It is the last place you would expect a thief to target, but on Monday of this week a Pre-School filled with children was hit by a thief. That's right on Monday a thief walked into Sesame Street Pre-school on Fairweather Street and roughed up the principal. He also made off with her gold chain and today she told Keith Swift her story.
Yvette Nicholas, Sesame Street Pre-School Principal
"He was tall, slim body, about 6 feet, age about 19, couple scars and a tattoo under his eyes. He was wearing a dark green army cap. When he went in first he came with his shirt on the right side and when he left and came back he turned it over on the wrong side but he had already seen a '05' shirt that he was wearing and a dirty khaki short pants. And he was barefoot."
Take notes because that is the description of the brazen criminal who barged into Sesame Street Pre-school on Monday morning to snatch a chain and he wouldn't leave until he got it, at virtually any cost. The Principal Yvette Nicholas and teacher Aisha Pelayo were inside along with 20 students when the young man strode in.
Aisha Pelayo, Sesame Street Pre-School Teacher
"When he walked in I asked him can I help you. I asked Miss Nicholas' son if the man came to see his mom and he said yes. He told his mom a man was out there to see her. He continued walking with his head down while I was asking that and he went to her. She said he asked her what time will the classes begin. Anyway after that he left and I was telling her Yvette this man is coming back. By the time I said that about the fourth time, her daughter ran in straight towards me with her two hands out and she pushed me in the bathroom."
With Pelayo locked in the bathroom, the school's owner and principal had to take on the intruder by herself.
Yvette Rowland,
"I was like I couldn't leave them so I was trying safeguard the children and putting up a fight with this guy with my back against the bathroom wall safeguarding them in the bathroom. Me and him put a fight for about two minutes or so and after that he popped my chain because it came into my mind what if he had a gun or a knife. I left him with the chain and afterwards he released me and went still going to the bathroom door. I went back to the bathroom door trying to safeguard them that was still in the bathroom. After screaming and shouting he ran out and left with my chain and a lion medal and a heart medal."
Nicholas says at no point were any of the students in danger and at all times she put their safety first. She still cannot believe that of all places - she was attacked inside the usually safe confines of a pre-school.
Yvette Rowland,
"Crimes like these happen everyday and I always use to say that I would never let somebody just take away what I have. And at the same time there were children in there and there was no way that I could have ran off and leave the children. They are under my care when they come to that building and in the future I plan to make more preparations to safeguard the building from this happening again, even if it has to be hiring a security guard."
The gold chain and medal was valued $1,000. Because of the incident, Nicholas has closed her pre-school for the summer.