84th precinct

Welcome to macabre tales of such blood-curdling terror that you’ll all be sleeping with your deadbolts on. It’s a special Halloween police blotter.

I tried my best to dig up stories of werewolves and vampires in the police reports, but they must only be in the 76. Here’s what I do have:

Be on the lookout for a gray 2007 Jeep Liberty, NY lic#EML5583. It was stolen while idling on Smith St. between Dean and Pacific after the driver left her keys in the ignition.

Two cabbies were robbed within hours of each other last Saturday. The first incident took place around 6:45 pm on Smith and Schermerhorn, after two fares turned on their driver, who handed over his cash. The second was on Henry and Joralemon at 11:20 pm, when two men–one wearing a gas mask–threatened a cabbie and made off with $100. (Now THAT’S creepy.) If I may, I will put on my Columbo jacket for Halloween and say that these two cases are related, though police have no leads yet.

A man and woman must have been planning an elaborate hairy costume, as they stole $1,317 worth of hair tubes from Indique salon on Bond St.

A week earlier, two women got into an altercation after one used the other’s hair gel. Both were arrested.

Last Wednesday, a 43-year-old man was cuffed for trying to steal Body Elements Moisturizing Gel Gloves. (Now THAT’S creepy too.)

Finally, around 4 am last Friday, a man playing the role of Good Samaritan confronted a thief whom he saw lifting an iPhone from the pocket of a sleeping straphanger. “That ain’t right,” he told him. The perp must have agreed—or the Samaritan was a big guy—because he handed over the phone to the Atlantic Ave booth clerk. The unwitting victim was awoken at Stillwell Ave and reunited with her phone. And that’s this week’s blotter. Enjoy your Reese’s Pieces!

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63518

A tipsy fare means a big tip for cabbie. It’s this week’s blotter.

Six MacBooks totaling nearly $10K were stolen from the HUGE office in DUMBO last Thursday.

Last Saturday at Dr. Jay’s, a man stuffed over $20K worth of clothes in a bag; when confronted, he stomped a man on the foot and fled. The clotheshorse was eventually apprehended nearby.

A woman’s gray Honda Odyssey was stolen last Friday from where it was parked at Pierrepont and Clinton.

A few bike incidents: Last Tuesday, a perp broke into the lobby of a building on St. Marks Ave and stole an $800 bicycle.

The week before, a $2,900 bike was stolen from the common area of an apartment building on 3rd Ave.

And last Thursday, a man riding his bike near Smith and Bergen was punched in the face by a would-be bicycle thief. The victim was able to regain possession of his bike, however, and the perp fled.

Finally, a story from the mixed-up files of Foster Brooks: A man who was apparently already drunk by early afternoon flagged a cab on June 21st. He got in a conversation with the cabbie, who suggested some bars for him to visit, and then told the fare that he had to pay before the trip was over. Confused but compliant, the man handed his debit card to the driver, who then told him it wouldn’t swipe, and asked for the PIN number. You can guess the rest. By the time he was dropped off at another bar, the fare realized he’d left his debit card in the cab, and after $3,700 in charges were made on the card, he filed a police report. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61270

Hold onto your iPhones! It’s this week’s blotter.

Last week’s blotter theme was the theft of expensive wallets; this one is the theft of expensive iPhones.

The first took place on the northbound F train during rush hour last Tuesday evening. At the Jay St station, a 25-year-old woman was dragged onto the platform after the doors opened and a man reached in and grabbed her phone. She eventually let go.

The next robbery took place Friday at 3pm at the Borough Hall station–Perp 1 grabbed a 31-year-old man’s iPhone when the doors opened, while Perp 2 held the doors open during the struggle. The victim eventually chased Perp 1 onto the street but he got away. Perp 2, a 15-year-old, was nabbed at the Nevins St station.

Two days later at 2am at the Jay St station, two perps exiting the southbound A train stopped to grab a 25-year-old man’s iPhone before running out. The victim gave chase but when Perp 1 tried to punch him he relented.

