Category Archives: Police Watch

Police Watch: June 22

LONG ISLAND MAN CHARGED WITH RAPES IN GRAMERCY, MURRAY HILL
Earlier this month, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced the indictment of 31-year-old Long Island resident Cameron McDermott for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting two unconscious women at apartments in Manhattan, including one in Gramercy. McDermott was arrested for allegedly exposing himself in public in Garden City and during the investigation, police found alleged videos and photographs on McDermott’s computer and hard drives which depicted the suspect sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on eight occasions in 2010. The DA’s office said that he also recorded and photographed himself raping and sexually assaulting a second unconscious woman in an apartment on the Upper East Side on five different occasions in 2013. McDermott was charged with predatory sexual assault, rape, sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse and unlawful surveillance.

PAIR ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT OUTSIDE STUY TOWN
Police arrested 31-year-old Yulianna Urbas and 26-year-old Carlos Valdez for assault near Stuyvesant Town. Urbas was apprehended at Avenue C and East 18th Street and Valdez was arrested on the same block but on First Avenue. The victim said that Urbas allegedly struck him multiple times, punching him in the face and causing pain to his head and scratches to his neck. The victim said that Valdez punched him on the left side of his face.

TEEN ARRESTED FOR STOLEN PROPERTY IN STUY TOWN
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy for possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana in front of 274 First Avenue Loop last Wednesday at 10:40 p.m. Police said that the teen was in possession of the victim’s property without permission and when he was searched, he was also in possession of a glass pipe with marijuana residue. Because the suspect is a minor, no further information about the incident was available.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for BB gun, Senior busted for groping

MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING VICTIM WITH BB GUN OVER PARKING DISPUTE
Police arrested 29-year-old Kastriot Lajqi after he allegedly pulled a BB gun on someone he was arguing with over a parking spot and indicated he was cop.
Police said last Sunday at 11 p.m. when Lajqi and the victim were arguing in front of 200 Park Avenue South, Lajqi reached over behind the passenger’s seat of his car and took out a BB gun. He then allegedly pointed it at the victim while saying, “I will blow your f—king head off.” Police said that Lajqi also retrieved a baseball cap with the letters “NYPD” and an NYPD patch on it and he allegedly said, “You see this, don’t f—k with me.” Police said he then fled north on Park Avenue South but was arrested soon after.
Police confirmed that Lajqi is not a member of the NYPD.
He was charged with alleged impersonation of a police officer and menacing.

OCTOGENARIAN ARRESTED FOR GROPING
Police arrested 85-year-old Zhen Huang for sexual abuse in front of 4 Perlman Place last Monday at 7:20 a.m. The victim told police that she was walking outside as she and Huang crossed paths. When he walked by her, he allegedly grabbed the victim’s upper thigh for no legitimate purpose.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY ON EAST 28TH
Police arrested 32-year-old Roberto Vasquez for robbery in front of the Children’s Rescue Fund at 4 East 28th Street last Tuesday at 5:25 a.m. Vasquez allegedly robbed the victim at gunpoint, then fled with the cash. Vasquez was also charged with weapons possession and possession of stolen property, although a gun was not recovered from the scene.

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Police Watch: Slashing outside Stuy Town, Two arrested for assaulting cab driver

MAN BUSTED FOR SLASHING VICTIM OUTSIDE STUYVESANT TOWN
Nineteen-year-old Shukija Winns was arrested for assault after he allegedly slashed another person in the face with a razor blade at the northeast corner of First Avenue and East 14th Street.
The incident took place on April 2 at 5 p.m. but Williams wasn’t arrested until last Wednesday at 9:05 a.m. inside the 13th Precinct.

TWO ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING CAB DRIVER
Police arrested 34-year-old Ndeh Tawah and 25-year-old Sean Glynn for theft of services and assault in front of 307 East 14th Street last Sunday at 4:41 a.m. Police said that Glynn and Tawah were in the victim’s cab and both refused to pay the fare. The driver attempted to stop them from leaving but Tawah and Glynn allegedly both punched the driver in the face, causing a cut and swelling, and ripping the driver’s shirt. The victim was treated at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital.

