Woman nabbed in De Niro home allegedly taking Christmas gifts

A woman was arrested on Monday after she allegedly broke into actor Robert De Niro's New York townhouse and reportedly tried to steal Christmas presents from under his tree.

The 30-year-old was spotted by officers entering De Niro's Manhattan home at approximately 2:45 am (0745 GMT), a spokesperson for the New York Police Department said.

Officers entered the Upper East Side apartment and found the woman "inside of the living room attempting to remove property," the spokesperson added.

ABC News cited law enforcement sources as saying police saw the woman putting gifts from under the tree into her bag.

NBC News reported that De Niro, 79, came downstairs in his bathrobe after hearing the commotion. The "Taxi Driver" star was not hurt.

The police spokesperson told AFP in an emailed statement that the accused is known to the NYPD "for numerous burglary arrests."

"The female was taken into custody without incident with charges pending. The investigation is ongoing," the spokesperson added.

De Niro, born and raised in Manhattan, is considered one of America's greatest actors of all time and has won two Academy Awards.

He won the best actor Oscar for portraying middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta in 1980's "Raging Bull" and best supporting actor for his role in "The Godfather Part II."