Category Archives: Crime

$1,000 reward offered for kitten stolen from Petco

By Sabina Mollot

Cat rescue organization KittyKind is hoping to find a kitten that was stolen on Friday at around 2:25 p.m. from the Union Square Petco.

Though no one saw him in the act, a man breezed into the store on East 17th Street while the cats and kittens up for adoption were in their cages. Volunteers are only there in the mornings, evenings and weekends, so none were present when the man came in mid-afternoon, walked over to the cages and broke the lock of a lower cage. He then took a 12-week-old striped kitten named Sage from inside, leaving its sister Rosemary behind, and walked out the door.

According to Valerie Vlasaty, a KittyKind volunteer later briefed on the situation, a customer happened to see the man leave and mentioned he’d walked out with a kitten to an employee. The employee then went outside to try and stop the man, but it was too late; he’d already disappeared into the Union Square crowd.

“We’re devastated, heartbroken,” said Vlasaty.

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Police Watch: Woman accused of ID theft, Man charged with obstructing EMT

WOMAN ACCUSED OF ID THEFT AT BANK
Police arrested 59-year-old Robin Hill for an alleged theft inside the TD Bank at 90 Fifth Avenue on Thursday, April 11 at 4:48 p.m. Police said that Hill entered the bank, claiming that she lost her debit card and was trying to get a replacement card. When she presented a New Jersey ID to the bank employee, the employee discovered that the card was allegedly a fake license with Hill’s photograph and someone else’s name. The employee notified the supervisor at the location and they were able to get in touch with the actual owner of the account, who said that she had not given any permission to Hill to access it. When Hill was searched, officers found a valid New York State driver’s license with her real personal information on it. Hill was charged with grand larceny, identity theft and forgery.

MAN CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTING EMT IN FRONT OF BETH ISRAEL
Police arrested 34-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez for allegedly preventing emergency workers from doing their job in front of Mount Sinai Beth Israel at 10 Union Square East on Saturday, April 13 at 9:49 a.m. Police said that Gonzalez walked in front of an ambulance, obstructing the workers from responding to an emergency call. Gonzalez also allegedly made threatening gestures and used threatening language to EMT personnel. Police said that Gonzalez attempted to punch one of the workers and refused to disperse from the location, causing alarm and annoyance. Gonzalez was charged with an unclassified misdemeanor and disorderly conduct.

TEENS ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY
Police arrested two teenagers for a robbery in front of 495 Second Avenue on Sunday, April 14 at 10:47 a.m. Police said that the two teens punched the victim in the face before forcibly removing cash from him. One of the teens allegedly ran when officers attempted to handcuff them and he resisted arrest. The teens were charged with robbery and possession of stolen property. The names of the teens are being withheld due to their young age.

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Man charged with trying to bribe inspector

52 West 28th Street

52 West 28th Street

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police arrested a man in NoMad for allegedly attempting to bribe city officials in exchange for passing a gas inspection last week.

Yonghuang Zheng, 49, allegedly offered cash to two Department of Buildings inspectors in exchange for passing a gas inspection at 52 West 28th Street on Wednesday, April 3 at 2:50 p.m.

According to the district attorney’s office, an inspector saw that the set-up in the building was not up to code and there was no licensed plumber at the location, which is required for gas turn-on inspections. Zheng then allegedly offered the inspector money in order to pass the inspection and said, “Please do not fail me. I will take care of you.”

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Suspect charged with trying to rob Stuy Town Citibank

Citibank attempted robbery suspect

Police arrested a Bronx man on Thursday in connection with an attempted robbery of the Citibank at 262 First Avenue last month.

Robert Balsano, 47, of 1146 Ogden Avenue, allegedly strolled up to a teller on Saturday, March 23 with an encyclopedia that had a note inside demanding cash. However, the teller refused and he ended up fleeing without any money.

 

 

Man allegedly swiped chandeliers and more

HOME DEPOT CHANDELIER

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police have arrested a man who reportedly walked out of the Home Depot on West 23rd Street with a chandelier he didn’t pay for — twice.

