Mugger cuts man’s pants
One man’s subway snooze was abruptly cut short when he woke up to find a man sawing at his pants’ pocket.
The 29-year-old reported that he boarded a southbound E Train at Lexington and 53rd St. He awoke at the World Trade Center station at about 2:30 a.m. to see a young male attempting to cut his front pants’ pocket open with a razor blade in order to get to his wallet. The victim punched the thief, who then fled the train. The victim did not immediately report the incident to the police, and instead returned to Queens.
Punched waiting for ambulance
One man’s wait for an ambulance for someone else resulted in him needing one as well.
At about 2 a.m. on Fri., Dec. 21, the victim, male, 41 reported that he was waiting for an ambulance for an intoxicated man outside 199 Water St., when the man struck him on the side of the face with a closed fist, causing swelling and blurred vision in his right eye. The victim was removed to New York Downtown Hospital where he was treated and released that night. Police arrested the 35-year-old man and charged him with assault.
Strangulation arrest
A man was arrested for attempting to strangle another man in a fight in front of 55 John St.
The victim, 19, stated that he had exited a nearby bar on Fri., Dec. 21, when he was approached on the street by the defendant, 22, who punched him in the face, causing swelling and pain. The defendant then tried to choke him, causing the victim to momentarily lose consciousness. Police arrested Wasim Syed on strangulation charges. No mention was made of the condition of the victim other than that he was pressing charges.
Unattended purses
Ladies, leaving your purse unattended in the city, even within reach, is a sure-fire way to end up hunting lost valuables.
One woman from Park City, Utah, found this out when she set her bag beside her in the Aqua Grill at 210 Spring St. The 47-year-old told police that she was sitting at the bar waiting for her table on Sun., Dec. 23 at 8:20 p.m., when she set her purse on the floor next to her chair.
When her table was called, she reached for her purse to find it was gone. A canvas for video surveillance showed that another woman had walked up to the bar and removed her jacket, setting it next to the victim’s purse. She then picked up her jacket, and the victim’s bag, and left the scene. The victim’s Mastercard showed a charge of $104 at an unknown M.T.A. MetroCard vending machine before it could be cancelled, according to police. She also lost her passport and the passports of the two people with her, and property totaling over $2,000.
Two women reported stolen belongings at SOB’s bar and nightclub at 200 Varick St. on the same night. A 31-year-old woman left her purse on a chair in the bar at 11 p.m. When she returned 50 minutes later, it was missing, police said. No charges on her cards were made but she lost $1300 in stolen property, including her iPod, BlackBerry Curve, cosmetics and black Gerard Darel purse. The other woman, 30, stated that she left her purse unattended under the table at about 11:30 p.m. while she was out on the dance floor. When she returned 15 minutes later, it was gone, along with her $500 iPhone, $150 ‘dance card’ and $30 in cash.
Christmas presents nabbed
Two days before Christmas, one Downtown resident returned to his car to find that his holiday purchases had been taken.
The man, 37, reported to police that he had parked his 2011 Mercedes down the block at 155 Wooster St. at about 10:15 a.m. on Sun., Dec. 23. When he left his house at 12:30 p.m. that day, he noticed his property — clothing, accessories and toys valued at over $4,000 in all — had been stolen. The man could not remember if he locked the car, but police reported that there was no sign of forced entry to the vehicle.
Pickpocket gets handsy
An 85-year-old man fell prey to a female pickpocket with wandering hands.
The man told police that at about 10:40 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 19, he was approached by a 55-year-old brunette woman as he was walking into a store at 137 Thompson St. She engaged him in conversation and then proceeded to put her hands in his pockets, removing $600 in cash. Video footage was available but no arrests have been made.
Trendy shoplifting
A group of shoplifters descended on a clothing boutique in Soho, carrying off a bundle of pricey merchandise.
An employee of the Helianthus boutique at 196 Spring St. reported an incident that occurred on Tues., Dec. 18. Five females and one male came into the shop at 4:45 p.m. and removed items from the shelves while one of them distracted her, according to police. After picking a few choice articles, they left without paying. While a canvas of the immediate area was negative, video surveillance was available. The items removed were one pair of black studded shoes, one ivory ‘laceless’ dress, one black lace dress, a black denim shirt and three Donna Mizani fur vests for a total cost of $1,343.
Glass bottle assaults
Two victims were hit with glass bottles on Friday and Saturday of last week.
The first victim, a man, 31, was hanging out at the Ear Inn at 326 Spring St. at about 9 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 21 when police say he was attacked by a 36-year-old man with a glass bottle, who hit him multiple times, causing lacerations to the victim’s right forearm. The man was subsequently arrested and charged with assault.
Another man, 43, told police that he was on his way to his hotel room when he was struck by a glass bottle wielded by a woman that he had previously been ‘intimate’ with. On Sat., Dec. 22, the man stated that he was going to his room in the 4 Points Hotel at 66 Charlton St., when he was hit in the back of the head by a 750 ml glass bottle of Stolichnaya vodka, injuring him. The woman, also 43, was arrested.
Motorcycle stolen
One man’s motorcycle got grabbed from outside his Tribeca apartment.
The 27-year-old says he came out from his apartment on the corner of Jay and Greenwich Sts. on Tues., Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. to discover that his motorcycle was missing. The bike was a white 2012 Yamaha valued at $11,000. According to the statement, the police canvas yielded no results. Police had not reported the vehicle’s recovery by press time.
— Kaitlyn Meade
