Daily Archives: April 8, 2019

Gramercy package ‘thief’ arrested

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police have arrested a man they believe to be behind multiple package thefts in residential buildings since February.

Jacob Roman, 40, was caught in front of 201 East 15th Street and Third Avenue on Saturday, March 30 at 11:45 a.m. when he was allegedly attempting to break into the building. Police said that a resident of the building recognized Roman from when he was inside the location previously and had been identified as someone who was wanted in connection to several past thefts of packages from the same location.

Roman was allegedly seen on video surveillance using a tool to gain entry into the same building on Friday, February 15 around midnight and helping himself to items left in the building’s mailroom.

Police said that Roman got inside the building using some type of tool on Sunday, February 17 and could be seen on surveillance video going through packages in the mailroom and leaving with items intended for residents.

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Rent Guidelines Board vote and rent regulation debate are both on the horizon

Mike McKee of TenantsPAC (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Sabina Mollot

Spring has sprung and every four years in New York means one thing: that government decisions made at the city and state levels will be directly impacting the affordability of over a million stabilized apartments.

The city’s Rent Guidelines Board is beginning the process of debating what this year’s increase will be for renters with its first meeting of the year set for this Thursday. The final vote will be made in late June.

The rent regulations that affect the city, made in the state’s capital, are also set to expire on June 15. Though they’re expected to be renewed, lobbying from both the real estate industry and tenants has already begun to hammer out the details.

Both parties will of course have their hands full in terms of advocacy. What this means for tenants, who don’t necessarily have the time to be in two places at once, is that they should prioritize Albany. So states Michael McKee, treasurer and spokesperson of Tenants Political Action Committee (PAC).

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