Category Archives: Flatiron District

Cops looking for man who’s been robbing cabbies in Manhattan

By Sabina Mollot

Cops are looking for a man who’s spent his summer robbing cab drivers in Flatiron, Greenwich Village and midtown Manhattan.

The man apparently rides up to the taxis on his bike and snatches cash from the drivers’ shirt pockets after reaching through their windows. In one recent incident, the mugger also punched a 46-year-old cabbie before snatching $200 from him. This was on Thursday, July 27 at Waverly Place and Christopher Street, where police found a stolen bike he left behind.

A few days later, on Monday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m., police said the man swiped $70 from a 66-year-old cabbie at East 21st Street and Park Avenue South. He then fled on his bike.

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Police arrest subway groping suspect

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Groping suspect, identified as David Cruz

By Sabina Mollot

A homeless man was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly groping two women on the subway in Flatiron.

The man, identified as 33-year-old David Cruz, wore a Santa hat and rose colored glasses during the incidents, which both took place around the same time.

Cops say Cruz has a lengthy rap sheet with 17 arrests, running from minor crimes like turnstile hopping and petty larceny to more serious ones like assault, burglary, sale of marijuana and tampering with evidence.

On the evening of February 8, police said Cruz grabbed a 32-year-old woman’s butt as she waited on the platform at the 23rd Street R/W station. Then he allegedly hung around before doing the same thing to a 34-year-old woman on his way up the stairs to the street. The victims reported the incidents separately at later times.

Cruz has been charged with two counts of forcible touching.

On 50th anniversary, FDNY remembers the 23rd Street fire

 

Firefighters at the scene of the fire (courtesy of FDNY)
Firefighters attempt to extinguish the blaze (courtesy of FDNY)
Fire fighters rush into the Wonder Drug store.
Fire officials and Christine Priore, daughter of a fallen fireman, at a wreath laying ceremony (ceremony photos by Sabina Mollot)
FDNY members at a ceremony
FDNY officials at the ceremony
Some of the crowd at the ceremony
FDNY bagpipers at the Flatiron Plaza
Alicia and Christine Priore, whose father was Lieutenant Joseph Priore

By Sabina Mollot

Fifty years ago on Monday, October 17, twelve firefighters lost their lives battling a blaze in Flatiron, making the date the deadliest the department would ever know until 9/11.

The fire, which was hidden at first due to illegal building alterations, had prevented firefighters from knowing just what a dangerous situation they were in for.

On Monday, dozens of fire officials and rank and file, along with family members of the fallen firemen, gathered at the Flatiron Plaza for a remembrance ceremony and then a wreath laying at the site of the fire at the corner of 23rd Street and Broadway. Today, it’s home to a high-rise residential building with a plaque alongside it memorializing the deceased firemen.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro spoke at the ceremony about how the 1966 fire is still a big part of training for firefighters today.

“Every probationary firefighter learns about this in the academy; 23rd Street has been the subject of countless drills,” the commissioner said. “This was the department’s darkest tragedy… and remained so until 9/11.”

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Local sites to be explored in Open House New York

Church of the Transfiguration at 1 East 29th Street (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

Church of the Transfiguration at 1 East 29th Street (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Open House New York, an annual event that encourages conversations about architecture, public spaces and urban life, will be taking place throughout the city this weekend. Buildings and parks throughout the five boroughs will be participating and a handful of local institutions are opening their doors to the public, with no entrance fees at these participating sites.

Most of the open access sites offering tours this weekend are buildings, including historic landmarks and skyscrapers, but one unexpected offering includes the greenmarket at Union Square. The site serves as an info hub for the event all day on Saturday but is also featured as a site in itself. There will be a behind-the-scenes tour with GrowNYC, the non-profit organization that runs the greenmarket, at 10 a.m. on Saturday to meet some of the farmers who serve as regular vendors that bring fresh produce to New Yorkers.

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Free tech classes returning to Flatiron in June

Outdoor summer program also includes fitness classes and games

Attendees at a tech class held last summer on the Flatiron Plaza (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

Attendees at a tech class held last summer on the Flatiron Plaza (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Public programming in the Flatiron Plazas will be back for the summer this June with free tech classes, fitness sessions, board games, crafting and other activities. The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) is launching the series with an event on the summer solstice, June 20, in partnership with the Museum of Mathematics, which is located on East 26th Street just north of Madison Square Park, and programming will officially begin the next day, running through August 11 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The kickoff event, held on the longest day of the year, will be a chance for the public to participate in some math-related fun. MoMath and the BID, with the help of willing volunteers, will construct a polyhedron comprised of 12 ten-pointed stars in the north public plaza. The angles on all the stars will correspond with the angle made by the sun at its highest peak at noon on the day of the solstice.

