Police Blotter (Villager, Chelsea Now), Week of June 20, 2019

Sixth Precinct

Black & Decker burglar

Police are asking for the public’s help in catching a burglar who they say has struck in both Downtown’s Sixth (Village) and Fifth (Chinatown/Little Italy) precincts. In each case, the suspect is said to enter a construction site and remove items.

According to cops, in the first incident, on Fri., May 10, around 2 a.m., the burglar entered 282 W. Fourth St. by climbing up exterior scaffolding. He then proceeded to remove assorted power tools and fled.

The alleged Downtown power-tools burglar in the process of nailing another one, in the Village. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

Then, on Tues., May 21, around 2:45 a.m., he entered 165 Christie St. by climbing a scaffolding and breaking through a door leading to the second floor. He then again removed various power tools and fled, police said.

The only description for the suspect that police gave is that he’s male and wore a black sweatshirt and gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted on the CrimeStoppers Web site at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

Phone filcher gets hung up

There was an attempted theft in broad daylight on Minetta Lane in the Village, according to police.

On Fri., May 17, around 2 p.m., near Minetta Lane and Sixth Ave., a young man reportedly snatched a cell phone from a 49-year-old man’s hand, then ran south with it on Minetta Lane.

The alleged Minetta Lane phone snatcher. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

The victim gave chase, and during the pursuit, the robber dropped the victim’s phone in front of J.G. Melon, at 89 MacDougal St., at the corner of Bleecker St.

The victim recovered his cell phone, and the thief continued to flee eastbound on Bleecker St.

Police released surveillance images of the suspect, described as 15 or 16 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 145 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweater, light blue jeans, red sneakers and a red backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

Ninth Precinct

Roughneck robbery

Police said that on Sun., June 16, about 4 p.m., a 73-year-old woman was in front of 121 E. Third St. when a stranger approached her from behind and snatched her necklace. The robber fled on a bicycle eastbound on E. Third St. and then southbound on Avenue A. The victim suffered pain and bruising to her neck as a result of the incident.

The suspect is described as a male black, last seen wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a blue shirt, red shorts and red sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

Police say this guy stole a senior woman’s necklace off her neck in the East Village, then biked away. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

Electric mugging

According to police, a group of three individuals in their 20s robbed a deliveryman of his electric-powered bicycle in the East Village on May 29 around 1:45 a.m. The 51-year-old victim was in front of in front of 320 E. Sixth St., where he had just finished delivering food, and was on his e-bike when the trio confronted him.

A surveillance camera image of one of the alleged East Village e-bike muggers. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

Another image of the longhaired alleged e-bike mugger. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

They engaged him by asking where the D train was. The first thug then pushed the worker off of his bike — valued at $1,600 — and fled with it westbound on E. Ninth St. The victim was not injured and refused medical attention at the scene.

The first individual is described as a male Hispanic, with long dark hair, last seen wearing eyeglasses, a multicolored shirt, blue jeans and a backwards baseball cap. The second suspect is described as a male black, last seen wearing a red sweatshirt. The third sidekick is described as a female Hispanic, last seen wearing a blue jacket, pink shirt and multicolored leggings.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

10th Precinct

10th Ave. drunk driving

There was a drunk-driving incident on 10th Ave., between W. 41st and W. 40th Sts., on Sun., June 16, police said. An officer reported that around 1:55 a.m., he saw a man driving uptown very fast on 10th Ave. and then turn without signaling. The motorist also drove over the yellow double line, and refused to pull over upon request. The driver blew a 1.1 on the breathalyzer test, and a 0.92 when taken back to the police precinct. The legal limit is 0.08. William Kuprian, 47, was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.

Cartier switcheroo

There was a shoplifting incident at the Cartier boutique at 20 Hudson Yards, according to a police report. The store’s manager said that on Sun., June 9, around 5:40 p.m., two men entered the place and one removed a pair of $945 Cartier sunglasses. The second man then replaced the stolen item with a knockoff pair of sunglasses before men left with the stolen item. The theft wasn’t reported until six days later on June 15, because inventory counts didn’t show any missing or stolen items, since the tricky thieves had replaced the stolen glasses with another pair. Security footage was reportedly available. The case remains open.

Chippy fight

There was an assault on the sidewalk in front of 116 10th Ave., at W. 17th St., last Friday, according to police. On June 14, at 3:45 a.m., a 25-year-old man was trying to break up an argument, when he took a punch to the face, chipping one of his front teeth. The victim also had minor swelling on his lip, and he was taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. Zachary Malone, 25, was arrested for misdemeanor assault.

Police say this guy was involved in an alleged groping incident in the subway station at 34th St. and Eighth Ave. (Courtesy N.Y.P.D.)

Gabe Herman
and Lincoln Anderson