Rape suspect arrested
Police arrested Michael Torres, 29, on Thurs., Feb. 9, and charged him with raping a victim, 36, around 1 a.m. the day before on the track of the J train station at Bowery and Delancey St. Torres, who has 27 prior arrests for drugs and assault since 1996, threw the victim onto the tracks and dragged her down the tunnel, where he beat and raped her while menacing her with a screwdriver, police said. A New York City Transit track worker heard the victim scream and scared off the suspect, police said. Torres was being held pending a grand jury action on the case.
Head-on fatal
A head-on collision on the F.D.R. Drive near the Houston St. exit shortly before 3 a.m. Sun., Feb. 12, killed two people and injured two others in a third car, according to reports.
The 26-year-old driver of a car headed north on a southbound lane of the drive was killed along with the 62-year-old driver of a southbound car. The 22-year-old driver of another car and her passenger, 31, were injured went she hit the southbound car after the initial collision, according to a New York Post item.
Bowery break
The 20-inch water main at Bowery and Delancey St. broke shortly before 7 a.m. Tues., Feb. 14, flooding the intersection for about five hours. Delancey St. from Elizabeth to Chrystie Sts. and Bowery from Delancey to Broome Sts. were closed to traffic for four or five hours. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection opened one lane of Bowery and one lane of Delancey St. around noon, restoring the M103 bus service. D.E.P. crews were replacing a section of the 1906 line at 4:30 p.m. when water was restored to all but four businesses.
School office vandalized
Unknown vandals tore up the Shuang Wen Academy Network office in the P.S. 127 building on Cherry St. at Montgomery St. sometime between Tuesday night Feb. 7 and Wednesday morning. Nothing was stolen from the office of the embattled nonprofit group that runs the after-school Mandarin-language program. Although the office was not locked, the entire building was closed and there were no signs of forced entry. No other offices in the building were trashed.
The Shuang Wen School has had a few administration changes over the past year. The Department of Education is investigating the role of the network, which began charging $1,000 for the after-school program after it lost city funding.
Giants parade arrest
A Bronx football fan got into an argument at 12:50 p.m. Tues., Feb 7, on Church St. near White St. with a group of fans after the New York Giants parade. The argument became violent when someone in the group punched the victim in the face and grabbed his gold neck chain with a gold teddy bear pendant and fled. Police soon arrested the suspect, Christian Baracoa, 21, and charged him with larceny.
Porn-shop perp
Police are seeking a suspect who robbed two Village adult video shops last week. The perpetrator assaulted and robbed a clerk, 57, at Xcellent DVD on Sixth Ave. at W. 13th St. around 3:30 a.m. Sat., Feb. 4. He next confronted an employee, 48, of Cherry Box Video on W. Fourth near Cornelia St. around 5 a.m. Fri., Feb. 10, according to reports.
Fights detectives
Two detectives from the Sixth Precinct squad approached a disturbed man in front of 7 Carmine St. around 11 p.m. Wed., Feb. 8, and identified themselves as police officers. The suspect hauled off and punched one of the detectives and injured the other officer’s hand while resisting arrest, police said. Patrick Appello, 40, was taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation and charged with assaulting an officer.
Officers bag purse thief
A woman who came out of the PATH station at 136 Christopher St. around 3:25 a.m. Sat., Feb. 11, had her handbag snatched from her hand by a thief who fled east with it. The victim gave chase and caught up with the suspect on Hudson St. at the same time as the arresting officers. David Gonzalez, 31, was charged with larceny.
Criminal mischief
Police arrested Shamar Wormley, 29, and Spruiel Juniel, 27, on Sat., Feb. 11, at 4:40 a.m. after witnesses saw them throw a chair through the front window of Bleecker St. Pizza at 69 Seventh Ave. South.
In another incident, police arrested Danielle Vaca, 27, Anthony Sherry, 24, and Thomas Sherry, 28, for ripping up the Farmers Market grocery at 64 W. Ninth St around 2:20 a.m. Thurs., Feb. 9.
Wasn’t Paul Revere
A man passing the restaurant One If by Land Two If by Sea, at 17 Barrow St., around 1:45 a.m. Wed., Feb. 8, was seen pushing in the front door of the place and entering. An employee coming up from the basement encountered the suspect rummaging around and held him until police arrived. The suspect, Jorge Velez, 42, was charged with burglary.
Bad checks arrest
The manager of the Citibank branch at 749 Broadway near W. Eighth St. called the police when a suspect tried to get information on an account he was having trouble accessing. The account had been closed because fraudulent checks stolen from a business account in another Citibank branch had been deposited in it. The suspect, Albee Throne, 20, was charged with larceny.
Chain rob try
A man suspected of punching a victim, 39, in the face and trying to snatch his neck chain around 12:45 a.m. Sat., Feb. 4, at the bus stop on the southwest corner of Washington and W. 10th Sts. was arrested a short time later. The victim identified the suspect, Angel Rivera, 20, who was charged with attempted robbery.
Kicked her in stomach
Harrison Burch, 47, was arrested around 4:45 a.m. Sat., Feb. 4, on the west side of MacDougal St. near Minetta Lane and charged with assault for kicking a female victim in the stomach and tearing her jacket. Police found a stolen credit card in the suspect’s wallet, but he said he didn’t know how it got there.
Veranda bag grab
A woman, 21, left her bag by the coat tree in Veranda, the bar at 130 Seventh Ave. South at W. 10th St., while she went to the bathroom around 2:30 a.m. Fri., Feb. 3, and returned to find the bag had been stolen. Police soon arrested two young women and a young man. Riya Ragbarsingh, 21, Chelsea Cantales, 18, and their male accomplice, Tayeh Yasein, 22, were charged with larceny.
Roof-running burglar
The custodian of a commercial building at 705 Washington St. at Perry St. spotted an intruder who fled across the roof, jumped to a lower adjacent roof and entered that building through a hatch, police said. The suspect, Jovan Calderon, 26, was arrested and charged with burglary and possession of a controlled substance after police retrieved six Oxycodone pills in a plastic bag from his left sock.
Two targeted a texter
Police arrested two boys, ages 13 and 15, around 1 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 2, at the corner of E. 13th St. and University Place and charged them with snatching a cell phone from the hand of a woman, 55, while she was walking and texting. Police recovered the phone and charged the suspects as juveniles with larceny.
Bag bandito
A thief got into the bag of a woman patron of Los Feliz bar, 109 Ludlow St., around 3:15 a.m. Sun., Jan. 22, and made off wih her cell phone, police said.
Albert Amateau
