100 break-ins across the tri-state area. those crimes spanned more than a decade. he pleaded guilty to three downs of burglary. the he is expected to be sentenced to 25 years behind bars in june. >>> just how much did the fbi pay to break into a locked iphone used by one of the san bernardino shooters? a lot according to the agency's director. speaking yesterday in london, director james comey hinted the bureau paid more than $1 million. he said they paid a third party more than he'll own in his remaining seven years as director but says it was worth it. >> somebody approached us and said we think we came up with a solution, and tested it and purchased it. >> officials say that method was they haven't revealed what that method was. the money was paid to hack into that phone used by sayed farooq. >>> sheldon silver's wife begging the judge to take it easy on him after claiming he has cancer. the former assembly speaker is awaiting sentencing on corruption charges. in a letter to the judge his wife asked for a lenient sentence

robert costanzo is linked to more than a dozen thefts in se endl wealthy communities that happened nearly ten years ago. >eand tonight mayor deblasio is heading to staten island to hold a town hall meeting to talk about the quality of life there. >>> approaching 4:44 on a wednesda morning. in good shape. starting out nice, dry, cool and comfortable out there. some suburbs are chilly. temperatures climbing well into the 60s with sunshine, warmer yet tomorrow. though the sun will probably fade behind some s will lead to showers on friday. we're in a deficit and are too dry out to re. yesterday we had that fire danger. had that fire in new jersey. this morning we are talking about frost advisories until about 7:00 a.m. temperatures flirting with that 32 to 34 degree range. anything delicate put out a little too early may have issues. that frost advisory until 7:00. pollen report, tree pollen way up there. that's about the only game in toanwn. most of the other things get active later in the season. the tree pollen, they're all coming into bloom. looks nice, but if you're an allergy sufferer

robert costanzo admitted to targeting more than 100 homes on staten island through the course of the past decade. because of the statute of limitations, he only faces three investigators say he got caught after committing similar crimes across the tri-state. >>> now to the desperate situation in ecuador. ecuador's president imposing a one-time tax on the wealthy in his country to help rebuild the extent of the earthquake devastation is widespread. the government estimates reconstruction will cost about $3 billion. the search for possible survivors and recovery of the dead goes on. the official death toll now is close to 600 people. >>> also right now, president obama he is in saudi arabia meeting with the leaders of the mideast gulf states. the president trying to ease strains in those countries including the conflict ongoing in yemen, syria and lebanon and america's nuclear deal with iran, the terror threat posed by isis also on the agenda. >>> con ed is crediting millions the settlement stems from a nine-year construction kickback scheme by 11 supervisors and workerers that ended i

prosecute ors say that robert costanzo confessed to more than 100 break-ins across the tri-state area. decade. he pled guilty to three counts of burglary. the statue of limitations expired on many of the cases he was accused of. he is expected to be sentenced to 25 years behind bars in june. >> the city's board of elections now investigating itself over tuesday's voting problems in brooklyn. the board is suspending the chief elections clerk, diane haslett-rudiano without pay. the board is cooperating with the state's attorney general's office. they're also looking into why 125,000 names vanished from the voting rolls. >>> connecticut 166 department of correction employees are out of jobs. 40 new correctional officers among those who received layoff notices. the job cuts are part of an effort to cover the state's $922 million budget deficit. hundreds of state employees received pink slips over the past two weeks. these layoffs are effective >>> entertainment mogul david geffen will now see his name at the museum of art. yesterday he gave moma $100 million. that money will help build a

