PETIT LARCENY: A watch worth fighting for
“Finder’s keepers,” might have become a concept of much dispute the time that a Queens woman forgot her $700 watch on the counter of a Chelsea restroom. The 23-year-old woman went to the ladies’ room at about 8 p.m. on Fri., July 31 to wash her hands. She left the pricey Garmin Forerunner there before remembering it two minutes later, according to a police report. A co-worker then recalled that another woman had just entered the restroom in Blue Ginger, a sushi bar located at 106 Eighth Ave. (btw. W. 15th & W. 16th Sts.). The two co-workers found that woman, and a verbal dispute arose. The report did not state what the three women discussed, but did indicate that the whereabouts of the watch remain unknown.
HARASSMENT: A spiteful greeting
A complete stranger gave a 66-year-old man a liquid greeting as he entered his building on the 300 block of W. 15th St. (btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). The elderly perp spat on the man before fleeing on foot at about 5:30 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 1. Police said they have a name for a suspect, who remains at large.
CRIMINAL TRESPASSING: The men, the woman and the electrical closet
There was blood within a confined space and no video record of what transpired. Police concede that they have few clues as to what two unknown males and a female companion were doing in an electrical closet at 1 River Place (btw. W. 41st & W. 42nd Sts. and 12th & 11th Aves.). Video footage captured them as they entered the utility space at about midnight on Fri., July 31. A building superintendent would notice the blood in the closet, eight hours later. He called police, who would discover a white shirt at the scene. No cameras were available inside the electrical closet, according to a police report, which did not state whether the exterior video surveillance recorded the trio actually leaving.
GRAND LARCENY: Too much trust in fake civil servants
Unknown thieves gained the confidence of a 53-year-old woman who evidently felt she might be behind on her taxes. She noticed a missed call on Tues., July 28 and thought to return the inquiry. A man picked up at about 6 p.m. and told her that she owed the Internal Revenue Service $7,000. She would be arrested if she did not pay, he threatened. The phone rang again shortly afterwards. This time, the caller identified himself as “Police Officer Rodriguez” of the NYPD’s 10th Precinct — whose area of coverage includes the woman’s residence on the 400 block of W. 17th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.). Judge so-and-so would issue a warrant for her arrest — the fake officer said — if she did not cooperate by buying prepaid Visa cards, according to a police report. She obeyed and provided the card numbers to the purported IRS officer — who, along with the fake police officer, remains at large.
Tenth Precinct officers in the real world have warned residents over the past year regarding similar schemes. Entities such as Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) and the IRS do not request payment through prepaid credit cards, officers noted, nor would they employ aggressive collection tactics, such as threatening phone calls demanding immediate payment. Residents should scrutinize billing invoices and solicitations and contact the relevant agency or police when in doubt.
LOST PROPERTY: Police cannot help them all
Alcohol got in the way of police seeking to help a 22-year-old woman find her things at about 1 a.m. on Fri., July 31. The woman placed her bag down within the Hotel Americano (518 W. 27th St. btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) and never saw it again. She requested the assistance of a 67-year-old employee of the hotel, who was unable to find the bag. Police arrived on the scene, but found that the “highly intoxicated” Brooklyn woman would not cooperate with their effort to help find her bag, small laptop and a Swiss passport.
—ZACH WILLAIMS
THE 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The council is on summer break, to resume on Sept. 30.
