The Police Blotter: Hungry Thieves Are Coming for Denizens’ Wallets … and Their Pizzas

Since its inception in the 1830s, the Sun has chronicled crime in the mean streets of the City that Never Sleeps, and to this day, the police blotter – or its digital equivalent – offers fascinating snapshots into lives gone wrong in the myriad neighborhoods of the five boroughs. Our aim here is to chronicle the more curious criminal incidents across New York City that, with local news coverage in retreat, may not otherwise come under a spotlight. Please remember when perusing this blotter that arrests do not constitute guilt, and all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Moreover, the reported items are merely a snapshot of a criminal matter– what is known at the time of publishing. In most cases, the persons arrested for breaking the law haven’t been convicted (yet). It’s also possible that the charges brought against them may be reduced or even withdrawn.MANHATTAN Washington Heights: Lowlife Busted For Posting Girl’s Hidden Oral Sex Video Footage On InstagramA woman was aghast when she discovered she was tagged in a posted video featuring her being intimate with a man. The footage, she learned, had been covertly captured and then uploaded to Instagram. “She gives h– for $50,” reads the caption of the video back on February 17, alongside the victim’s address and phone number, according to the complaint. The shamed victim claims that the video in question of her performing fellatio on a 25-year-old man was intentionally recorded by him in secret and then distributed publicly — all without her consent. The suspect appeared before a judge and was granted supervised release. Chelsea: Brutes Inflict Beatdown on Man for $150K Watch and RingTwo toughs ambushed a man as he was exiting his home. After tuning him up, they allegedly made off with his timepiece worth over six figures. The watch mugging occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on February 22 inside an apartment on 11th Avenue and West 29th Street. Authorities say the ski-masked toughs, one stalky and the other smaller in stature were clad in black puffer jackets, black pants, and black shoes confronted the man as he was leaving. The pugilists landed punches to the target’s face and shoved him back into his apartment. They continued to wail on him, the cops say, as one hissed: “Where’s your s—?”The victim was dragged into his bedroom and the attackers demanded again, “Where’s your s—?”One of the suspects tried to zip tie the victim’s hands while the other grabbed him in a chokehold and squeezed until the man started to black out. The bandits then allegedly unfastened the man’s $150,000 Audemars Piguet watch and a ring before vanishing. Cops would soon be summoned and found the man with a bloodied nose, a shiner on his left eye, and gashed forehead. One of the two men has been hauled into custody and faces robbery and strangulation charges amongst other crimes. QUEENSRego Park: Senior Hurls Racist Epithets, Sprays Clorox at Maid’s Face An allegedly bigoted, elderly man demeaned and then doused a housekeeper with the contents of a spray bottle as she was tidying up his senior apartment. At around 10:30 a.m. on February 27 the 79-year-old man was present in his room at the Madison York Assisted Living facility located on Woodhaven Boulevard when he was paid a visit by a 51-year-old housekeeper. “You talk too much Spanish,” the elder allegedly sneered, according to the criminal complaint. He continued: “Immigrants have to leave … You’re going to get deported.”The wors soon advanced to action where the loudmouth senior allegedly snatched the cleaner’s spray bottle that The Sun has learned was filled with Clorox bleach, and ordered the woman to “open your mouth!”The housekeeper then attempted to answer his insults with words of her own when the man squeezed the bottle’s trigger mid-sentence and splashed her face with the potent cleaning fluid. The wincing woman was then rushed to Queens Presbyterian Hospital where she complained of suffering from a burning sensation in her eyes, mouth, and throat. The bleach brute was then brought up on charges of assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment. Flushing: Treasury Faker Fleeces Man for Tens of Thousands of DollarsA crook was caught duping a man into thinking he was in arrears with Uncle Sam. The 34-year-old man was nabbed on Feb. 26, for taking a Queens mark for $55,000. The suspected grifter is said to have pinged the victim back on the morning of Jan. 30. A text message with a “Department of Treasury” header