New York, Dec 19 (AP) A suspected serial burglar was caught Monday while attempting to poach Christmas presents from actor Robert De Niro's Manhattan home, police said.

Officers had been tracking the real-life Grinch amid a string of recent robberies and saw her bust into “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” star's townhouse around 2:45 a.m. Monday, police said.

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Inside, they found a 30-year-old woman in the living room “attempting to remove property” and arrested her, police said. Police have not publicly identified her by name.

De Niro, who had been upstairs, came down to the living room as the woman was being arrested.

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A spokesperson for the 79-year-old actor said he wouldn't be making statements about the attempted robbery.

The incident happened at a townhouse on East 65th Street in Manhattan. The basement door that the woman used to enter the townhome had signs of forced entry, police said.

De Niro's spokesperson said it was a temporary rental home being used by the actor. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)