Moving on, a 30-year-old woman fell victim to the ol’ Craigslist swindle. According to the report, she saw a rental listing on Craigslist and met with a man who claimed he was the broker. Two payments totaling $175 cash and one $1,000 money order later, he disappeared and the apartment (listed as being at 486 Brooklyn Ave) is not available.

Another theft during a basketball game at McLaughlin Park–this time, a 20-year-old lost his $350 iPod Touch.

The kiosk on the corner of Henry and Montague was broken into on June 2nd. Among the items stolen were $1,100; a carton of Newports; two cartons of Marlboros; and 80 phone cards. The stolen items totaled $1,632. I thought one carton of cigarettes cost that around here.

Finally, a melee broke out at Family Court, and I have to say, whenever I see “Family Court” at the top of a report, I know I’m in for something else. In fact, this incident took up two reports. In the first, a woman (whom I don’t believe was an attorney but some kind of representative) was consulting with her 17-year-old client when he suddenly hit her in the face with a mug. In the second, the teen’s mother, after hearing he was going to jail, went berserk, tried to shield his body with hers, and then hit the court officers with her umbrella when they tried to take him away. The episode ended with both mother and son arrested. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59998

Wallets worth more than the money inside are stolen. Meanwhile, warm weather means doors and windows open, and you know what that means. It’s this week’s blotter.

Where to start? I’ll begin at New York Sports Club. (I’ve lost count at this point, but I still have not come across Planet Fitness. Keep it up!) Last Monday morning, a gym-goer locked his belongings and went for a workout. When he returned, everything was still there. But unfortunately, he then left the locker open while changing, and returned to find his debit card and $100 gone. The card was used in a cab and then (possibly on the way to) Best Buy.

In other workout news–two days later, a woman who rented the second floor of a building on Schermerhorn St to be used as a “fitness facility” lost her $1,100 laptop and $300 video camera when she left the site to buy art supplies.

On Jay St., an employee’s $900 pink Gucci wallet was stolen after she left her desk to go to a business meeting. Yet another reason not to go to a business meeting. I would have interjected with my limited knowledge of handbags (I call them pocketbooks, after all), and say this must have been a $900 Gucci bag, but the report says the wallet was stolen from inside the bag. So apparently my knowledge of wallets AND handbags is zilch.

Another Gucci wallet was stolen a week later on Gold St. This one was only $300. And there was also $200 inside.

The next day a 63-year-old woman realized her $700 wallet (described only as “wallet red”) along with her ID was stolen. The ID was used to open an account with Hertz Rentals, Men’s Warehouse, and two accounts with CitiBike Share. (CitiBike mention!)

On State St. last Thursday, a woman reported a break-in after she realized her “PSE console” and games were stolen. I will interject with my limited knowledge of gaming consoles and say I think this is a PS3, for what it’s worth. Which is apparently $300.

This report was from May 10th, though I just received it—a break-in on St Marks Ave resulted in a stolen $800 drum pad, and what was described as a “$400 bicycle torher.” I have no knowledge of bikes so I don’t know what “bicycle torher” means. Googling just turns up “bicycle torture.”

A night of drinking on Pineapple St. last week resulted in an assault when a woman attacked her boyfriend after he told her he wanted to turn off the TV and go to sleep.

Health Care Provider JNJ Health Care reported a theft of $5,439.87 from the corporate account.

A scary scene on Bridge St. last Sunday. A 31-year-old woman reported that she was waiting in front of her building for a bus, when suddenly a car pulled up and its occupants ran out and attacked her. The two, a 39-year-old woman and 17-year-old male, were apparently angry that the victim had not deposited a check for the perp in the victim’s account. The two are still at large.

