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Nicked Nikon

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:49 +0000

A little after midnight on Friday, June 7, a 42-year-old man placed a camera bag with equipment behind a chair in a bar on Amsterdam Avenue. He left the bar about an hour later, forgetting his property. He returned to the bar in the morning to ask if anyone had found his property, but the only item found was his camera bag — now empty. Items stolen included a Nikon D5000 valued at $1,200; a Nikon Af-S DX lens costing $950; miscellaneous camera equipment valued at $100; and memory cards worth $50. In total the man’s forgetful night set him back $2,300.

Craigslist Crime

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:24 +0000

In the afternoon of June 5, a 19-year-old man living on West 60th Street reported that he had placed an ad on craigslist offering to sublet his apartment for $7,200. He received a check from someone claiming to be from England for $9,200. The 19-year-old contacted the respondent via e-mail asking why he had been sent the extra $2,000, and returned the extra funds. Then the following day, the 19-year-old learned that the purported Brit had removed the remaining $7,200 from the young man’s account and, indeed, the young man’s bank found out that the account upon which the $9,200 check had been drawn had been closed.

Umbrella Umbrage

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:00 +0000

In the afternoon of Friday, June 7, a 57-year-old woman got into a dispute with another woman in a bank on Broadway. The second woman hit the 57-year-old over the head with her umbrella and left the bank. The victim complained about pain but said she was late for a meeting, so she did not want to wait for Emergency Medical Services to arrive on the scene. She left the bank and said she would go to a hospital when she had the time. She had no visible injuries.

Hack Attack

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:30:34 +0000

At 10 in the morning Friday, June 7, a 30-year-old man got into an argument with a cabbie at West 60th Street and Columbus Avenue. The cabbie spit on him and fled in his cab. The man saw the cab again on 60th Street and Broadway and confronted the cabbie, going up to the driver’s side of the taxi. The cabbie then intentionally swerved his vehicle into the man, causing him to land on the hood of the cab. After that, the cabbie sped off. Fortunately, the victim was not injured and refused medical attention. Unfortunately, he could not remember the cabbie’s license plate number!

Hermes Haul

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:30:02 +0000

At 8 in the morning May 31, 41-year-old woman living on West 81st Street could not find her house keys. She was looking for them in her purses when she discovered that some of her Hermes bags were missing. There was no sign of forcible entry. The woman also stated that she had had contractors doing work in the apartment, as well as babysitters and pet sitters coming in and out. Three Hermes Birkin bags in black, red, and brown had been boosted, each valued at $10,000.

Snorkeled Snatcher

NYPress — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:29:38 +0000

At 7 a.m. Thursday, June 6, when a 29-year-old man arrived to work at a restaurant on Broadway, he discovered that property had been taken from the premises. Video footage revealed a burglar opening the front door lock on the inside by reaching his hand through a window directly adjacent to the front door. Then the burglar was seen using a crowbar to open a locked cash register and remove cash from a safe. Finally, the burglar headed downstairs to the basement and used force to open the door to the office, where he removed a laptop and tried unsuccessfully to open another safe. Regrettably, the burglar could not be identified, as he was wearing a snorkel mask and a hooded jacket. Property stolen included $3,532 in cash and an HP Pavilion laptop valued at $1,000.

Broomstick Battery

NYPress — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:35:11 +0000

by Jerry Danzig

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, a 37-year-old man from Queens was working in a commercial building on West 63rd Street when he had a dispute with another worker. The second man struck the first man in the face with a painting broomstick, injuring him and causing pain and bruising. The broomstick wielder fled the scene, while the victim went to the 115th precinct and received treatment by Emergency Medical Services there. No flying monkeys were witnessed in the vicinity.

Caravan Crime

NYPress — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:34:19 +0000

by Jerry Danzig

At 5:30 in the morning of Saturday, June 1, a 55-year-old handy man from the Bronx parked his vehicle across the street from the building on Riverside Drive where he was working. At the end of his shift at 4 p.m., he found his car had been stolen. It was not at the towing pound or the marshal’s office. The vehicle was a green 2003 Dodge Caravan with New York plates, valued at $3,000.

Computer Caper

NYPress — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:33:30 +0000

by Jerry Danzig

An 81-year-old man living on West 81st Street reported that sometime between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29, an unknown person had used his home computer to withdraw $20,000 from his bank checking account. It is unknown if he had a wife and whether she was computer-literate.

Stolen at Yoga

NYPress — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:32:47 +0000

by Jerry Danzig

Early in the afternoon of Thursday, May 30, a 61-year-old woman was taking a yoga class on West 77th Street when she discovered that her wallet had been taken from her purse. She did not see anyone do the dire deed. Other people in the class said that this sort of theft is very common at this yoga studio. The woman canceled her credit cards, and fortunately, there were no unauthorized charges. Items stolen included $250 in cash, her New York State driver’s license, a package of stamps worth $25, plus her credit and debit cards.