A fetus, in fact
There’s not much more to say about the “possible embryo” that police reported found in a Citibank safe-deposit box on LaGuardia Place on Nov. 8 — other than that it was, indeed, a human fetus.
Dr. Barbara Sampson, New York City’s chief medical examiner, confirmed to The Villager this week, “It is a human fetus. Other than that, there’s no cause or manner of death because the fetus was never alive.”
Sampson declined to release any other information, such as the fetus’s age or other details, since, she said, the medical examiner is not charged to do that.
A Police Department spokesperson said the safe-deposit box was registered to a man who was last in New York City seven years ago. The spokesperson speculated that perhaps the person didn’t pay the fees for the box, leading to the bank’s opening it.
On an unrelated matter, Chief Medical Examiner Sampson said the cause of death of a 77-year-old man who died Nov. 20 in his room at the Bowery Residents Committee’s Safe Haven shelter, at 315 Bowery, was hypertension and atherosclerosis — in other words, high blood pressure and clogged arteries. Last week, a police source said the death might be “suspicious,” but apparently it isn’t.
Pinkberry perps
Police said that on Wed., Nov. 22, at 10:25 p.m., two men entered the Pinkberry frozen-dessert shop at 523 Sixth Ave., displayed a gun and ordered the two male employees, ages 21 and 42, to the back of the place. The thugs then assaulted the two workers, forced them to open the safe, and removed $1,600, as well as the victims’ personal property.
The robbers fled south on Sixth Ave. The victims were transported to Lenox Hill Hospital and treated for bruising and lacerations to the body.
One suspect wore a jacket with a hood and a backpack, while the other sported a jacket with a red symbol on it, police said.
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.
Finally ‘nailed’ him
Police said a man entered the Rite Aid at 534 Hudson St., near Charles St., on Wed., Jan. 11, at 10:12 p.m. and swiped 140 Sally Hansen nail polishes. He hid them inside his coat and walked out of the place without paying. The nail polishes have a total value of $1,287.
It took almost a year, but Lazaro Vega, 74, was arrested Mon., Nov. 20, for felony grand larceny.
7-Eleven 911
A man had a knife pulled on him inside the 7-Eleven store at 135 W. Third St. on Thurs., Nov. 23, at 9:40 p.m., police said. The 26-year-old victim told cops that while he was in the store, the suspect, who was intoxicated, came up and tried to hug him. When the victim told him to back up, the perp whipped out a knife and said, “I will cut you.”
Christopher A. Byrne, 47, was arrested for misdemeanor menacing.
‘X-man’ caught
Plainclothes police observed two men casing several local mobile-phone stores on the evening of Fri., Nov. 24, according to a report. At 7:30 p.m., one of the officers saw one suspect yank a white Apple iPhone X from a display at the Verizon store at 462 Sixth Ave., near W. 11th St. The suspect fled on foot eastbound on W. 11th St. but was apprehended in front of 40 W. 11th St. The phone is valued at $1,010.
Malike Butler, 16, was charged with felony grand larceny.
Bistro tab boost
An employee at the Corner Bistro, at 331 W. Fourth St., at Jane St. near Eighth Ave., made up additional charges on customer receipts and pocketed the balance, police said. The incident occurred on Mon., Nov. 6, shortly after noon. Video of the alleged act was available. The suspect was said to have taken $151.
Luis Rubio, 57, was arrested for misdemeanor petit larceny.
Tabia C. Robinson
and Lincoln Anderson