Finally, on Saturday night, a 31-year-old man at the MetroTech station was approached by a woman whom he described as having a fake accent. After she asked him the way to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, he noticed his bag and its contents were gone, including $300, an iPod Touch, and a $30 wallet. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/59784

The days are getting longer but the perps are getting brazen-er. It’s this week’s blotter.

I had to get to the precinct a bit later yesterday but was greeted with a much more relaxed 84–maybe because of the weather, maybe because it was almost lunchtime. Because it certainly wasn’t due to the lack of crime going on, there was a stack of reports to get through. Starting with …

Another sleepy straphanger got snookered. (Alright, maybe “snookered” isn’t precisely correct, but it sounds good.) Translation: a 33-year-old woman fell asleep at the 53rd St R station, and when she awoke at Atlantic, her $1,100 MacBook Pro was gone.

An ATM at 3 in 1 Fast Food on Hoyt Street was destroyed early in the morning on April 29th. Pieces were strewn about the sidewalk, and $7,200 was stolen. Interestingly, this was the same place that an ATM was torn open with help from an SUV a couple weeks earlier. By the way, here are the Yelp reviews for 3 in 1, aside from a new ATM, apparently they need some help in customer service.

Last Tuesday, a 50-year-old woman left her pocketbook–with $9,000 inside–in a drawer at her home office on Bond Street. At some point one of the people with access to her apartment, including a housekeeper and babysitter, found the bag and stole the money. Though whether it was out of fear, guilt, or some other emotion, he or she took $7,500 instead of the entire amount.

Last Sunday, a 29-year-old man spit on a 39-year-old man at Brooklyn Criminal Court, and claimed he was HIV-positive. The man was arrested for assault.

There were several incidents of broad-daylight muggings: Last Saturday afternoon at the Fulton Mall, a 28-year-old man was jumped by three men who stole his Air Jordan 5s.

On Wednesday, a 36-year-old woman was on Dean Street walking toward Smith when a man grabbed her iPhone and disappeared on Hoyt.

The next morning, a bag was stolen from a 33-year-old man who was sitting on a bench at 360 Adams Street.

Last Tuesday at 2 p.m., a 59-year-old teacher at PS 307 went to an 8 am staff meeting; if that wasn’t bad enough, the bag she’d left in her desk was stolen.

That same day at 2pm at the 7 Old Fulton Street restaurant, a 19-year-old girl put her $750 bag down to chat with some friends, only to discover 10 minutes later that it was gone, along with a $2,000 MacBook Pro and $830 Canon Camera. And yikes, here are the Yelp reviews for this restaurant, they’re as bad as 3 in 1 Fast Food.

An hour earlier, a 27-year-old man was mugged on Sidney and Joralemon by someone believed to have a knife. The thief made off with $400.

At 4:45 pm that same day, a 15-year-old was approached by four males at Concordia Park who shoved him to the ground and stole his $375 transitional lenses. A bespectacled police officer and I were discussing what “transitional lenses” were. “Why transitional? He should have gone for the real thing,” he said. He then let me know he’s going for lasik surgery, he’d heard great reviews about it.

And finally, on Thursday at 1pm, a man outside 49 Duffield Street was pushed to the ground by a perp who stole his bike. And then his eyeglasses. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/58739

Another robbery at Macy’s, another sleeping straphanger loses his iPod, and Planet Fitness is now 0-4. It’s this week’s blotter.

On Thursday outside Perla Grocery at 429 Warren St., a 48-year-old man was assaulted and robbed of $19.14. A 47-year-old was later arrested for stealing the loot.

A 25-year-old asleep on the D train on April 11th at 3 a.m. awoke to find his backpack gone, which contained a MacBook, iPod and $500.

A week later, a 54-year-old woman received a surprisingly legitimate email from a real bank—though that wasn’t good news. Apparently, someone changed her account password and stole $7,550.