MAN BUSTED FOR BREAKING INTO CAR ON EAST 14TH
Police arrested 51-year-old Patrice Steed for petit larceny and possession of stolen property in front of 7 East 14th Street last Tuesday at 11:04 a.m. Police said that the victim saw Steed inside his car without permission to be there. Steed allegedly tried to take the victim’s cell phone and loose change, which were inside the vehicle. The victim confronted Steed when he saw him inside his car and he held the suspect there until police responded.

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Police Watch: Box cutter attack outside Stuy Town, Men wanted for bank burglary

TEENS ARRESTED FOR ATTACK ON MAN WITH BOX CUTTER OUTSIDE STUY TOWN
Police arrested four people for assault at the northeast corner of East 14th Street and First Avenue last Friday between 6:45 and 8 p.m. Police said that 19-year-old Yale Garner-Lowery, 20-year-old Jasmine Reyes, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl attacked another man, causing cuts and bruising. Garner-Lowery allegedly slashed the victim with a box cutter, which was recovered from the scene. The names of the younger suspects are being withheld due to their young age.
An attorney for Garner-Lowery told Town & Village he couldn’t comment on the case because his client was in the process of getting a new attorney. It wasn’t clear if he had a new attorney by T&V’s press time.

MEN WANTED FOR BANK BURGLARY
The New York City Police Department is asking the public’s assistance identifying suspects in regards to a burglary from the Bethpage Federal Bank at 109 West 26th Street. Police said that the suspects entered the bank last Sunday, May 21 at 12:15 a.m. by breaking a basement window. Once inside, they disarmed the security system and attempted to open the bank’s vault. They were reportedly unsuccessful so they fled empty handed. The men are described as white, last seen wearing a green hat, black sneakers, a blue jacket and black jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. 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.

MAN BUSTED FOR ASSAULT OF EMT AT BETH ISRAEL
Thirty-year-old Robert McClelland was arrested for allegedly assaulting an EMT inside Mount Sinai Beth Israel at 281 First Avenue. Police said that last Friday at 9 p.m. McClelland slapped a uniformed EMT in the face, causing substantial pain and bruising.

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Police Watch: Man arrested in death of transgender woman, Sex offender arrested for assault

MAN ARRESTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER IN DEATH OF TRANSGENDER WOMAN
Joseph Griffin, 26, was indicted last Friday for fatally striking 59-year-old Brenda/Kenneth Bostick with a metal object in Chelsea in April. Griffin is charged in a New York Supreme Court indictment with manslaughter in the first degree. He is also facing a separate charge of criminal mischief for breaking the windshield of a taxi cab later in the evening of Bostick’s death.
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, Griffin approached the victim, who identified as transgender and was alternately known as Brenda and Kenneth Bostick, or simply “Bostick,” on Seventh Avenue between West 27th and 28th Streets at approximately 10 p.m. on April 25 and struck her over the head with a long, metal object. The victim immediately fell to the ground and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. She were declared braindead on May 4 and died on May 7. Meanwhile, Griffin had fled the scene. About an hour and a half after assaulting the victim, Griffin was seen running through traffic in the middle of the street. When a taxi driver stopped his car to avoid hitting Griffin, he allegedly climbed onto the front of the car, smashing the windshield.

SEX OFFENDER NABBED FOR ASSAULT AT BELLEVUE
Police arrested 37-year-old Jamele Manning for assault and harassment last Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. inside Bellevue Hospital at 462 First Avenue. Police said that Manning punched the victim in the face, causing a cut over the victim’s eye that required stitches, as well as swelling.
As of T&V’s press time, the district attorney’s office said that the suspect had not yet been arraigned, but Manning is listed in the New York State sex offender registry as a level 3 violent sex offender. According to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, Manning forcibly sodomized a teenage girl who he threatened at gunpoint, choked and physically overpowered on February 12, 1999. He was convicted on December 10 of that year. He was sentenced to one day to six years in state prison, although it was unclear how much time he actually served.

