PETIT LARCENY: Bad Apple | On Thurs., Oct. 6, a 70-year-old woman discovered a little too late that the supposed Apple expert she was consulting with was rotten to the core. At about 7pm, while within her W. 28th St. apartment, the woman spoke to who she believed to be a support rep regarding problems she was having with an Apple product. The tech asked the woman to pay a $329 fee for their services, which she agreed to and paid. Presumably left with her gadgets still in disrepair, she talked to an actual Apple technician — er, “Genius” — at an Apple store a little later on, and was informed that an imposter had scammed her. She reported the incident to the police the next day, worried, as she had provided the fraudulent fixer with her credit card number.
LEAVING THE SCENE OF PROPERTY DAMAGE: Yield to bus | Two incidents last weeks left no doubt in the mind: the wheels on the bus go wherever they damn well please — regardless of who or what gets in their way. First, on Thurs., Oct. 6, a 39-year-old Brooklyn woman reported to police that she was hit by a yellow school bus while driving southbound on Ninth Ave. At about 6:20pm, the bus made a right turn at the southwest corner of W. 42nd St. & Ninth Ave., and swiped the passenger side rear panel. By the time the police arrived, the bus was gone, though the drivers had exchanged information in the interim. There was no such luck for one unlucky motorist on Fri., Oct. 7, when, on the southeast corner of Dyer Ave. & W. 41st St., a New Jersey Transit bus clipped his driver’s side window at about 10:30pm. That particular bus fled westbound. The 41-year-old New Jersey driver was able to get the license plate number of the vehicle, however, which may help is locating the reckless driver (though the availability of video footage of the incident is unknown).
CRIMINAL USE OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA: Tint my ride | At around 4am on Sat., Oct. 8, an officer observed a 1997 Mitsubishi sedan driving at the southwest corner of Eighth Ave. & W. 28th St., stopping it due to what they determined to be an “excessive window tint” violation — the vehicular equivalent of that guy who wears sunglasses indoors all the time. And just as those sunglasses often serve as a cover for conspicuously bloodshot eyes, these windows shielded onlookers from some less than savory goings-on within the vehicle. When the officer approached the car and its driver about the situation, he observed a quantity of marijuana as well as a digital scale in plain view. The latter item became a damning device upon further investigation, as the officer found an additional amount of marijuana ripe for the weighing in the car. The shady character, a 21-year-old man, was quickly arrested.
PETIT LARCEY: Cops catch cosmetic criminal | On Sat., Oct. 8, a woman learned that outside beauty may not be worth all the trouble it causes — especially if it lands you on the “inside,” as happened to her. At about 8:15pm that evening, at a Whole Foods (260 Seventh Ave., at W. 25th St.), the store’s security guard observed the woman take a number of items from the shelves, casually place them in a Whole Foods bag, and then attempt to leave the store. She was unsuccessful, however, and caught trying to lift $240 worth of pricey cosmetic products, including eye cream, camellia oil, cleansing balm, and cleansing cream. The 26-year-old Queens resident was arrested upon the arrival of authorities.
—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.
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.
