Rookie dies in crash
In a tragic accident, Bianca Bennett, 27, an off-duty Ninth Precinct rookie police officer, was killed Wed., Feb. 1, shortly before midnight, after a car she was riding in flipped over and burst into flames in the Bronx.
The Dodge Charger’s driver, a 32-year-old off-duty sergeant, was pulled from the vehicle by good samaritans. He suffered severe burns on his legs and was taken to the hospital in reportedly critical condition. According to news sources, Bennett was trapped inside the wreck and couldn’t be saved.
The muscle car, which was leaving City Island, was said to have been speeding.
At an East Village memorial for Bennett Monday night, hundreds of officers, along with her family members, joined arms outside the E. Fifth St. police stationhouse.
Spitting mad
A terminated employee was kicked out of a city Human Resources Administration center in the Village, but she went kicking on Mon., Jan. 30, at 7:15 p.m.
Police said the woman was fired by a supervisor and then asked to leave 12 W. 14th St. after she was loud and disruptive toward fellow H.R.A. staff there.
After the woman refused to go and continued her unruly behavior, a police officer tried to arrest her, but the woman started punching, spitting, kicking and preventing the officer from handcuffing her. The officer was injured during the arrest. Nicolett Gonzalez, 20, was charged with felony assault.
Charge could stick
Police said a man was spotted Tues., Jan. 31, at 3 a.m., in front of 275 W. 10th St., a private building, posting advertising bills with commercial-grade glue without permission. Tevin Goring, 23, was arrested for misdemeanor making graffiti.
Closet case
According to police, a 40-year-old resident of 300 Mercer St. went downstairs to get her mail and left her door unlocked on Mon., Jan. 30, at 1:05 p.m. When she returned, she found a man hiding in her bedroom closet. The suspect had been delivering food to another apartment.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and fled.
Jeronimo Izalde-Fernandez, 25, was arrested for felony burglary.
‘I wuz framed!’
The Maison Gerard LTD Gallery, at 53 E. 10th St., was burglarized Thurs., Dec. 22, at 11:56 p.m., according to police.
A man got into the gallery with a password and key and stole two external hard drives and cash totaling $379, police said.
Diego Heredia, 45, was arrested Feb. 2 for felony burglary.
Cafe culprit
A knife-wielding robber struck the Anyway Cafe, at 34 E. Second St., on Mon., Jan. 30, at 3 p.m., police said.
Brandishing the blade, the suspect approached a female employee, 29, and demanded money. The worker complied and the robber fled with an undetermined amount of cash. The suspect is about 30, with a dark beard, and last seen wearing a green jacket, red hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans, dark baseball cap and dark shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline, at 800-577-TIPS, or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577. All tips are confidential.
Tabia Robinson
and Lincoln Anderson
