Robbers 'posing as Con Ed workers' break into buildings in NYC black-out zone

Robbers have been posing as Con Edison workers to steal from homes inside the black-out zone of lower Manhattan, making residents increasingly worried for their safety as they enter the fifth day without power.

There has been relatively little crime reported in an area where the majority of homes and businesses were cut off after a substation blew when it was flooded during Hurricane Sandy.

Several apartment buildings have bumped up security and were checking the photo identification of those coming and going.

One resident told the Wall Street Journal that more security personnel had been brought in after nearby buildings reported the people posing as Con Ed workers got into homes claiming to be fixing the power.

Many elderly residents, who had remained inside the evacuation zone because they had nowhere else to go, now say that safety is their primary concern as people roamed the dark streets at night.

Electricity is expected to be restored to the main island of Manhattan by Saturday since the area is largely run by an underground power network that is easier to fix than the downed electrical lines.

However the outer boroughs will have to wait until November 10 or 11 for their power.

Although the death toll from Sandy had reached 38 in the city, Mayor Bloomberg said at his daily news conference on Thursday that there had been no murders in the city since the storm struck.

'I don't think we've had a murder in two or three days. That's some good news,' Bloomberg said.