The days after Hurricane Sandy saw disturbing reports of looting in places like Coney Island and Far Rockaway, but the majority of those arrested won’t face prosecution, after their cases were either thrown out or reduced, the New York Daily News reports: “Only seven of 22 Brooklyn looting cases will be criminally prosecuted. In Queens — where the cases are progressing more slowly — five of 15 Queens cases have led to felony indictments so far, prosecutors said Monday.” Those in Coney Island whose cases got thrown out said they were trying to find a place to charge their phones when police arrested them near an already-looted market. At the time, residents were telling the Daily News that a “mob” of 50 to 100 people had swept through the neighborhood “grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down.” Both the Brooklyn and Queens district attorneys have promised aggressive prosecutions of anyone caught looting.