that $918 was withdrawn from his PayPal account. The text further offered a phone number to dial to confirm the money was taken out by the victim. A subsequent document was sent to the victim suggesting that he move “the rest of the funds on a priority basis” out of his Chase Bank savings account and into the “Treasury” fund, adding, “Your money is safe with us.”It further informed the victim that a Treasury rep was going to make a house call to collect the cash.The man appeared to comply with the initial request; promising to withdraw $55,000. That same day he withdrew $25,000 (given that there was a limit to what he could take out from his Chase account). And two hours later a man appeared claiming he was sent by the Treasury and left with the sum. The next day — New Year’s Eve — the unsuspecting man took out $30,000 from the bank and the same man arrived to recover the cash. A doorbell camera managed to capture the likeness of the alleged suspect claiming to be a Treasury cash collector. That footage helped investigators catch up to the suspect and bring him into custody. He is now facing grand larceny and criminal impersonation charges. BROOKLYNBay Ridge: Spate of Teen Train and Bus SurfersDaredevil teens are risking their lives for instant gratification.In the past couple weeks three teens suffered physical maladies while riding atop both subway trains and city buses throughout the outer boroughs. Back at around 4:30 p.m. on March 17, a 13-year-old boy clunked his head while straddling an R train as it was entering Bay Ridge Avenue station. The youth had to be rushed to Maimonides Medical Center and when he came to was charged with reckless endangerment. The incident comes days after a 13-year-old was pinched while riding the rails above a northbound 7 train nearby the 111th Street station. The teen had fallen off the train at around 8:15 a.m. on March 14. Cops managed to bring the kid into custody and aid his recovery at Elmhurst Hospital. And just two days earlier in the wee hours of the morning a 14-year-old spilled onto the Main Street near 77th Avenue while trying to ride above a Q-20 bus. The kid was taken to Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park, where he was treated for a broken arm.Crown Heights: Man Caught Turning Subway Station Into WC A man was caught going number one on the 4 train platform. The 35-year-old was witnessed at around 2:30 p.m. on January 24, brazenly relieving himself over the southbound platform of the train station. When approached by the subway station custodian, the urinating suspect attempted to trot off. The man was quickly caught and hit with disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental administration, and littering in the subway. The suspect, according to officials, was held on $1 bail due to a separate hold on another bail case. Coney Island: Man Captured on Bodega Security Video Shooting Woman in LegA woman was shot by a man outside of a bodega. The 40-year-old shooter was captured on CCTV in front of Yafranny DeliAt around 7:30 p.m. on January 3. The armed suspect was captured on camera pointing a gun at a woman and firing off several shots — with one striking the woman in the leg. Five cartridges and one spent round were collected as evidence at the scene. It appeared the suspect, who was nabbed six days after the incident, had some open cases including a stabbing incident from back in November and another for crack possession dating back to last year. In the shooting case, the man was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and assault. He’s being held on a $7,500 bond. Sunset Park: Hangry Blade-Toting Bilker Snatches Several Pizza PiesA suspected cheesy, gluten-loving ganker was netted after knocking off a Domino’s pizzeria shop. At around 1 a.m., the 23-year-old man marched into the 4th Avenue eatery and took off the pickup counter a $40 order featuring “multiple boxes” of food and then skipped out. Cops say the manager attempted to inhibit the suspected pizza pirate and, he claims, the suspect drew a knife and then spit mortal threats. Quick-footed cops managed to get a description and pinpoint the suspect, the stolen supper and the blade. The accused was then booked on a series of charges including robbery, petit larceny, menacing, and harassment.STATEN ISLANDSt. George, Staten Island: GAP Ganker Caught With Coke A suspected serial shoplifter was busted with some cocaine residue inside two smoked glass pipes. The 27-year-old man had been on a shoplifting spree — striking the same GAP Factory store six times dating back to Dec. 27 before he