Boutique burglars
A private carter employee was picking up trash on Thompson St. between Prince and Spring Sts. around 4:30 a.m. Fri., May 14 when he saw a small van double park in front of the DKNY boutique at 98 Thompson St., police said. Three men got out of the van; one of them broke into the store and handed out clothing from the shelves to his accomplices. By the time the witness phoned police, the trio drove off with $15,000 worth of merchandise, police said.
Unwelcome guest
Police arrested Scott Barden, 40, on Fri., May 14, at the Thompson Lower East Side Hotel, 190 Allen St., between E. Houston and Stanton Sts. where he had been staying since March 19, and charged him with grand larceny. Barden, who gave an E. 109th St., address, was charging his hotel stay on a credit card belonging to a Palm City, Fla. man, according to the complaint filed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Police did not say how Barden got the victim’s card or what led to his arrest. Barden was in jail pending a June 2 court appearance.
Construction site
The foreman of the construction site at 330 Hudson St. near Vandam St. told police that he found the lock on the door of the tool shed broken when he came to work at 7 a.m. Thurs. May 6 and discovered that tools valued at $980 had been stolen.
Fulton hold-up
Police said a man who walked into Fulton Jewelers, 116 Fulton St. near Nassau St. at 11:09 a.m. Tues., May 18, pulled a silver handgun, threw a bag on the counter and said, “fill up the bag,” to an employee. The thief fled with the bag and an undisclosed amount of jewelry but the employee and a witness followed him to the Broadway Fulton subway station, police said. The store employee spotted the robber sitting on a bench on the platform but lost sight of him when he went looking for a police officer and didn’t find one, police said.
Motorcycle stolen
A man who parked his motorcycle on the northwest corner of Murray St. and North End Ave. in Battery Park City around 4 p.m. Mon., May 10, returned 15 minutes later and found it was gone, police said. A surveillance camera in front of a North End Ave., building recorded the arrival of a small mini van with three men who lifted the bike into the van and drove off, police said.
Grabs bag
A Queens woman, 42, was sitting at a table in the Starbucks at 471 Broadway near Grand St. at 7:20 p.m. Sat., May 15 when someone sitting behind her grabbed her bag containing $150 cash and fled, police said. The victim could not describe the thief and wasn’t even sure if the person was a man or a woman, police said.
Club snatches
A woman patron of Remix, 27 Park Pl. put her bag on the bar beside her at 6 p.m., Fri., May 14 and discovered it was gone when she went to pay her tab, police said.
A woman patron of Diva, 341 W. Broadway at Grand St., was eating at a table in the club at 7:30 p.m. Sun., May 14 when a man snatched her bag from the table and fled, police said.
Forklift lifted
An employee of the Bed Bath and Beyond at 270 Greenwich St. near Murray St. told police on May 10 that a 25-ft. forklift rented from Hertz Equipment Rental had been discovered missing 10 days earlier. The delay in reporting the theft to police was attributed to the long time it took to inform the rental agency of the loss.
Vendor victimized
A food vendor told police he set up his stand on Beekman St. near Pearl St. around 9 a.m. Thurs., May 6 but left it and his jacket for a few minutes to get water for the stand. He returned to find his jacket, with his wallet and $180 in cash, stolen, police said.
— Albert Amateau
