Murder suspect arrested
Police arrested Victor Fong, 17, on Mon., Nov. 23, for the Nov. 18 stabbing death of an 18-year-old victim in front of 100 Hester St. where the Chinatown YMCA shares the building with I.S. 131.
Fong, a resident of 265 Cherry St, in the LaGuardia Houses, was charged with stabbing Nelson Pena, 18, of 55-75 Pike St. and another victim, also 18 at 6 p.m. in front of the school. Pena was declared dead on arrival at Bellevue of stab wounds in the torso and leg. The other victim, who was stabbed in the neck, was in stable condition at Bellevue.
Fong was being held pending arraignment on a top charge of fourth degree murder.
Rape arrest, 7 years later
Moses Delacruz, 21, was arrested last week and charged with the attempted rape seven years ago of a 13-year-old girl in her Chinatown building, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney said. Delacruz was arrested after his saliva on a discarded cigarette at the scene was matched to a DNA sample from a later robbery.
On April 26, 2002, Delacruz followed the victim, now 20 years old, to the apartment where she then lived on Henry St. between Catherine and Market Sts. at about 3:15 p.m., grabbed her as she was opening the door, put his hands over her mouth, groped her and pulled down her pants, according to the complaint. The victim bit his hand and screamed, alerting neighbors who called 911 and the suspect fled, according to the complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney.
Escaped suspect caught
A suspect who was arrested for petit larceny in Tribeca during the early hours of Sun., Nov. 28, escaped from custody around 10:33 p.m. when he fled while boarding a van in front of the First Precinct police station on Ericsson Pl. and Varick St. enroute to the central detention center on Centre St. Orlando Reyes, 21, of the Bronx, was arrested again a short time later on White St. between Broadway and Lafayette St. six blocks from the police station and charged again with resisting arrest and escape. He was reported to be weeping and crying, “Please don’t beat me up,” when taken back to the police station, according to a New York Post item. Reyes had previously been arrested on Nov. 13 for shoplifting items valued at $46 from a store at 455 Broadway and was also charged with resisting arrest at that time, according to a complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney. He was out on bail on those charges when he was re-arrested on Nov. 28. Reyes was being held pending Criminal Court arraignment on the escape charge, a spokesperson for the District Attorney said.
More Stuy fires
A week after two small fires were set in trash cans in boys’ bathrooms in Stuyvesant High School, school officials had to deal with two more similar fires, one on Mon., Nov. 23 and the other the following day.
A 16-year-old suspect who was arrested for the two fires set on Tues., Nov. 17 was reportedly not in school on Nov. 23 and 24 and is apparently in the clear regarding the most recent events. Nevertheless, fire marshals declined to comment on the arsons except to say all the incidents were under investigation.
The Nov. 24 fire was discovered in the eighth floor bathroom shortly after 11 a.m. and the Nov. 23 fire was discovered in the 10th floor bathroom. A note left at one of the fires read, “I’m smart enough – you can’t catch me,” and another note was described as being in hieroglyphics.
Stuyvesant High School is one of the city’s elite schools that require tests for admission.
Pastry shop burglar
A burglar entered the café in the rear of a pastry shop at 94 Thompson St. between Spring and Prince Sts. between 6 and 8 a.m., on Mon., Nov. 16, broke open a cash register and fled with $685, police said. The surveillance camera next door did not record his image, according to the police report.
Dear oh deer
A deer that apparently swam across New York Harbor from New Jersey on Tues., Dec. 1 became stranded on the rocks on the Governors Island shore, according to police. Harbor Patrol and Emergency Service Unit officers responded and tranquilized the stag at 1:30 p.m., brought the animal onboard and took him to Clay Pit Ponds State Park wildlife preserved on Staten Island. “It’s the first time that we know of that anything like this has happened,” said Elizabeth Rapuano, spokesperson for the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corp.
Soho eatery bitten
A burglar who made his way into a diner at 337B West Broadway near Grand St. though a back door at 2 p.m. while there were customers in the place stole a handbag that was hanging on the knob of an office door, police said. The burglar was not identified but police are looking for a white woman, 5’3” weighing about 100 pounds, wearing blue jeans, a blue hooded sweat shirt and a blue Yankees baseball cap, who used the women’s room around 2 p.m. and left before the theft was discovered. A credit card from the stolen bag had unauthorized charges for shoes at Steve Madden and 9 West, police said.
Forgetful shoplifter
Police are looking for a man and a woman who on Wednesday evening Nov. 19 managed to steal several large bottles of aspirin and packages of glucose blood test strips, a blood pressure monitor and Prilosec, a stomach ulcer remedy from the Duane Reade at 37 Broadway. The woman, however, left her bag with her ID at the store near Bowling Green, police said.
Construction site theft
A construction site manager in the Trump Soho, 246 Spring St., told police that a welding machine valued at $1,500 was stolen from an unlocked gang box at the site sometime between 2:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 13 and the following afternoon.
Bag gone
An 18-year-old New York University co-ed at Club Remix, 27 Park Pl. around 1:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 14 put her bag on the next table and found it was gone when she turned to it a short time later. In the bag were her iPhone, N.Y.U. identity card, credit cards and her Tennessee driver’s license, police said.
— Albert Amateau