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Police Watch: Officer assaulted in Kips Bay, Bike ‘thief’ busted for stolen credit cards

MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING OFFICER IN KIPS BAY
Police arrested 39-year-old Kevin Legenza after he allegedly punched a cop in front of 124 East 28th Street last Friday at 3:13 a.m.
Police said that Legenza was sitting down on the hood of an operating vehicle in front of the location and refused to move. Police officers at the scene asked him to move several times and he allegedly refused. Police said that they told him he was blocking traffic and would be issued a summons if he didn’t move. Legenza then allegedly tried to stop the officer from doing this by pushing him and attempting to walk away. Police said that they attempted to arrest the suspect but he allegedly flailed his arms and actively resisted being restrained, so officers brought him to the ground. This is when Legenza allegedly fell on top of one of the officers and also punched the officer in the face multiple times.
An attorney for Legenza did not respond to a request for comment.

BIKE ‘THIEF’ BUSTED FOR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS
Police arrested 26-year-old Benjamin Marcial for petit larceny and possession of stolen property last Friday at 2:11 p.m. at the corner of East 20th Street and the FDR Drive. Police said that Marcial took a bicycle from the sidewalk without permission and allegedly attempted to put the stolen bike in a taxi to flee the scene.
While Marcial was in custody after being arrested for stealing the bike, police said that he was found to be in possession of stolen credit cards. Police said that the credit cards had been swiped from a Blink Fitness location in the 9th precinct.

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Police Watch: Man nabbed for assaulting senior, Cyclist arrested for assault

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING SENIOR
Police arrested 41-year-old Ralph Ferreiras for assault, menacing and weapons possession last Friday at 1 p.m. inside the 13th precinct. Police said that Ferreiras punched the victim in the face and in the ribs, and he was allegedly in possession of a baseball bat when he was assaulting the victim, who police said is over 65 years old.

CYCLIST ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT
Police arrested 21-year-old Aaron Adderley for assault at the corner of Broadway and West 24th Street last Tuesday at 4:44 p.m. Police said that Adderley and the victim were both riding bicycles near the intersection when Adderley allegedly cut the victim off, bumping their bikes and causing Adderley to fall off the bike. The suspect got up off the ground and allegedly began punching the victim in the face, causing pain and redness.

MAN NABBED FOR STRING OF CELL PHONE THEFTS
Police arrested 37-year-old D’wayne Ferguson for grand larceny and petit larceny for seven cell phone thefts from stores last Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Police said that Ferguson snatched Apple iPhones from stores on two different occasions and he allegedly stole Samsung and other phones on five different occasions, sometimes snatching more than one phone at once.
Ferguson was charged for the incidents inside the 13th precinct.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for jumping into L tracks, Stabbing on Sixth Ave.

MAN ARRESTED FOR JUMPING INTO TRACKS WHILE RUNNING FROM COPS
Police arrested 32-year-old Jose Vijay for reckless endangerment and criminal trespass inside the First Avenue L station last Tuesday at 6:46 p.m. Police were responding to a call about Vijay about a previous sex abuse case while he was at the Third Avenue station on the L train. Police said that he matched the description of a man who was wanted for sex abuse and escorted him off the train. Officers then identified him as a suspect for the earlier incident, but while he was being held at the station, Vijay allegedly jumped onto the tracks and fled down the tunnel. Police said that he was seen passing between the tracks as a train was pulling into the station. No further information was available about the sex abuse case for which he was originally pursued.

MAN NABBED FOR STABBING ON SIXTH AVENUE
Police arrested 28-year-old Cedric Toon for assault and weapons possession last Sunday at 3:30 a.m. in front of 686 Sixth Avenue. Police said that Toon stabbed the victim in the back near his right shoulder with a knife, causing a puncture wound. Police searched the area and found Toon nearby, and two witnesses positively identified him.