was wearing cuffs. In that first incident, cops say the suspect entered the clothing merchant at 11:30 a.m. and quickly grabbed four sweatshirts, two tees, and a sweater before fleeing. Hours later at 7 p.m. on the same day, the man allegedly returned and was seen taking 10 hoodies and three zip-up sweatshirts and walking out without paying. Then, at around 2 p.m. on December 28 (the next day) the suspect returned and this time, according to the authorities, he grabbed four more hoodie sweatshirts before leaving. –The next day, at around 11 a.m. the suspect walked into the store and grabbed a dozen zip-up sweatshirts from the shelves and fled. On the morning of New Year’s Eve, the man returned and stole five sweaters. At around 10 a.m. on Jan. 2, the same perp allegedly returned and grabbed six zip-up hoodies, four pairs of sweatpants, two pullover sweaters and left. Cops managed to get on the tail of the suspect — and not even a half-hour later he was nabbed nearby on the corner of Richmond Terrace and Schuyler Street. The cops searched the man and found he was holding two glass pipes with tarred cocaine residue. He was hit with several counts of grand larceny and a cocaine possession rap. Graniteville/Arlington: ‘We Need Money, I Have a Weapon!’… Alleged Mugger In ID Crisis Caught Driving Stolen SUV RentalA suspected thief was nabbed days after swiping hundreds from a victim by a Lowe’s hardware store. The 28-year-old man allegedly approached a victim by the Forest Avenue big box store back at around 4:30 p.m. on February 19. “We need money,” he allegedly told his target. “I have a weapon.”The suspect took off with $600. Three days later cops say the same man was identified as driving a black Chevrolet Tahoe bearing Michigan tags. A cop determined that evening that the suspect’s SUV wheeling around a Shoprite on Richmond Avenue had been rented by the suspect. But the suspect failed to return it back to Hertz by over a month. (They reported to the police that he was not permitted to be in possession of the rented wheels). When approached by the officer, the suspect allegedly offered a New York state learner’s permit with another person’s name. The policeman figured out that the permit was a fugazi and determined the driver was actually the accused. He was hit with several charges including robbery, unauthorized use of vehicle, grand larceny, and false personation. THE BRONXLongwood: ‘Let Me Get Your Money!’ Man Chokes, Robs Boss’ Cash and Crank Calls Him Several TimesA business owner was attacked and jacked by his subordinate. The two men were squaring off at around 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 13 in front of Bill Rainey Park. The words graduated to fisticuffs — with the 35-year-old underling getting his boss’s head around his arm and choking him out before snapping, “Let me get your money!”The man snatched $800 from the victim. That prompted the choked superior to pull out his phone and dial 911. But before the call could be placed, the suspect allegedly swatted the phone out of the victim’s hand causing it to crack the screen and damage the speaker after falling to the asphalt.Authorities say the suspect sped off in a car. But he didn’t stop the harassment. The complaint reviewed by the Sun suggests the assailant dialed the victim from a blocked number. In one of the calls, the papers say, the alleged robber barked into the phone “speaking nonsensically.”“Do not call me again,” the boss warned his employee assailant. The suspect kept calling from the same blocked number until the victim answered again and heard the suspect’s voice. University Heights: Driver Clips, Drags Man and Sends Him Into Three Day Coma A driver allegedly wheeled away after running over a man with his car. The 26-year-old man was behind the wheel on West 183rd Street and Jerome Avenue at around 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 4. CCTV captured the suspect in his car dragging a man who was clinging to the driver’s side door and when he let go — strike the man and take off.Three days later, the victim limped into a local hospital after claiming to having been comatose for three days. He was diagnosed with broken ribs, a cut-up face, a numb left hand, and required dental surgery to keep his teeth in his mouth. Cops managed to pin the hit-and-run to the man and affected an arrest on Jan. 22. He faces assault, reckless endangerment, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The Police Blotter: Hungry Thieves Are Coming for Denizens’ Wallets … and Their Pizzas

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