What’s more awesome than a ninja burglar? THREE ninja burglars! Authorities have caught the thief who’s been burgling Staten Island while dressed in black clothes and a black face mask and carrying nunchackus. Only it turns out it was a trio of men working together. A veritable ninja ring, if you will. The string of burglaries began last May, and the thieves are believed to have hit at least nineteen homes on the borough. According to the Post, the men were members of an Albanian robbery clan who worked together in the upscale Todt Hill and Grymes Hill neighborhoods.

The ninjas mostly operated through nonviolent means (no throwing stars here), though they did whack one of their victims with nunchackus before he fought back and wounded his assailant with a steak knife. Over the last year, the fabled ninja burglar had taken on cult status in S.I. and has his own Wikipedia page. Sources tell the Post that all three men are being deported to Albania, bringing an end to the most entertaining crime spree New York has seen in awhile. Of course, we don’t mean to make light of the situation. Armed robbery is no laughing matter. Now if they’d been dressed up as Ninja Turtles, that would’ve been funny. —Noelle Hancock

S.I. ‘Ninja Burglar’ Busted – And Turns Out To Be Trio [NYP]