MAN NABBED FOR ASSAULTING COP ON BROADWAY
Police arrested 25-year-old Mohamed Thiam for assault of a peace officer last Friday at 4:34 p.m. in front of 1165 Broadway at 27th Street. Police said that they approached Thiam because he was drinking beer out of a cup on the sidewalk and he allegedly refused to show the officer his ID. When they attempted to place him in handcuffs, he allegedly started flailing his arms to prevent being handcuffed. Police said that in the struggle, he punched the arresting office in the face.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for Kips Bay burglary, Man nabbed for bank robbery

MAN BUSTED FOR KIPS BAY BURGLARY
Police arrested 44-year-old Alejandro Almanzar for burglary inside 148 East 30th Street last Tuesday at 1:46 p.m. Almanzar was allegedly casing a number of buildings before he entered the apartment building at 148 East 30th Street. Police said that he went inside without holding anything and when he left, he was holding a black plastic bag with Kohl’s merchandise inside. When police stopped him, he allegedly said that he was picking up clothing for a church, but when police searched the building, they found a Kohl’s delivery package ripped open with the contents missing. Police said that Almanzar didn’t have permission to be inside the building or to take the clothes.
Almanzar was also charged with burglar’s tools, possession of stolen property and criminal trespass.

MAN BUSTED FOR BANK ROBBERY
Police arrested 51-year-old Edward Pemberton for a robbery that took place inside the Amalgamated Bank at 275 Seventh Avenue on March 28 at 1:40 p.m. Police said that Pemberton passed a demand note to a teller that read “All hundred and fifty bills will shoot!” After handing the note to the teller, Pemberton allegedly said, “Give me all the 50’s or I’ll blow your brains out. I have nothing to lose.” Police said that the teller then gave $1,009 in cash to Pemberton, who fled. He was arrested inside the 13th precinct last Monday at 9:05 p.m.

MAN NABBED FOR GROPING IN UNION SQUARE
Police arrested 33-year-old Michael Hincapie for sexual abuse inside the Union Square subway station last Wednesday at 4:47 p.m. Police said that Hincapie was rubbing his hand and cell phone between the victim’s legs and buttocks while on an uptown 4 train.

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Police Watch: Bus driver accused of slapping special needs child, Slashing at Boxers

BUS DRIVER ACCUSED OF SLAPPING SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD OUTSIDE WATERSIDE
Police arrested 55-year-old Lucien Magliore for assault and endangering the welfare of a child in front of 10 Waterside Plaza last Tuesday at 9:08 a.m. Police said that Magliore, a bus driver, caused physical injury to one of the students who was on his bus while attempting to restrain him. Police said that the victim was a 10-year-old special needs child who was acting out on the bus. According to the District Attorney’s office, Magliore slapped the victim on the back, causing substantial pain, redness and a handprint on the child’s upper back.

MAN ARRESTED FOR SLASHING AT BOXERS
Police arrested 25-year-old Tevin Gingles for slashing two people inside Boxers NYC, a gay sports bar, at 37 West 20th Street.
One of the victims told police that on March 26 at 2 a.m. he was trying to breaking up a fight at the bar that involved his friend. That’s when Gingles allegedly slashed him in the shoulder with a box cutter, causing a puncture wound.
Gingles also allegedly slashed another victim on the right hand, causing a deep cut.
Following the incident, the first victim got into a cab and went to Harlem Hospital, where he received 16 stitches. The second victim received five stitches for the cut on his hand.
Gingles was arrested inside the 13th Precinct last Wednesday at 9 p.m. and was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

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Police Watch: Woman nabbed for credit card theft, four arrested for cabbie assault

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR CREDIT CARD THEFTS FROM EQUINOX GYM
Police arrested 34-year-old Adrien McMaster on Friday for allegedly stealing credit cards from the Flatiron Equinox Gym at 897 Broadway and 20th Street on three different occasions and then using the cards to make purchases.
Police said that McMaster allegedly took an American Express card from a locker in the women’s locker room of the gym on October 21, 2016 without permission and used the card fraudulently in several locations. McMaster also reportedly stole two credit cards from a locker inside the gym on December 3, 2016. In a third incident on February 17, police said that McMaster stole a credit card from a locker and allegedly used it multiple times. Police said that video from the location showed McMaster entering and leaving the gym on all three dates.
She was arrested for grand larceny and possession of an anti-security item.

