A reader in northern Crown Heights sent the photo above on Friday, noting:

Ours and our neighbor’s front gates were stolen about an hour ago…Yes, in broad daylight and when contractors were working in our house and the house next door (gate was strangely not stolen from that house but from the next one over). I guess another example of the apparent increase in Brooklyn street crime you’ve been reporting on. I hate to knock our hood since it gets knocked enough by other posters on your blog, but people should be aware that yet another item is vulnerable (I never thought someone would take the trouble to steal something as heavy as this and I can’t imagine it’s worth much). Scrap metal? Or could one of these salvage places actually be willing to buy stuff “off of the back of a truck”?

Maybe attractive to someone looking for the Key Master? First we’ve heard of a thief absconding with gates.