Burglary: Coat check pants safely recovered
Uniformed officers arrived at the Dream Hotel (355 W. 16th St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.) in the dawn hours of Mon., Jan. 14 — to arrest 23-year-old male who, the police report noted, was found by the manager in the coat check area “while it was closed, with no legitimate reason to be there.” At the time of his discovery, the perp was in possession of a backpack, a pair of pants, a scarf and two jackets that did not belong to him. The rightful owner of the pants, who was the only victim on the scene at the time, was reunited with his stolen item. No word on whether he was pressed for his coat check ticket, but one suspects management let it slide.
Burglary: A window into the cause
A male resident of W. 19th St. departed his apartment at 9:30am on Mon, Jan. 7 and returned at 7pm to find the door unlocked and a rear bedroom window fully opened. The victim told police that before leaving for the day, he recalled locking both front door locks — but added that he left the bedroom window open 1-2 inches. Upon inspecting the apartment, he discovered several items missing from the kitchen counter and the office desk (including an iPad worth $600 and a MacBook whose value was not noted in the police report). The report did note, however, that video was available from the front entrance vestibule and that a tenant on the victim’s floor recalls seeing someone, possibly the perpetrator, in the hallway at around 4:30pm.
Robbery: Perps pilfer Penn Station passenger
A backpack-toting visitor from upstate New York exited Penn Station at around 4:22am on Mon., Jan. 14, then promptly asked a stranger for directions to Beth Israel Hospital. He walked with the man (Perp #1) to a nearby 7-11 to buy coffee. As they were leaving the store, they were met by Perp #2, who asked the victim if he (in the words of the police report) “wanted to purchase weed.” The victim politely declined, and Perp #2 began to chat up Perp #1. The trio continued walking southbound on Ninth Ave., when Perp #3 exited a bodega and the three men (one of them producing a sharp object, possibly a knife or a box cutter) proceeded to rob the victim — causing lacerations to his hand. Police officers canvassed the area for the perps, with negative results. Among the items stolen: An iPhone, a metal bracelet valued at $90, a Timberland backpack ($100), several Aeropostale fleece shirts ($500) and jeans ($350) as well as a suede jacket ($375) and cologne ($50).
Grand Larceny: Handbag thief nabbed at the exit
A thief on the fast track to easy street was stopped before exiting Avenue (the club on 116 Tenth Ave., btw. 17th & 18th Sts.). Employees nabbed the 25-year-old woman at around 2:45am on Sat., Jan. 12 — after she’d been identified (via security camera footage) by one of her victims. The tape clearly showed her removing a handbag from behind the bar area. When the perp was stopped while trying to leave, she was discovered to have three pilfered handbags in her possession. Among the items stolen, then recovered: A green Coach handbag worth $5,200, a cellphone ($500), a pink Prada wallet ($575), an iPhone ($500) and $68 in cash.
Mystery DOA: Found in Penn South Stairway
Responding officers from the 10th Precinct found a 21-year-old male from Virginia laying face upwards on the 20th floor stairway of a Penn South building (321 W. 24th St.). EMS workers pronounced the man DOA at 12:25am on Mon., Jan. 7. The body was delivered to the city morgue, and the police report noted “death is not suspicious.” On Thurs., Jan. 10, management put a notice under the door of residents acknowledging that, “a young man from Virginia was found dead in the stairwell of Bldg. 3A on Mon., Jan. 7,” and further noting that the deceased had no apparent signs of physical injury.
—Scott Stiffler