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Flatiron residents want neighborhood history recognized in plaza redesign

Flatiron residents and business owners at the plaza planning workshop (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

Flatiron residents and business owners at the plaza planning workshop (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Community residents and business owners in the Flatiron District are hoping to highlight the history of the neighborhood and provide more space for public activities at the neighborhood’s pedestrian plazas.

They got to share their suggestions at a recent community workshop hosted by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District on the future of the plazas, which stretch from 23rd to 25th Streets along Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

The workshop was held last month at the Porcelanosa building on 25th Street.

One attendee was neighborhood resident Jeanne Braun, who said the history of the area should be emphasized.

“It should be made to look like a historic district,” she said.

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New installation offers passersby a kaleidoscope view of Flatiron

“Nova,” a new installation at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza, as viewed from the inside of the structure (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

“Nova,” a new installation at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza, as viewed from the inside of the structure (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

A new interactive art installation on the Flatiron’s north public plaza debuted last Wednesday evening, kicking off the holiday festivities in the neighborhood.

“Nova” by SOFTlab was the winning submission in the second annual Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition, held by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) and Van Alen Institute, that called for proposals from design firms for a temporary holiday installation.

SOFTlab, which also happens to be a local firm located on West 27th Street directly north, worked with materials from 3M to create the crystalline installation that acts as a sort of observatory for historical sites in the neighborhood. Viewing scopes positioned in different directions allow passerby to see the Flatiron Building, Met Life clock tower, Empire State Building and other landmarks through a kaleidoscopic lens and LEDs that activate within the structure enhance the effect.

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Sex offender busted at 30th St. shelter, Man arrested for ‘accidental’ shooting

SEX OFFENDER BUSTED AT 30TH ST. SHELTER

FOR FAILING TO MENTION ADDRESS CHANGE

Police arrested 45-year-old Carlos Leon for an unclassified felony inside the 30th Street Men’s Shelter at 400 East 30th Street last Monday at 8 a.m. Police said that Leon is a registered New York State level 2 sex offender.

He was convicted of attempted sex abuse in the first degree by forcible compulsion on January 28, 2003 for sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl in 2000. After he was notified of his duties on March 8, 2013 and March 13, 2003, police said that he failed to notify the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender monitoring unit of a change of address within 10 days.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ACCIDENTAL ‘SHOOTING’

Police arrested 37-year-old Charles Dunwoody for assault and possession of a weapon last Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. at the 13th Precinct. Police said that Dunwoody was involved in a shootout with another person who wasn’t arrested that resulted in a woman receiving a gunshot graze wound to her inner right calf.

WOMAN FOUND DEAD ON EAST 28TH

Police responded to a 911 call at 224 East 28th Street on Saturday at 10:05 a.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 27-year-old woman who was unconscious and unresponsive with no apparent signs of trauma. EMS responded and pronounced her deceased at the scene. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. Identity of the deceased is pending family notification. The investigation is ongoing.

TEEN BUSTED FOR SECOND AVENUE BURGLARY

Police arrested a teenager in front of 444 Second Avenue for burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana last Saturday at 2:28 a.m. Police said that the boy and another person who wasn’t arrested entered the residential building and stole property while the victim was still inside the apartment.

When the victim saw the intruders, they ran outside the building where two more people who weren’t arrested were waiting. Police tracked down one of the suspects using video surveillance and he was in possession of a stolen iPad from the burglary and was also in possession of a glass pipe containing marijuana.

‘PERV’ ARRESTED AT

UNION SQUARE SUBWAY STATION

Police arrested 35-year-old Mohamed Ibrahim for sexual abuse inside the Union Square subway station last Saturday at 12:10 p.m. Police said that Ibrahim was observed rubbing his groin on the victim’s buttocks on an uptown 5 train. Police said that Ibrahim and the victim did not know each other.

