JEWELRY HEIST | On New Year’s Eve, as a million were gathered to watch the ball drop in Times Square, a group of men made off with millions of dollars worth of jewelry from a local jeweler just blocks away. The three suspects broke into the offices of Gregg Ruth (70 W. 36th St., btw. Sixth & Fifth Aves.), which is known for its rare pieces involving pink and yellow diamonds, just as it was getting to be midnight on Sat., Dec. 31 — likely a strategy to delay response time to their crime. They fled down the staircase of the high-rise building the offices were located in, with about $6 million worth of products in tow. Police are asking for any tips or info regarding the heist; one of the suspects was caught clearly on security footage.
FORCIBLE TOUCHING: Club creep | A man exited the Highline Ballroom (431 W. 16th St., btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) bathroom at around 8:45pm on Wed., Dec. 21, at which point an unknown male perp grabbed his hand and then intentionally placed it on his genitals unprovoked. The victim, who is from upstate New York, reported the incident to police on Sat., Dec. 24.
PETIT LARCENY: New Year’s sleaze | On Sat., Dec. 31, one woman found herself spending her night waiting futilely for a drop-off rather than the ball drop. After arriving at her destination on 10th Ave. (btw. W. 23rd & W. 24th St.) at 7pm, a woman realized that she left her cell phone in the back seat of the cab she took. She contacted the driver shortly thereafter about the situation, and he replied that he’d drop the cell phone off for her at W. 124th St. and St. Nicholas Ave. The woman waited at that location for about two and a half hours without the driver showing up, before giving up and alerting authorities to the situation. The iPhone is valued at $600.
GRAND LARCENY: Midnight marauders at Marquee | Guests at Marquee (289 10th Ave., btw. W. 26th & W. 27th Sts.) were repeatedly plagued by a pair of pickpockets on the evening of Thurs., Dec. 29. In the first incident, which occurred around 11:30pm, a 24-year-old California woman was dancing in front of the DJ booth when she noticed that the pocketbook on her shoulder had been opened, and her $500 phone had been removed from it. Over the course of the next couple of hours, similar situations would play out around the club. A little past midnight, another 24-year-old woman was informed by a friend that the $400 phone she was storing in her purse had been lifted. At the same time, a 23-year-old Brooklyn woman had come down from the balcony to linger round the DJ booth; when she left to buy a drink five minutes later, she discovered her pocketbook was unzipped, and her $400 iPhone 6 and passport were gone. At 1am, a 21-year-old woman felt a tug on her pocketbook and thought nothing of it, until again, when buying a drink five minutes later, she discovered her wallet — containing numerous credit cards and $380 cash — was missing. After this, a 25-year-old was hanging around the DJ booth, and (you guessed it) noticed her $400 phone and credit cards were missing from her pocketbook. Finally, at 1:45am, a man at the club felt a hand in his jacket pocket, but pulled it out before it could remove any property. After this run-in, it seems catching the perps became easy, as before the night was out authorities were able to identify and arrest the culprits in the spat of a thefts: a 19-year-old Queens woman and a 21-year-old Queens man.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: Scooter smash | Often it’s those riding on two wheels that have to avoid getting hit by motorists — but last week, one scooter rider turned the tables on an unsuspecting driver. On Thurs., Dec. 26, a 54-year-old New Jersey man was cruising down W. 22nd St. at around 4:30pm, when an unknown perp threw his scooter at the front of his car, causing a dent to the front left fender. The perp then fled the scene. The victim was not injured, and reported that he did not know who the individual was, what he looked like, or why he threw the scooter. Perhaps it was a visceral reaction to his 2009 Nissan Cube, the most goofy and hateable of all automobiles.
PETIT LARCENY: Tabled tablet taken } On Fri., Dec. 30, a 53-year-old New Jersey man was sleeping, as one does, at a McDonald’s (335 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 26th & W. 27th Sts.) at around 6:30am, and left his $100 Android Insignia tablet on the table beside him. He was notified by a 41-year-old witness, upon waking up, that an individual had removed the tablet while he was dozing. Authorities were alerted, and the person in question was apprehended and arrested. Upon further inspection, the 33-year-old man was found to have two marijuana pipes with residue on his person which, yeah, pretty much checks out for the time and location of the crime.
—SEAN EGAN
THE 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Capt. Paul Lanot. 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, 7pm, at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced.
MIDTOWN SOUTH PRECINCT: Located at 357 W. 35th St. (btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Inspector: Russel J. Green. Call 212-239-9811. Community Affairs: 212-239-9846. Crime Prevention: 212-239-9846. Domestic Violence: 212-239-9863. Youth Officer: 212-239-9817. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-239-9836. Detective Squad: 212-239-9856. The Community Council meets on the third Thurs. of the month, 7pm, at the New Yorker Hotel (481 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 34th & W. 35th St.). Visit midtownsouthcc.org.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Brendan Timoney. 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, 6:30pm, at the 13th Precinct.
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.