. >>> in other news, a crime decade ago on staten island comes to an end. 46-year-old robert costanzo is accused of burglarizing 19 homes back in 2007 and 2008. costanzo also has a long rap sheet, including being convicted of rape in 1989 and sexual battery in 1996. the so-called ninja burglar was arrested in connecticut. he's expected to be arraigned today. >>> it is 7:25. we'll take a break. >>> let's get a check on your morning commute now with heather o'rourke. heather. >>reporter: hi, lori. we still have these problems on the 5 trains. it's signal problems at pelham parkway, so you can expect some downtown delays as a result. and then these problems on the island on southern at a time parkway east right near bellmore avenue. that accident sunrise highway east right near wantah avenue, it's 30 minutes inbound george washington bridge. the lincoln is 45, the holland tunnel, that is a 30-minute delay. new jersey transit, long island railroad, metro north, they are all running on or close to schedule. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect. lori, back to you. >> all

investigators say 46-year-old robert costanzo confessed to a 10-year crime spree across the tri-state area. police believe costanzo stole more than $4 million in money and goods in 150 burglaries. costanzo will be sentenced in june. he could go to prison for 25 years. >>> politics now. and republican frontrunner donald trump taking to twitter once again, demanding that his gop rivals drop out of the race. trump tweeted today senator ted cruz has been mathematically eliminated from the race and kasich should get out for the same reason. out. but cruz, he doesn't see it that way. >> i'm not going to reach 1237 and donald trump is not going to reach 1237. >> both cruz and kasich are not backing down. they're counting on the possibility of a contested gop convention. clinton campaigning in connecticut today. she's focusing on guns in america. the democratic frontrunner led a discussion in hartford where she talked about gun reform laws that she says she intends to push if she becomes president. mrs. clinton says she does not intend to make promises she can't keep. >> i'm hear to tell you

. >> reporter: the newspaper has identified him as 46-year-old robert costanzo, who pleaded guilty to a 2013 home invasion robbery in connecticut. he will be arraigned on staten island where he is accused of at least 19 separate break ins from 2007 to 2008, the nickname came from the style of clothing the burglar war. nice homes there. for the second time this week there has been a police involved shooting. ben: yesterday afternoon, four undercover officers spotted a man with a warrant out for his arrest. they approach the officer say another man, putman, pulled the gun. three officers fired, those men week officers shot and killed a man in queens after they say he police stop. much more still to come. life expectancy on the decline for one group of people, we will tell you that is coming up. hi dad. uh huh. yeah...sorry about that. think about it down in the heart what do you think? and in the stars above hi ted, glad you could join us, we think you' re going to like these numbers. bring me a higher love i could rise above great price on this boneless chicken! yeah. we love low price

robert costanzo admitted to targeting more than 100 homes on staten island through the course of the past decade. because of the statute of limitations, he only faces three burglary charges in the borough. investigators say he got caught after committing similar crimes across the tri-state. >>> mayor deblasio signing a law that puts restrictions on where costumed characters in times square can ask for tips. the legislation sets up specific zones for people dressed in costumes. supporters say the zones will help keep people from being harassed while still allowing the characters to make money. >> the dmv offices in back in business today. computer outages and slowdowns caused problems for most of the week. some customers reported waits of up to three hours yesterday. the dmv says those computer issues have been addressed. they'll be back in full operation today. anybody whose license or registration expired between last sunday or wednesday has until midnight tonight to renew it. you'll have to get it done today. >> they'll be open at midnight? that doesn't sound pleasant. >> you don't

police believe robert costanzo is the man who broke into homes. he pleaded guilty to a 2014 home in sion in connecticut. he's auto a convicted sex offender. >>> dmv offices in connecticut will be open today, but they are asked for you to put off your visit if possible to avoid long waits. they are trig to make computer repairs today. >>> we got a notification from new york waterway that one of the east river ferry boats is operating on a 10-minute delay. if you are getting on the roads, we have an accident on the grand central parkway westbound out by the clearview causing delays. we have that accident on 84 eastbound out by exit 2. delays are not as bad as they were earlier, though, and we the lincoln tunnel. that cleared but 45 minutes into the tunnels. >>> today, lots of sun. 67. tomorrow, 75. we could get some showers on friday but 76. coming up on the "today" show, they look at more handy gadgets from moms on the go. one local update for you in a half hour. if your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. you may be muddling throug