MAN NABBED FOR ‘ASSAULT’ AT BAG SHOP

Police arrested 23-year-old Jesse Rivera for assault in front of Broadway Bags at 1179 Broadway last Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Rivera got into an argument with an employee at the store and allegedly punched the victim in the face. Police said that he also slammed the victim’s left arm into a glass case in the store, causing serious physical injury and pain. EMS removed the victim to Bellevue Hospital.

TEEN BUSTED FOR PHONE THEFT

Police arrested a teenager for grand larceny and possession of stolen property last Wednesday at 4:41 p.m. inside Good Shepherd Services at 337 East 17th Street. Police said that the teen grabbed a social worker’s phone from her hand without permission while the social worker was using it. The teen then fled the scene but was later arrested.

TEENS BUSTED FOR

‘BREAKDANCING’ ON L TRAIN

An eighteen-year-old and two other teenagers for reckless endangerment at the corner of Union Square East and East 14th Street last Friday at 8:42 p.m. Police said the teens were breakdancing and performing acrobatic moves aboard a moving L train, creating a reckless condition of substantial risk of serious physical injury to himself and others without permission or authority to do so.

ASSAULT ON EAST 16TH STREET

Police arrested 34-year-old Kyle Sweeney for assault in front of 114 East 16th Street last Friday at 12:11 a.m. Police said that Sweeney punched the victim in the face, causing bleeding and swelling to his upper lip. No further information was available about how the dispute started.

MAN ARRESTED FOR

‘TRESPASSING’ AT MCDONALD’S

Police arrested 26-year-old Louis Smith for criminal trespass inside the McDonald’s at 39 Union Square West last Thursday at 11:30 p.m. An employee told Smith to leave the establishment multiple times but allegedly refused. Police said that they also told him numerous times that he couldn’t stay inside the building based on their rules and policies and he allegedly put up a fight while being detained in handcuffs. Smith was also charged with resisting arrest.

MAN BUSTED FOR ‘URINATING’

AT BROADWAY AND WEST 28TH

Police arrested 56-year-old Ronald Braga for an unclassified violation on the corner of Broadway and West 28th Street last Friday at 6:42 a.m. Police said that Braga was urinating on a public sidewalk in plain view and he allegedly did not possess a valid ID.

MAN NABBED FOR ‘TRESPASSING’

IN EAST 28TH ST. BUILDING

Police arrested 25-year-old Troy Davidson for criminal trespass and possession of marijuana inside 224 East 28th Street last Saturday at 12:40 a.m. Police said that Davidson was trespassing on the 19th floor stairwell inside the building but he is not a resident there. Police said that he wasn’t an invited guest of anyone in the building and did not have legitimate business there. He was in possession of alleged marijuana that was in his right front jacket pocket.

‘DISORDERLY’ MAN ARRESTED

AT THIRD AND EAST 23RD

Police arrested 27-year-old James Glogovski for disorderly conduct at the corner of Third Avenue and East 23rd Street last Saturday at 4:15 a.m. Police responded to the location because of a report of theft of service. Glogovski was intoxicated and sleeping in the back of a cab and did not respond to repeated attempts to wake up and pay the fare. When he finally awoke, he allegedly became verbally abusive with officers. Police said that he refused to step out of the street onto the sidewalk and began to escalate his “disorderly” behavior. He allegedly flailed his arms and refused to comply with repeated requests by officers.

MAN BUSTED FOR ‘STOLEN’ DEBIT CARD

Police arrested 46-year-old Oscar Diaz last Thursday at 5:05 p.m. inside the 13th Precinct for grand larceny. Police said that Diaz took the victim’s debit card and used it to make a purchase at Bath and Body Works.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘DAMAGED’ MIRROR

Police arrested 28-year-old Leon Jacobs for criminal mischief at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 17th Street last Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. Police said that Jacobs got into an argument with the victim and allegedly smacked the driver’s side window of the car, causing damage to the mirror.

 

Flatiron plazas to be redeveloped

The city is seeking community input on the redesign at an upcoming workshop. (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

The city is seeking community input on the redesign at an upcoming workshop. (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

The Flatiron pedestrian plazas and Worth Square (just north of the plazas) will be redeveloped, The Flatiron Partnership and New York City Department of Transportation have announced, and the city will be seeking input from the community at a public workshop on November 10.

Flatiron Partnership Executive Director Jennifer Brown said that development of the plazas has been theoretical for a while, but earlier this year there was enough funding through the city to officially start the design process and consider options for more permanent fixtures for the spaces.

