Yeezy Sneakers Help Police Catch Serial Burglar After Year-Long Hunt
Following his repeated tirades of antisemitism and hate speech, Kanye West’s once-burgeoning Yeezy brand is all but shuttered at this point. But unfortunately for an alleged serial burglar in Connecticut, the sneakers are apparently still distinctive enough to identify criminals who choose to wear them.
According to local outlet New Haven Register, 22-year-old Ethan Nieves was arrested Feb. 19 in what police describe as a theft ring which targeted numerous businesses including a CarMax dealership on March 11, 2024. Two additional suspects, Eric Ruiz, and Alex Sierra, were reportedly arrested following the March ’24 incident, but it took authorities nearly a year to nab Nieves.
Police had already been staking out Nieves’ New Britain, Conn., apartment during the night of the March burglary, giving them an upper hand on the alleged thieves. At 4:10 a.m. on the morning of the 11th, police were called to a local CarMax dealership for a burglary in progress. They concluded that a group had driven a gray Volkswagen Tiguan to the dealership — the same car they had observed leaving Nieves’ residence earlier that night.
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Then, at 5:40 a.m., one of the vehicles stolen from the CarMax pulled into the driveway of Nieves’ apartment. A foot chase ensued after three men ran from the car, and police were able to apprehend Ruiz and Sierra. The third suspect was not caught, but police did find a size 10 left-foot Adidas Yeezy sneaker. Described in a report as “brown and neon green,” it’s likely that the sneaker in question was the Adidas Yeezy 700 “Mauve,” which was released in 2018.
After analyzing surveillance footage from other break-ins, police observed the same suspect wearing a similar-looking sneaker. Then, once they reviewed footage from the CarMax burglary, they again spotted Nieves wearing the Yeezy shoes. Despite the seemingly obvious sneaker connection, it’s not immediately clear why it took the police nearly a year to arrest Nieves.
Nieves is now being held on a $250,000 bond. As for his alleged accomplices, Ruiz is serving two years in jail after being found guilty of third-degree burglary and criminal possession of a pistol. Sierra’s case will be heard in court March 25.
