Crime Watch

STEALING FROM A DEAD WOMAN A recently deceased woman's bank account was drained of $19,000 over the past year. According to the deceased woman's granddaughter, three checks have been cashed in the grandmother's name since June last year. The grandmother was 92 when she passed away in November, and lived on Amsterdam Avenue. The granddaughter, an executive, reported the thefts to police earlier this month. The criminal has not been identified, but the granddaughter told police that she suspects someone related to the grandmother was behind the thefts. The criminal is wanted to grand larceny. CANE ATTACK An elderly man reported being caned by an acquaintance on Friday. According to the 81-year-old West 73rd Street resident, he was standing outside a store on West 72nd Street around 6 in the morning in September when a man he knew approached him and hit him twice on the side of the face with an aluminum walking cane. The reason for the attack was not reported, but the victim said that he remains fearful for his safety. He waited to be advised by a city social worker to report the case. The attacker remains at large and is wanted for assault. BACKPACK SWIPE A 29-year-old man was grabbing a quick bite at a fast food restaurant on Saturday when his backpack was snatched from right beneath his feet. The West 95th Street resident stopped by the restaurant on Broadway at 7 p.m. to eat. After he had ordered, he sat down with his food and put his backpack on the floor. 10 minutes later, he happened to look down and saw that the backpack was missing. Along with the pack, the victim lost an iPad, a Lenovo ThinkPad, a textbook and his wallet with two credit cards and $100 cash. Police have yet to gather any details on the thief. ONE HEAVY ROBBERY An unknown robber or group of robbers broke into a diner on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and got away with $100 in coins. The robber(s) approached the restaurant on West 67th Street at 5 a.m. and smashed the front window to enter. Once inside, the perp(s) located a toolbox beneath the cash register that contained a bunch of coins-200 quarters, 600 nickels and 200 dimes ($50, $30 and $20, respectively). The perps managed to lug the toolbox out of the store and escape without being detected. No security cameras were in the diner or around the area, and the robber(s) are now wanted for burglary. BAD BULLY A 12-year-old boy was robbed on Amsterdam Avenue on Monday, Dec. 12. The boy was walking home with a group of friends in the middle of the afternoon when a teenaged stranger approached the group and asked the boy if he could use his cellphone. The boy refused, so the teen grabbed the boy around the neck. He reached into the boy's pocket and snatched his wallet, then ran on the street toward Columbus Avenue. The teen has yet to be identified and is wanted for robbery. SCAFFOLDING MOTOR HEIST A scaffolding company reported last week that two motors were stolen from the top of one of their scaffolds in a residential building on West End Avenue. The motors were last seen on top of the scaffold on Friday, Dec. 7, then were found to be missing last Wednesday. Video surveillance of the area might be able to help police identify the thief or thieves. The motors were worth $10,000 each.