FOUR ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING CABBIE ON SECOND AVENUE
Police arrested four people for assaulting a cab driver on Second Avenue last Sunday at just after 4 a.m. Police said that 21-year-old Stepfane Gilliam, 23-year-old Shawn Gilliam, 23-year-old Kenisha Thomas and 23-year-old Scott Hercules got into an argument with a cab driver because the four left the cab without paying the fare.
According to the district attorney’s office, the driver picked the suspects up at the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 25th Street and one of them told him to take them to East 51st Street and First Avenue. When they arrived, another one of the suspects allegedly asked the driver to take them to Second Avenue on the same block. When they arrived at Second Avenue, the suspects reportedly told the driver they weren’t paying because it wasn’t where they wanted to go, and to drive south on Second Avenue. The driver ultimately dropped them off at East 21st Street and Second Avenue, but they allegedly continued to refuse to pay the fare, which was $25.
The suspects knocked the driver to the ground, cops said, causing two nails on his left hand to partially rip off and causing cuts on his fingertips. Stepfane Gilliam was caught in front of 250 Second Avenue near East 15th Street at 4:25 a.m. and Shawn Gilliam was caught at East 17th Street and Rutherford Place around the same time. Hercules and Thomas were later arrested inside the 13th Precinct at 5:23 a.m. All four were charged with assault and theft of services.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for failed mugging, ‘Grinder’ busted in Union Square

MAN NABBED FOR FAILED MUGGING
Police arrested 51-year-old Kenneth Brwon for attempted robbery after, they said, he tried to snatch a woman’s purse and canvas shopping bags from her shoulder.
According to the district attorney, while at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 23rd Street last Sunday at 1 a.m., Brwon continued to pull on the victim’s bags even when multiple passersby intervened, and even when the victim struggled to get away by getting into a taxi.
When it was clear he wasn’t going to get the woman’s belongings, he allegedly attempted to flee but was arrested soon after.

‘GRINDER’ ARRESTED IN UNION SQUARE
Police arrested 24-year-old Kavon Morgan for sexual abuse at East 14th Street and Union Square East last Thursday at 7:30 a.m. Police said that Morgan used his sweatshirt to hide his erection and proceeded to thrust his hips and rub his groin area against the victim’s buttocks multiple times.

MAN BUSTED FOR ‘COCAINE’ IN GRAMERCY
Thirty-year-old Josh Lewis was arrested for possession of a controlled substance in front of 38 Gramercy Park East last Friday at 7:09 p.m. Police said that Lewis snorted cocaine from his right hand while on the sidewalk, and alleged cocaine was recovered from his pockets when he was searched.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for punching senior, Drunk driver arrested after fleeing accident

MAN ARRESTED FOR PUNCHING SENIOR AND ANOTHER VICTIM IN KIPS BAY
Police arrested 38-year-old Earl Davis for assault at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 29th Street last Tuesday at 9:47 a.m. after he allegedly punched two strangers in the face unprovoked, one of whom was a senior. Davis allegedly approached a 30-year-old victim and punched him in the nose, causing his nose to bleed and causing severe swelling and redness. The victim was taken to NYU Langone Medical Center.
Davis was charged with the second assault this past Monday after a 70-year-old man reported that he was the victim of an unprovoked attack in front of 369 Third Avenue at 27th Street earlier on that same Tuesday. Davis is being evaluated in the psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital, police said, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said that Davis has not been arraigned yet.