Robert Frierson, 48, went inside the store at 40 West 23rd Street on Tuesday, March 12 around 11 a.m. and allegedly took a box containing a chandelier. According to the district attorney’s office, video surveillance shows Frierson walking into the store empty-handed and walking out with the box, which police said that he didn’t pay for.

Police said Frierson returned to the store the following day around 9:15 a.m. and could be seen on video surveillance going to the lighting aisle before taking another chandelier box without stopping at the register to pay.

The DA’s office said that Frierson entered the store again on Sunday, March 17 at 8:45 a.m. and allegedly took a shower head and bathmat before leaving without paying for the items.

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Ex-con allegedly sold crack to cops

Theodore Gaddy

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police busted convicted robber Theodore Gaddy for an alleged drug deal in NoMad last week.

Gaddy, 34, was reportedly working with 67-year-old Roger Blake, who was also arrested, to sell alleged crack cocaine to an undercover officer in exchange for cash at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 25th Street on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Gaddy previously pleaded guilty to a robbery that took place in Harlem on September 1, 2014, according to the district attorney’s office. Gaddy stole a woman’s cell phone and punched her in the stomach and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in state prison.

T&V also previously reported that Gaddy was arrested for an alleged robbery that took place in front of 150 East 24th Street on January 8, 2018. Police said that Gaddy had pushed a 16-year-old boy to the ground before grabbing his cell phone and fleeing the scene.

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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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Police Watch: Man accused of punching woman during robbery, Woman allegedly assaulted theater employees

MAN ACCUSED OF PUNCHING WOMAN DURING CVS ROBBERY
Police arrested 27-year-old Sean Wagner and 22-year-old Nicholas Caballero for an alleged robbery inside the CVS at 245 First Avenue on Wednesday, March 27 around 11 p.m. Police said that Wagner and Caballero, along with another person who wasn’t arrested, went into the store and took merchandise off the shelves and tried to leave without paying. An employee said that she told them to stop and was going to take a photo of them when Wagner allegedly punched her in the face, causing redness and pain. The suspects fled the store, but Wagner was caught shortly after the incident in front of 7 East 14th Street on Thursday, March 28 at 12:16 a.m. Caballero was arrested inside the 13th Precinct on Monday, April 1 at 4 p.m. Wagner was charged with robbery and possession of stolen property. Caballero was charged with petit larceny.

WOMEN ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED MOVIE THEATER EMPLOYEES
Police arrested 22-year-old Treasure Liggins, 24-year-old Brianna Jones and 23-year-old Tyhamrra Newman for an alleged fight that took place inside the AMC movie theater at 890 Broadway on Monday, March 25 around 12:40 a.m. Police said that Liggins hit the manager of the theater in the eye and Jones allegedly punched the victim, punching another employee at the theater and a security guard in the face, causing swelling and pain to the three victims. Newman reportedly sprayed the theater manager, an employee of the theater and a security guard at the theater with pepper spray, causing substantial pain. Jones and Newman were arrested inside the 13th precinct at 2 a.m. No further information was available about what started the dispute.

MAN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT AT POST OFFICE
Police arrested 58-year-old George Greenslade for an alleged assault that took place inside the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office at 335 East 14th Street on Thursday, March 28 at 4 p.m. The victim told police that he was standing in line when Greenslade allegedly shoved him after cutting him in line. The victim said that Greenslade completed his transaction and waited outside the Post Office for the victim.

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Police Watch: Credit card ‘thief’ caught, Man accused of attacking driver

CREDIT CARD ‘THIEF’ CAUGHT AT OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Police arrested 42-year-old Jannet Tollinche for an alleged theft from earlier in the day before she was caught inside the Outback Steakhouse on Monday, March 18 at 10:33 p.m.

The victim told police that while she was with a patient at her office in Midtown South that afternoon, she left her wallet unattended in another room. Around 10 p.m. that night, she noticed that her Bank of America card and MetroCard were missing from her wallet and realized that the credit card had been used at Burlington and Outback Steakhouse on West 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue.

