Assault: Beer drinker couldn’t can his mouth
A 31-year-old man was repeatedly struck in the head — then stomped, as he lay in the street — by an assailant unknown to him. He wasn’t entirely without responsibility for the incident, which happened around 9:15pm on Fri., June 21, on the southwest corner of Ninth Ave. & W. 40th St. Police noted that the victim, who was taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, admitted getting into “a physical dispute” with the stranger after having downed six beers. Based on what one supposes may have been a hazy description, uniformed officers of the 10th Precinct canvassed the area for the assailant (who fled on foot), but were not able to find him.
Grand Larceny: Megabus snooze nets mega loss
Good thing she wasn’t driving, because this one was certainly asleep at the wheel. A Megabus passenger traveling from Boston to NYC caught a few Zs with her phone in her hand — and woke up to find the pricy item missing. Thirty minutes after arriving at her 28th St. & Seventh Ave. destination (at 4pm on Sat., June 22), the victim began to track her missing mobile by using Apple’s “Find my iPhone” app. The phone, worth $1,000, was traced by the app to a specific street corner in New Jersey. Upon retrieving records of recent activity from the Apple website, the victim’s father called a number that had been dialed after the theft occurred — but the person who answered did not say anything.
Assault: Fists fly after naked truth
Second thoughts surrounding a gentleman’s agreement resulted in a painful hit and run. It happened at the tail end of a half-cocked love connection, which began to brew around 12:15am on Wed., June 19. That’s when a 38-year-old-male met a potential suitor 13 years his junior in the aisles of a popular Chelsea matchmaking location (The Blue Store, 206 Eighth Ave., btw. 20th & 21st Sts.). Having arrived at the victim’s nearby apartment, the two men agreed to have sex — but when the 25-year-old was naked, his skittish suitor declared he was no longer interested. When the young man requested money, he was told no and escorted out of the apartment. As the two were in the vestibule, the perp hit the victim and ran away. No money was taken, according to police — who noted that after video from the Blue Store was used to identify the perp, they canvassed the area (with negative results).
Trademark Counterfeit: Knock-offs pop up
The building manager of 208 W. 28th St. told police that while checking on an apartment that was supposed to be vacant, he found 30 cases of counterfeit clothing and accessories — from highly desirable brands, including Louis Vuitton and Coach. A representative of the private counterfeit investigations firm MSA Investigations confirmed all of the goods to be counterfeit. It was unknown how they came to be in the supposedly empty apartment.
Petty Larceny: Falling is her ‘Marquee’ scam
Think fast the next time you help a stranger who’s fallen and needs help getting up — and check your belongings once they say ‘thanks’ and disappear into the night. That’s the costly lesson learned by a 31-year-old local, who was sitting on a bench seat at Marquee nightclub (289 Tenth Ave., btw. 26th & 27th Sts.), at around 2:30am on Thurs., June 20. She was approached by a woman who appeared to lose her balance. As the victim instinctively put her hands up to cushion the fall, she placed her phone down next to her. Once the woman was helped up, her Good Samaritan went to retrieve the phone — and discovered it wasn’t there. The victim quickly cancelled service on the $700 Apple iPhone.
Grand Larceny: Trip to 16 Handles cost him 85 bucks
Papa needs to get a brand new bag, if he wants to avoid sticky-fingered opportunists. A 47-year-old man told police that he discovered his wallet missing, just 15 minutes after a trip to 16 Handles (178 Eight Ave., btw. 19th & 20th Sts.). After making his purchase at the popular yogurt shop, the victim placed it in his bag (which, he noted, had no zipper or buckle to secure it). Once home, he went to retrieve his tasty treat and noticed the wallet was gone. The victim, who speculates that someone may have reached into the bag, does not recall being jostled or bumped by anyone in the store or out on the street. The wallet, valued at $25, contained a $10 MetroCard, $50 cash and credit cards (which were cancelled by the victim).
—Scott Stiffler
