Robert De Niro's New York City townhouse burglarized while actor at home

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A serial burglar, with more than two dozen prior arrests, was caught inside of Robert De Niro's New York City townhouse early Monday morning as the Oscar-winning actor and his 10-year-old daughter slept upstairs, according to police.

Police arrested Shanice Aviles, 30, on burglary charges after she was seen entering De Niro's upper east side townhouse at 2:45 a.m. Officers said they started following Aviles after they saw her try to open a number of doors on nearby businesses before entering De Niro's home.

The officers quickly followed her into the residence where they said they found Aviles using De Niro's iPad. Some officers also reported she was caught taking presents from under the Christmas tree and stuffing them into a bag.

Police said, after the arrest, they went upstairs where they found De Niro sleeping and woke him up. There was no interaction between the burglar and De Niro, who is expected to press charges against Aviles.

According to officers, Aviles has 26 prior arrests and is described as one of the New York Police Department's "most prolific recidivist burglars." Aviles also had two active bench warrants, at the time of her arrest, for failure to appear in court.

De Niro, 79, is best known for his roles in The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, as well as Meet the Parents.