Brown said that the plazas, which stretch along Broadway from East 21st to 23rd Street and north of 23rd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue adjacent to Madison Square Park, have been the way they are since 2008 using temporary materials like the epoxy gravel surface that is starting to wear out and the temporary granite blocks that protect the spaces from street traffic. The workshop, which will be held in the Porcelanosa building at 202 Fifth Avenue from 6 to 8:30 p.m., is geared towards getting input from the public about different design elements.

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Three women shot, one fatally, outside Flatiron club

Oct15 Motivo5

Detectives outside Motivo on Monday morning (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

A 24-year-old woman was shot and killed outside of a nightclub in the Flatiron District early on Monday morning, and two other women were also shot and now in stable condition.

Police said that at 4 a.m., the victims were found in front of the club, Motivo at 915 Broadway and 21st Street. The 24-year-old woman who was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital had been shot in the back. A 30-year-old woman was shot in the shoulder and a 25-year-old woman had been shot on the hip and foot.

Police officers keep the street in front of Motivo blocked off. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Police officers keep the street in front of Motivo blocked off. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. Police are withholding the name of the woman who was killed pending family notification.

The Post reported the victims were not likely the intended targets and that the suspect is believed to be in his 20s and was last seen wearing a red and black hoodie, according to cops.

UPDATE: The Daily News reported that the shooter had been kicked out of the club, and then vowed to get his gun before retrieving it from his vehicle. The woman who died was identified as Walikque Faussett, a Bronx resident and mother to a three-year-old son named Alex. The News also reported that the suspected shooter is also from the Bronx and believed to be a member of the “DYMES R US” gang, according to police.

Men indicted for rape, robbery; Officer assaulted at Bellevue

THREE MEN INDICTED FOR RAPE, ROBBERY

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the indictment of Fernando Sandel, 27, Isaias Rivera, 31, and Joey Cruz, 26, for allegedly conspiring to rape and rob prostitutes. The defendants were charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with predatory sexual assault, rape, burglary, and robbery, among other charges, including conspiring together to commit those crimes.

On August 3, Sandel, Rivera, and Cruz contacted a prostituted woman online and met her in a Midtown hotel room, where they allegedly sprayed her in the face with mace and bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties before repeatedly sexually assaulting her. The three defendants are similarly accused of attacking a prostituted woman whom they met online in a Gramercy apartment the next day, spraying her in the face with mace and binding her wrists and ankles before sexually assaulting her. In an earlier incident on June 28, Sandel and Cruz allegedly sexually assaulted a prostituted woman on the roof of a Bronx apartment building after spraying her in the face with mace. The men are also charged with stealing property from each woman, including the purses of two victims.

MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION

WITH SEPTEMBER ROBBERY

Police arrested 25-year-old Mohamed Diaby inside the 13th Precinct last Tuesday at 10 p.m. for a robbery that took place at the corner of West 27th Street and Sixth Avenue on September 26 at 3:05 a.m. Police said that Diaby drove up next to the victim in a black Jeep and told him that he had a gun. He allegedly forced the victim into the back of the vehicle while two other suspects snatched his property. Police said the suspects then pushed him from the vehicle and fled north on Sixth Avenue. The victim tracked his iPhone to West 29th Street and Ninth Avenue but the phone was not recovered. The other two suspects have not yet been arrested.

TEENS ARRESTED FOR

‘THEFT’ FROM FOOD VENDOR

Police arrested a 16-year-old and 18-year-old Xavier Chalas for petit larceny at the corner of First Avenue and East 25th Street last Tuesday at 2:28 a.m. Police said that the teen and Chalas removed cash from a food cart at the corner without permission. Chalas was also allegedly in possession of a scalpel and was charged with possession of a weapon.

OFFICER ASSAULTED AT BELLEVUE

Police arrested 23-year-old Andrew Baker for assault of a peace officer inside Bellevue Hospital at 462 First Avenue last Friday at 7:20 p.m. While he was in police custody, Baker allegedly punched the officer who was guarding him in the face, causing swelling and pain.

TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR

‘MUGGING’ ON SEVENTH AVENUE

Police arrested 28-year-old Spencer Daly and 25-year-old Daniel Maldonado for grand larceny last Tuesday at 3:25 p.m. in front of 333 Seventh Avenue.

