Daily Archives: April 4, 2018

Police Watch: Teen arrested for Blue Smoke robbery, Man charged in 7-Eleven robbery

FOURTH TEEN ARRESTED FOR BLUE SMOKE ROBBERY
Police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with a robbery inside Blue Smoke at 116 East 27th Street on March 18. Police said that a host at the restaurant was approached around 7 p.m. by five teenagers who claimed they were raising money for a basketball team before grabbing cash from the victim and fleeing the restaurant. When the victim chased after the teens, one of them hit him on the back of the head.
Four teens have been arrested in connection with the incident. The teen was charged with robbery inside the 13th precinct for the robbery last Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. and his name is being withheld due to his young age.

MAN CHARGED WITH 7-ELEVEN ROBBERY
Police arrested 53-year-old Chris Sanachez for an alleged robbery that took place in the 7-Eleven at 239 East 14th Street on March 7 around 10 p.m. Police said that a customer in the store left his property on the counter and Sanachez grabbed it, then fled the location. The victim, a man in his 50s, reportedly chased after Sanachez and when he caught up with him, the suspect allegedly punched the victim in the face, causing pain and swelling. Sanachez was arrested inside the 13th precinct last Tuesday at 7 p.m.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF PUSHING MAN INTO TRACKS AT UNION SQUARE
Police arrested 57-year-old Marjorie Chambers for alleged reckless endangerment at East 14th Street and Union Square West inside the Union Square subway station last Friday at 12:17 a.m. Police said that Chambers recklessly pushed the victim into the roadbed of the train, creating a substantial risk of injury, although no train was approaching at the time of the incident. The victim did not have any visible injuries.

Continue reading →

Man wanted for package thefts, vandalism in Stuy Town

Package theft suspect (Photo courtesy of StuyTown Property Services)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

In what seems to be an ongoing battle to stay a step ahead of local package thieves, a couple of buildings in Stuyvesant Town were hit recently by a man who management also believes is responsible for some graffiti.

StuyTown Property Services notified residents in an email this week that a man has been stealing packages and vandalizing apartment doors, most recently “piggybacking” into 649 East 14th Street on Monday. Packages were subsequently reported missing from the hallway and management believes that the man also vandalized a number of doors in 17 Stuyvesant Oval.

A resident confirmed to Town & Village last Friday that a delivery man had been running loose in the building, staying inside for 40 to 50 minutes last Wednesday, during which he drew penises on three apartment doors on two different floors and “trashed” the second floor, ripping open multiple packages, although it was unclear if anything was stolen from the boxes. The resident noted that the doors had been cleaned and repainted by Thursday.

Continue reading →

Opinion: Make the justice system work for all

By Harvey Epstein

For too long, the scales of justice in New York have been weighted in favor of the rich and powerful and the promise of equal justice has gone unfulfilled. Our courts and our laws consistently disadvantage low-income people, people of color, immigrants (especially those with limited English proficiency), the elderly and the disabled.

New York’s civil justice system handles the cases that affect our fundamental human needs – our homes, our family life, our economic concerns. Yet the system is pay-to-play. If you have the means and can afford a lawyer, you can get a fair shake in court. If you can’t afford a lawyer and can’t get legal help from New York’s underfunded legal services programs, you are left on your own to face dire consequences in courts that are impossible to navigate on your own. A recent state commission report found that each year, 1.8 million low-income New Yorkers are forced to appear in court without counsel in cases that involve life’s essential aspects.

Continue reading →