Fiery South St. crash
Two drivers were injured when their cars crashed around 4:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 26, beneath the F.D.R. Dr. on South St. near Clinton St., police said. The impact sent one car across the northbound lane before it jumped the curb, crashed into a steel support of the elevated road and burst into flame. Both drivers were taken to Bellevue Hospital with serious injuries. One of drivers, Jessie Strauss, 29, identified by police as an employee of the city’s Business Integrity Commission, was charged with driving while intoxicated.
News truck hits diner
An out-of-control Daily News delivery truck crashed into the Olympia Diner shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tues., Nov. 29, injuring the driver and the helper in the truck. The injured were taken to Bellevue. The truck was headed east on Delancey when it went out of control, jumped the curb, slammed into the diner’s roll-down gate and smashed the window beneath it. Despite extensive damage, the diner opened later that morning.
Subway platform groper
Samuel Mangum, 50, was charged with sexual abuse for groping a woman, 42, on the platform of the Broadway/Lafayette St. subway station at Houston St. on Thurs., Nov. 10.
Threatens to kill girlfriend
William Geberth, who was arrested on Oct. 11 for head-butting and threatening to kill his girlfriend in her W. 23rd St. apartment, was charged with threatening her by telephone from jail on Nov. 12, according to the complaint filed with the Manhattan district attorney.
“You got me in here, you get me out,” Geberth told the victim, who put up $500 to bail him out. He turned up at her apartment that day despite a court order to stay away and told her “If you call the cops, I will kill you,” the complaint says. The defendant stayed all night and the victim discovered him in bed with her at 7 a.m. attempting to have oral sex with her. He again threatened to kill her and demanded that she not appear against him in court, according to the complaint.
He is charged with intimidating a victim/witness and three counts of criminal contempt for violating the court order.
Stuy Town suspect arrest
Police arrested Henry Huggins, 51, on Mon., Nov. 28, in connection with two muggings of elderly victims in Stuyvesant Town. On Nov. 23, he is charged with knocking a man, 71, to the floor in the lobby of his E. 20th St. building and stealing $400. The victim sustained a broken shoulder. He is also charged with robbing a 77-year-old man in the lobby of his First Ave. building on Nov. 3 and fleeing with $440. In both incidents, the victims had just withdrawn cash from a bank A.T.M. Huggins has prior arrests for robbery, forgery and drug offenses, according to a Daily News item.
Survives subway hit
A man hit by a train on the northbound track of the N and R platform of the Union Square station about 4:20 p.m. Wed., Nov. 23, was found wedged between the train and the ladder that leads from the track bed to the platform. An Emergency Medical Service team took the victim to Bellevue Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. No criminality is suspected and police are investigating the case.
Horse and brass
Police arrested Christopher Edwards, 36, and Wesley Murphy, 32, around 11:50 p.m. Fri., Nov. 25, and charged them with using heroin “in open public view” in front of 200 Waverly Place. Murphy also faces a weapons charge for having a pair of brass knuckles.
ID thefts
Hyunil Lee, 25, was charged with ID theft at 2:16 p.m. Fri., Nov. 25, for using a forged Chinese passport with a name not his own in order to open an account in the Bank of America branch at 36 E. 14th St.
Junior Darbouze, 27, was charged with using another person’s driver’s license to obtain a bank card from the Amalgamated Bank branch at 10 E. 14th St. around 9:30 a.m. Tues., Nov. 22.
Used account creatively
The owner of Creative License, a music licensing and talent provider with an office at 71 Eighth Ave., near 14th St., told police last week that a former employee, Lisa Steenmetz, stole $7,000 from the company’s expense account by making a series of unauthorized withdrawals between Feb. 15 and May 11 of this year. He said he delayed reporting the thefts because he and an auditor were conducting their own investigation.
Car thefts
A woman parked her 2001 Toyota in front of 481 Washington St. near Canal at 1:24 a.m. Sat., Nov. 26, and returned the next day at 1:45 a.m. to find broken glass at the spot but no car. A surveillance camera recorded two young thieves breaking a window, rummaging through the car and leaving but returning later and driving off with the car.
A man who parked his car in front of 99 Vandam St. at 10:15 a.m. returned at 2 p.m. the next day to find it had been stolen.
Soho laptop lift
A man who had just bought a new MacBook felt the bag slip from his shoulder at 4 p.m. Fri., Nov. 25, while he was walking on the corner of Broadway and Prince St. He discovered that his new computer was gone.
Alligator poaching
A man who walked into the crowded Lacoste shop at 541 Broadway between Spring and Prince Sts. around 6 p.m. Fri., Nov. 25, managed to shove more than 50 shirts with a total value of $3,140 into his bag and walk out without paying for them.
Knockoff knockdown
A man who was selling counterfeit brand clothes in front of 301 Canal St. near Broadway around 4 p.m. Sat., Nov. 26, was charged with assault for resisting arrest and pulling a police officer to the ground with him during a struggle.
Albert Amateau
