PETIT LARCENY: Grub grabbers nabbed | Everyone knows there’s no such thing as a free meal — but not everyone is aware that cabs make for poor getaway vehicles. One hungry pair with sticky fingers, however, managed to verify both axioms on Fri., Apr. 22. At about 9:30pm, an employee of Brooklyn Fare (431 W. 37th St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.) witnessed two individuals conceal a sandwich, a salad, yogurt, pretzels, and cheese — and leave without paying what would have been a $27 bill. The 33-year-old Bronx man and 31-year-old Queens woman then attempted to hop in a cab at the northeast corner of Ninth Ave. & W. 38th St. — but wound up not being able to make a speedy getaway, as they were caught, ID’d by the employee, and subsequently arrested.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: Frustrated fare busts backseat | At around 1:40am on Sat., Apr. 23, a Brooklyn cabbie was driving an arguing man and woman northbound on the West Side Highway. By the time he reached the 11th Ave. exit (near the northeast corner of W. 19th St.), the male passenger had become so worked up that he punched the video screen in the backseat, causing $250 worth of damage to the piece of equipment. To add insult to injury, the destructive customer did not pay his tab when he and his quarrelsome companion left the cab.
LEAVING THE SCENE: Don’t let them hit the door | The scene on Fri., Apr. 22 was something straight out of a slapstick comedy — or maybe an auto insurance commercial, though it was doubtful the blindsided driver found much to laugh about. At 4:45pm, a 33-year-old man parked his car on the 200 block of 12th Ave. (btw. W. 27th & W. 28th Sts.), and opened the driver’s side door. It was at this point that his car was struck by an oncoming vehicle with a New Jersey license plate, which took the door clean off the man’s 2014 Toyota Camry. The New Jersey driver just kept on going, not stopping at the scene to await police or exchange info with their vehicular victim, who was not able to get down the plate number for certain.
LOST PROPERTY: Mysteriously missing masterpiece | They say that great art is priceless — but surely someone will have to pay if a piece missing from Marianne Boesky Gallery (509 W. 24th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) doesn’t turn up soon. As reported to police by a 44-year-old employee, an invoice of the gallery was conducted in late Aug. 2014, and the artwork in question, a Roxy Paine drawing, was still present. On Feb. 29, 2016, however, the piece was discovered to be missing. Though she did not feel the gallery was victim to a crime, the employee reported the $40,000 piece missing to police on Sat., Apr. 23, as it still had not been located.
GRAND LARCENY: Limo loss | One unfortunate Rangers fan had more than one high-stakes loss to mourn this past weekend. On Thurs., Apr. 21, a 34-year-old Connecticut man and his two friends attended that ill-fated game, choosing to arrive in style by hiring a limousine. The man decided to leave a number of personal items in the backseat of the vehicle when he and his friends went into Madison Square Garden, while the limo was parked on the northwest corner of Eighth Ave. & W. 24th St. When the man returned to the above location from the arena at about 10pm, he found that his stuff was gone — including a MacBook ($1,400), a Nikon camera ($429), Subaru keys ($300), and an IBM ThinkPad laptop ($200). When he asked the driver about his missing things, the driver said he had “no idea” that the items were taken. He noted that they were still there when he went for dinner, and he knew for a fact that the car was locked. Adding another layer of mystery, there was no damage to the car or sign of forced entry, and no other leads as to how the $2,460 worth of possessions could have gone missing.
—SEAN EGAN
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: 212-924-3377. 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 next meeting is May 25.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: David Ehrenberg. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30 p.m., at the 13th Precinct. The next meeting is May 17.
CASH FOR GUNS | $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.