‘DRUNK’ DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER FLEEING ACCIDENT
Police arrested 24-year-old Dominic Logue for unauthorized use of vehicle and intoxicated driving at the corner of Irving Place and East 16th Street last Monday at 11:43 a.m. Police said that Logue was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car south of East 14th Street in the Ninth Precinct and an officer told him that the car wasn’t allowed to be parked there, so he got into the driver’s seat to move it. In the process, he allegedly crashed into four other vehicles. Police said that Logue smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, and after causing the damage, he allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Logue was also charged as an unlicensed operator, leaving the scene of an accident and an unclassified traffic infraction. No injuries were reported as a result of the collision.

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Police Watch: Spa employees arrested, Teen arrested for pooping in stairwell at Straus Houses

MALE SPA EMPLOYEES ARRESTED AT WEST 22ND STREET SPA
Police arrested four men inside Super Men’s Spa at 163 West 22nd Street last Friday at 6:09 p.m. Marek Denert, 22, was charged with prostitution and police said that he agreed to provide an undercover officer with a sex act in exchange for cash.
The other three men arrested, 26-year-old Duvan Gutierrez, 27-year-old Lingyu Hui and 28-year-old Ahmet Eminoglu, were charged with unclassified misdemeanors. Police said that the three men were seen performing massages on customers but none of them had a massage license. The four men were questioned in regards to human trafficking with police concluding this wasn’t an issue there.
UPDATE (March 15): “Mr. Denert’s actions were 100 percent legitimate and in accordance with the law,” said Todd Spodek, Denert‘s defense attorney. “If the establishment or any other masseuses were acting inappropriately, that is separate and distinct from his role there.”

TEEN ARRESTED FOR POOPING IN STAIRWELL AT STRAUS HOUSES
Police arrested a teenager inside 344 East 28th Street last Thursday after he was seen defecating in the 26th floor stairwell of the building. Police said when he was searched, shortly after midnight, he was allegedly in possession of a bag of marijuana in his jacket pocket and a burnt joint that was also in his pocket. Police said that the teen doesn’t live in the building and doesn’t know anyone who lives in the building. He was charged with trespassing as well as a health code violation and possession of marijuana. His name is being withheld due to his young age.

STUDENT ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT AT WASHINGTON IRVING H.S.
Police arrested a teenager for assault last Monday at 9:50 a.m. inside the Washington Irving High School campus. Police said that the teen punched the victim in the face, causing bruising and swelling.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for assaulting mother, Man busted for meth and burglaries

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING HIS MOTHER IN STUY TOWN APARTMENT
Police arrested a 48-year-old man for assault inside his Stuyvesant Town building last Sunday at 4 a.m. The victim told police that she got into an argument with the suspect, who is her son, when he allegedly hit her on the hand with an unknown object, causing swelling to her wrist.
Police said that the suspect, whose name is being withheld by Town & Village to protect the victim’s privacy, then punched his mother repeatedly, causing swelling to her forehead, and he allegedly bit her nose. Police said that he also turned off her breathing machine. The victim told police that her son turns off the oxygen on her breathing machine on a daily basis and she is in fear for her life. The son was also charged with endangering the vulnerable elderly.
Marynia Kruk, a spokesperson for Stuyvesant Town management, said, “StuyTown Property Services is aware of the incident. Our Public Safety team responded and notified NYPD, and as always will cooperate with their investigation as needed.”

MAN ARRESTED FOR METH, BURGLARIES
Police arrested 32-year-old Matthew Cherette for trespassing and criminal possession of a controlled substance inside 111 West 16th Street last Monday at 5:53 p.m. Police said that he was trespassing inside the building and when he was searched, was in possession of two clear plastic bags of crystal meth.
When he was arrested, police found that he was wanted in connected with three other incidents, including petit larceny and two burglaries. Police said that Cherette also took a credit card that had been mailed to a resident from the lobby area of an apartment building on January 24 and allegedly used the card to purchase gift cards at CVS. Police said that he also removed an envelope containing cash from a hotel room. He allegedly admitted to police that he had taken the envelopes and said he had a gambling problem. Police said that he also identified himself on surveillance video from CVS.

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