Lesley Stahl's upper West Side penthouse was robbed

A burglar posing as a construction worker broke into "60 Minutes" reporter Lesley Stahl's Upper West Side penthouse and carted off more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and electronics, police said.

The brazen bandit stole several diamond watches, a pearl necklace, earrings, and gold and silver necklaces in the heist last Friday, cops said.

In addition, a laptop computer was filched from the CBS star's 15th-floor apartment, which overlooks Central Park in the West 70s.

Stahl - a former White House correspondent who has worked on the long-running TV-magazine show since 1991 - was not home at the time of the break-in.

She did not return calls for comment and a "60 Minutes" representative declined to comment.

The incident, which was first reported in the West Side Spirit, occurred at around 11 a.m.

The thief gained access to the building by pretending to be a construction worker fixing the landmark building.

The building has scaffolding and there are several projects under way, according to permits listed on the city's Department of Buildings Web site.

One of the hardhats working there yesterday said it wouldn't be that difficult to get in posing as a laborer.

"It's tough with so many people coming in and out," said the construction worker, who declined to give his name.

"There's new people in here every day."

He said he has seen Stahl, 66, since the break-in, but she hasn't spoken to him about it.

"She's really upset. She hasn't talked to anybody about it," he said.

The crook gained access by heading to the roof, and then entered Stahl's multimillion-dollar pad by breaking the patio door, police sources said.

Once inside, the thief ransacked the place in search of swag.

Cops are searching for a black man, about 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds.

Stahl shares her high-end digs with her husband, writer Aaron Latham. They have a daughter, Taylor.

Meanwhile, one longtime resident said the work has been under way in the building for more than a year, and it has made him nervous.

"I have windows that they could get into," said the resident.

"You're always a little concerned [about workers in the building]. It's been going on a year and a half."

He added, "It could've just been an oddball."
[source]