She was waiting for a Bank of America representative to cancel the card when she got another alert that her card had been used at the Outback Steakhouse again. A friend of the victim then called the restaurant to see if the person who used the victim’s card was still there and when they found out that she was, police brought them to the restaurant, where the victim positively identified Tollinche as someone who had been in her office earlier that day.

Police said that Tollinche was at the restaurant with two of her friends who said that Tollinche was paying for all the food. The waiter told police that Tolliche was the person who handed over the victim’s card to pay and she was also allegedly in possession of items and receipts from Burlington with the transactions on the receipt authorized through the victim’s card.

Police recovered the credit card from the Outback waiter and the victim’s MetroCard from Tollinche’s wallet. Tollinche was charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property.

MAN ACCUSED OF ATTACKING DRIVER ON SIXTH AVENUE
Police arrested 31-year-old Alan Bell inside Madison Square Park after he allegedly assaulted a driver nearby on Sixth Avenue on Saturday, March 23 at 4:40 a.m. The victim told police that he was driving north on Sixth Avenue in the right lane and was stopped at a light while waiting to make a right turn. Bell approached the front of the victim’s vehicle and yelled at him to drive, with the victim responding that he couldn’t because he had the light. Bell then allegedly approached the victim in his car and punched him in the mouth.

The victim told police that he stepped out of the vehicle to defend himself and Bell allegedly responded by pulling out a large knife. Bell then left and the victim called 911 and drove around the block, stopping officers who were in front of 16 West 23rd Street.

As police were interviewing the victim, Bell reportedly walked by and the victim identified him as the person who punched him. The officers attempted to stop Bell, who ran into Madison Square Park in an attempt to flee. When officers caught up with him at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 26th Street, he allegedly put his hands behind his back and flailed his arms to prevent being handcuffed. When police searched the area after Bell was arrested, a large knife was recovered. Bell was charged with resisting arrest, an unclassified misdemeanor, assault, weapons possession, menacing and possession of marijuana.

MAN WITH KNIFE ARRESTED ON SECOND AVENUE
Police arrested 32-year-old Jorge Perez for alleged weapons possession in front of 423 Second Avenue on Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. Police identified Perez on the street because he had two active warrants from 2017 and when he was searched, he was allegedly in possession of a knife and marijuana. Police said that Perez told them he carried the knife for protection. Perez was also charged with possession of marijuana.

MAN ARRESTED FOR DRUG SALE AT SHELTER
Police arrested 52-year-old Emanuel Bell for alleged sale of a controlled substance inside the 30th Street Men’s Shelter at 400 East 30th Street on Tuesday, March 19 at 8:50 p.m. Police said that Bell sold a quantity of heroin to an undercover officer in exchange for cash, and when he was searched, police found that he was in possession of a glassine envelope with the alleged drug. Bell was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Cops say they’ve been ticketing scofflaw cyclists

Police have been confiscating e-bikes like these (pictured in a January Twitter post by the 13th Precinct).

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Just as it did at another cop and community meeting earlier this month in Stuyvesant Town, the topic of bikes dominated the discussion at the 13th Precinct Community Council’s most recent meeting on Tuesday.

“I haven’t been to one of these meetings so this might have been mentioned before, but bikes are a problem,” one Stuyvesant Town resident said early in the evening, prompting a roomful of commiserative chuckles.

In response, Executive Officer Ernesto Castro said that regarding e-bikes, the NYPD is working on operations borough-wide and noted that the precinct has issued 92 summonses for bikes this year, more than last year during the same period.

“This is a difficult area but we are making progress,” Castro assured meeting attendees.

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ACS teens nabbed for muggings

Administration for Children’s Services facility in Kips Bay (Photo via Google Maps)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police have arrested three teenagers in the care of the Administration for Children’s Services Kips Bay Children’s Center in connection with two robberies in the neighborhood this week.

One robbery took place on East 24th Street between Second and Third Avenues on Friday, March 15 around 12:45 a.m. The victim told police that he was walking east on East 24th Street between Second and Third Avenues when three teens approached him from behind and mugged him.