Police said that Daly and Maldonado removed property from the victim without permission, and Daly was found to be in possession of the victim’s property. Maldonado allegedly refused to be handcuffed and police said that he kicked out the passenger’s side rear window of a marked Radio Motor Patrol vehicle. He was also allegedly in possession of several credit cards that didn’t belong to him.

Daly was also charged with theft and Maldonado was additionally charged with criminal mischief, possession of stolen property, jostling and resisting arrest.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ‘ASSAULT’ WITH JEWELRY BOX

Twenty-year-old Hannah Sperber was arrested for assault last Tuesday at 12:07 p.m. inside 201 East 15th Street. The victim told police that Sperber hit her in the face with a jewelry box, causing broken front teeth and an injury on her head that required two stitches, and also caused a fractured wrist. Police did not have any information about how Sperber knew the victim, but she told police that Sperber is very aggressive.

‘DRUG’ SALE ON THIRD AVENUE

Eighteen-year-old Vincent McLeod was arrested for the sale of a controlled substance in front of 171 Third Avenue last Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. Police said that McLeod agreed to sell a quantity of a controlled substance to an undercover officer for a sum of money. McLeod was also charged with petit larceny and fraudulent accosting. Police said that McLeod is known as an MGZ crew member, which is a gang in Brooklyn known as Marcy Gangstas.

MAN NABBED FOR VERIZON STORE ‘BURGLARY’

Eighteen-year-old Fernando Rodriguez was arrested at the 13th Precinct last Tuesday for burglary. Police said that Rodriguez forcibly entered a Verizon store overnight and removed three cell phones without permission. After he was read his Miranda rights, he allegedly identified himself on surveillance video removing the phones.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘TRESPASSING’

IN WEST 26TH ST. BUILDING

Police arrested 34-year-old Patrick Gaillard for criminal trespass inside 25 West 26th Street last Wednesday at 8:35 a.m. Gaillard was allegedly in the basement of the building without permission to be there. Police said that he was also in possession of a gravity knife, and he was charged with possession of a weapon.

MAN NABBED FOR SELLING ‘DRUGS’

Police arrested 24-year-old Kyle Ayala for sale of a controlled substance and intent to sell a controlled substance in front of 125 West 26th Street last Saturday at 11:40 p.m. Police said that Ayala exchanged a quantity of a controlled substance with another person who wasn’t arrested. When police stopped him, he allegedly fled and once he was detained, he began to flail his arms to prevent being handcuffed. He was also charged with resisting arrest. When he was searched, police said he was also in possession of a quantity of a controlled substance and packaging for drugs.

MEN ARRESTED FOR ‘TRESPASSING’

IN NYCHA BUILDING

Two men were arrested for trespassing in a NYCHA building at 224 East 28th Street in separate incidents last week.

Police arrested 43-year-old Juan Nieves last Tuesday at 2:42 p.m. Police said that Nieves entered and remained unlawfully on the roof landing at the building even though a sign in the stairwell clearly states that roof access is not permitted except by authorized personnel.

Nineteen-year-old Kaliel Frazier was arrested last Thursday at 9:47 p.m. Frazier was allegedly trespassing on the second floor of the building.

MAN BUSTED FOR TRESPASSING

IN EAST 27TH ST. BUILDING

Vincent Querrazi, 48, was arrested for criminal trespass inside 243 East 27th Street last Wednesday at 8:58 p.m. Police said that Querrazi was trespassing in the sixth floor stairwell in the building. After he was searched, police found that he was allegedly in possession of a controlled substance and he was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

 

Cops seeking bike riding robber who hit banks near Stuy Town and in Flatiron

By Sabina Mollot

Police are looking for a very determined man who robbed one bank near Stuy Town, the Ponce de Leon branch on First Avenue, and attempted to rob two other banks, all in the same day. In each incident, the man arrived on his bike and then strolled into the bank where he handed a note to a teller demanding cash.

Cops say the pattern is as follows.

On Thursday, September 10 at approximately 9:37 a.m., the man walked into a Chase Bank, located at 225 Fifth Avenue and 27th Street, but fled empty handed.

Three minutes later, he tried his luck at the Chase Bank at 386 Park Avenue South and 27th Street, but again left without any money.

Then at 10:03 a.m., he walked into the Ponce De Leon Bank, located at 319 First Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets, and got away with $1,000 in cash.

The suspect is described as light-skinned, approximately 5’7″ tall with thin build, in his mid 30s, and has a pointy nose. He also has a tattoo on his left ankle and on his right calf. A video showing some of the bank footage shows the suspect wearing a baseball cap, a bright red jacket and short pants.

Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

The news of this pattern comes on the heels of police announcing that they are looking for two additional bank robbers hitting the 13th Precinct.

On the usually high amount of bank robberies in the area, a spokesperson for the NYPD told Town & Village, “We are actively conducting investigations in regards to the bank robberies and the bank robbery patterns.” He said he couldn’t answer a question asking if this meant there were more police officers patrolling the area.

UPDATE:

Police also said the man continued his robbery attempts (key word being attempts) the following day at three more banks further north.

On Friday, September 11 at 9:08 a.m., he allegedly walked into the Apple Bank at 371 Seventh Avenue at West 33rd Street, but left empty-handed.

Then at 9:18 a.m., he headed to Valley National Bank at the Textile Building, 295 Fifth Avenue and 30th Street, but left without any loot.

By 10:03 a.m., he was at the Capital One Bank located at 991 Third Avenue and 59th street, but also left that branch without anything to show for his efforts.

Police looking for two men behind separate patterns of bank robberies

HSBC and Apple Bank robbery suspect

HSBC and Apple Bank robbery suspect

Police are on the lookout for two bank robbers believed to be responsible for different heists in Union Square, Flatiron and other neighborhoods.

With regards to the first suspect, on Wednesday, September 9 around 2:10 p.m., a man walked into the HSBC Bank located at 80 Eighth Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets in Chelsea, approached a teller and demanded money. However, the teller refused and the man fled empty handed.

At 2:35 p.m., the same man walked into the Union Square Apple Bank located at 4 Irving Place and East 14th Street, approached a teller and demanded money. This time the teller complied and the suspect fled with an undetermined amount of cash.

The suspect has been described as a thin black male, 30 to 40 years old and 6’2″ tall.

Chase and HSBC Bank robbery suspect

Chase and HSBC Bank robbery suspect

Police are also looking for another man they believe to be behind three separate bank robberies, in Times Square, Chelsea and most recently, the Flatiron District.

The pattern is as follows:

On Friday, September 4, at around 12:40 p.m., the suspect walked into a Chase Bank at 615 8th Avenue and 40th Street, approached a teller and passed a note demanding cash. He then fled with $2,850.

On Tuesday, September 8 at approximately 5:10 p.m., the same man walked into a different Chase Bank at 475 West 23rd Street and 10th Avenue and slipped the teller another demand note. This time he fled empty-handed.

The next day, on Wednesday, September 9 at around 2:15 p.m., the suspect was back at it, at an HSBC Bank at 145 5th Avenue and West 21st Street. After handing a teller a demand note, he got away with $1,992.

The suspect is described as Hispanic, approximately 5’3″ tall, 195 lbs. and in his 30s.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).  The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at http://www.crimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

Tech classes offered at Flatiron Plaza

A tech class was held on Tuesday evening as part of an annual outdoor program. (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

A tech class was held on Tuesday evening as part of an annual outdoor program. (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Summer programming is in full swing in the neighborhood parks and plazas, and while for some that means watching a movie outdoors or taking a free fitness class, for residents and workers in the Flatiron District it also means learning different tech skills.

General Assembly, the educational institution that has offices in the Flatiron District and which offers classes on coding, digital marketing and other topics, has been working with the Flatiron Partnership for the last four summers to bring some of their individual classes to the public. Flatiron BID/Partnership executive director Jennifer Brown said that all of the courses made available are all courses that General Assembly offers, but the BID works with GA to figure out what will be best for public programming.

“We talk with them about what would make sense for the broader community and what would make most sense for the broadest audience,” she said. “Digital marketing is something people in different industries can use, and the class on freelancers and startups can appeal to lots of different individuals and freelancers.”

The choices seem to work, as the classes have generally been well attended.

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Man rapes woman at bar on East 27th Street

Police are on the lookout for a man wanted for rape at Turnmill, a bar at 119 East 27th Street.

On Saturday, April 11, 7:45 p.m. the suspect grabbed a 23-year-old-woman by the throat and raped her inside of a stall in the women’s bathroom.

After the attack, the suspect fled the scene and the victim was taken to Lenox Hill Healthplex Hospital for treatment and evaluation.

The suspect is described as a white, 45-55 years-old, 5’8″-5’10” and 150-175 pounds with brown hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and black framed glasses.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.