Parks Commissioner Honored for Crime Fight
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The city parks commissioner chased down a man who snatched a tourist’s purse Saturday, adding another episode to his alter-ego as a crime fighter.
Adrian Benepe and his wife were walking through Riverside Park in the evening when they heard screams and saw a man running with a purse. According to Mr. Benepe, his wife said to him, “You better run after him.” He did.
The suspect, identified by police as Juaquin Rosario, 40, didn’t struggle when Mr. Benepe caught up to him, the commissioner said. Police arrived shortly after.
Mr. Benepe made news in the past for single-handedly tracking down the “Flowerman,” who allegedly stole potted plants from the Upper West Side.
At an award ceremony yesterday where he was given a plaque by the police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, Mr. Benepe said that he had been in retirement for many years, but was compelled to respond to the crime by his wife, Charlotte Glasser, who also received a plaque.