The victim said that they came up from behind him and demanded his bag. He said that he gave the kids his bag and told them he didn’t want trouble before walking away. The victim said that as he was walking away, the three suspects grabbed him and went through his pockets and took his property. The teens were positively identified after officers searched the area.

Police said that one of the teens involved in the robbery was also responsible for a robbery that took place in Kips Bay a few hours earlier the same day.

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(Updated: Arrest made) Man stabbed to death at Riis Houses

Mar28 Riis Houses Wikipedia

Riis Houses (Photo via Wikipedia)

By Sabina Mollot

A man was stabbed to death at the Riis Houses complex near East 12th Street, on Monday night.

At about 8:45 p.m., police responded to a call about an assault in front of 1115 FDR Drive and found a 27-year-old man who’d been stabbed in the stomach. Police said the victim had been arguing with someone in front of 466 East 10th Street and the fight turned physical. The man, who was in and out of consciousness when police arrived, was taken to Bellevue but couldn’t be saved. Police took a “person of interest” whose name hasn’t been released into custody but as of Tuesday there have been no arrests.

The investigation remains ongoing and police are withholding the identity of the victim pending proper family notification.

Update: Police have arrested Christopher Dixon, 26, a resident of 710 East 9th Street, in connection with this incident. The victim has been identified as Phibeon Smalls, who lived in the same building.

Man accused of trying to rape neighbor in Kenmore Hall apt.

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Police arrested a Kenmore Hall resident for the alleged attempted rape of another tenant in the building last weekend.

The victim told police that she was sleeping in her apartment inside Kenmore Hall, a single-room occupancy building at 145 East 23rd Street, on Sunday, March 10 around 11 p.m. when 62-year-old Anthony Carter allegedly broke in. The victim said that Carter got on top of her, allegedly pulling on her underwear without her consent.

Police said that Carter told the victim, “We’re going to have sex,” and she stated no multiple times, but Carter allegedly forced her to touch his genitals.

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Man tries to rob Stuy Town Citibank

Mar28 Citibank robbery

Police officer in front of the bank at 262 First Avenue (Photo by Sean O’Ceallaigh)

By Sabina Mollot

Police are looking for a man who tried to rob the Citibank in Stuyvesant Town on Saturday.

Police say the man strolled into the bank at 262 First Avenue at 10 a.m. and, after approaching the teller, opened an encyclopedia he was holding to a page with a handwritten note demanding cash.

However, the teller did not comply and the man ran off.

The suspect is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, 6’1″ tall and 180 lbs. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, a grey hoodie, black hat, grey gloves, and black sweatpants with red stripes.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or log onto nypdcrimestoppers.com. All calls are strictly confidential.

Update: Rick Hayduk, general manager of Stuyvesant Town, said StuyTown Property Services has provided video to the NYPD and will continue to provide assistance to police. Additionally, the Public Safety department has beefed up patrols along First Avenue with officer patrols as well as cameras.

 

Police Watch: Man arrested for Stuyvesant Town package theft, Suspect pleads guilty to burglar’s tools

THIRD MAN BUSTED FOR STUY TOWN PACKAGE THEFT
Police have arrested a third person in a connection with a string of package thefts that occurred on Christmas in Stuyvesant Town.

Thirty-year-old Norman Pope was arrested on Thursday, March 14 at 2:16 p.m. for six alleged burglaries that took place between 1 and 1:45 a.m. on December 25, 2018.

Rahul Cuya, 19, and 32-year-old Justin Irizarry were both arrested for the alleged burglaries within two days of the incidents.

Police said that Pope, along with Cuya and Irizarry, got inside 245 Avenue C around 1 a.m. and stole packages from the lobby, then allegedly broke into 277 Avenue C and stole packages from that building as well. The men allegedly got into 651 East 14th Street at 1:15 a.m. and stole packages, then broke into 271 Avenue C and took packages from that building as well. Police said that the three suspects broke into 281 Avenue C and 645 East 14th Street around 1:40 a.m. Continue reading →