An 18-year-old looking for a new pair of shoes instead found herself filing a police report on April 19th. According to this report, while she was trying on shoes, someone sat next to her, distracted her, and stole her wallet. I had just seen something like this on a show called Brain Games on Nat Geo the other night. (No advertising intended, even though it sounds like it. Incidentally, have I mentioned I’m job hunting?) At any rate, they showed how easy it is to distract someone, since the brain isn’t wired to handle multiple stimuli. (I’m sure I’m phrasing this wrong, but you get the idea.) I’ve seen this in previous police reports, where the perp will ask his mark, “What time is it?” before striking. So if someone stops you on the street asking for the time, my advice is to run screaming into the night.

Approximately $40,000 worth of copper plating was stolen from the basement of my dream building, the Sweeney Building, back on March 22nd. There was no sign of a break-in, and multiple people have access.

Be on the lookout for a gray Ford Taurus, license plate # DSX6601. It’s hot!

A Queens woman heading to a doctor’s appointment was mugged on April 10th at 9:30 a.m. on Joralemon St.

A 12-year-old was arrested for felony robbery on April 10th. It’s hard for me to believe that someone born in 2001 is now old enough to commit a felony, but I guess time flies. He stole the Metro PCS Coolpad from a 12-year-old schoolmate and then threatened him, saying, “If you bring the cops to my house again, I’ll kill you.” The victim originally reported that the incident took place at the Atlantic St. subway hub, but once he was with his mother, he admitted it actually took place at a park nearby at Schermerhorn St park. He had lied to avoid getting in trouble, as apparently he was not supposed to be there.

Finally, on April 19th at 10:30 p.m., a cabbie picked up a fare with a female at Court and Montague. According to the report, the fare said he wanted to be dropped off at Coney Island Avenue and Cortelyou Road, and the cabbie refused. At this point I can empathize with the fare, as I can’t tell you how many half-wit lies and sneers I get when I ask to go to Brooklyn Heights, never mind Coney Island. But the fare took it one step further, punching the driver and then stealing $310.

Oh, and I’ve been covering the blotter again for a month and all quiet from Planet Fitness. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57817

Hey there, Perps and Skells! It’s HQ here, newly unemployed and free to get down to business with the blotter again! I know, it’s been a while …

Though I was gainfully employed for a year and a half, I did miss my reports on Planet Fitness and hot-off-the-2-train iPods. So needless to say I was thrilled to be let go from a steady paycheck and gain the opportunity to pay weekly visits to the 84th Precinct.

I got off to a bit of a rough start, though–getting an appointment with Crime Analysis was now like trying to score a table at Rao’s, and “Don’t you know who I am?” impressed no one. Still, after two days I decided to name-drop “Homer Fink” and doors were suddenly opened. Just like at Rao’s! But enough about Homer, on with the miscreants.

On March 19th at 5:30 p.m., a 20-year-old male tried to buy a ring from ID Jewelry on Fulton St. Unfortunately, the love-struck Romeo used a stolen credit card, and was arrested at the scene.

Also on March 19th at 4 p.m., a verbal dispute between two workers at the 388 Bridge St construction site in DoBro (vom) turned violent, with one hitting the other over the head with an unknown weapon. A 35-year-old male was arrested.

On March 22nd at 9:30, two men entered a Blimpie’s at the corner of Pearl and Willoughby–one watched the door while the other ran to the register, flashed a gun, and got the cashier to throw $1,000 into a plastic CVS bag. The two men are still at large.

Also on March 22nd, a 16-year-old male being arraigned at 120 Schermerhorn went berserk and smashed a computer screen, pieces of which went flying into a police officer’s eye. The juvenile was removed from court, while the officer was taken to LICH.

On March 24th around 1 a.m., a woman was mugged at Pacific and 4th; a 31-year-old man was caught red-handed with her bag.

And finally–no reports of any Planet Fitness shenanigans, but the YMCA on Atlantic was the scene of a locker room break-in–a man claimed he locked his locker, but when he returned from his workout, his wallet and cell phone were gone. It’s deja-vu all over again. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/56827