Crime Watch

LousekeeperA newly hired housekeeper suspected of altering her employer’s checks so that they reflected higher amounts was arrested on grand larceny charges, police said. At 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23, an 87-year-old woman living on Riverside Drive hired Sonia Ortiz, who had been recommended, to do light housework. The woman paid Ortiz, 35, twice by check, the first for $50, the second for $75. Ortiz is suspected of having altered the amounts on both checks, boosting them to $500 and $755 respectively.

Berry UnfortunateWhen you go for a frozen treat, be careful where you park on the street! At 1:09 p.m. on Monday, October 5, a 20-year-old man chained and locked his 1994 Suzuki DR 650 in front of 205 West 95th St. He went to a nearby Pink Berry yogurt shop, and when he returned just six minutes later, he found his two-wheeler was gone. A nearby surveillance camera revealed an unknown man pushing the bike to the corner of Amsterdam and 95th Street. The Suzuki, with New York plates 83SV81, is valued at $1500, along with a chain and lock, valued at $25 apiece.

Without a Craig to Stand OnAnother apartment scam has been reported to police. At noon on Sunday, Sept. 27, a 27-year-old man living on West End Avenue sent two Money Gram transfers of $1,150 and $1,500 to an unknown man he had met on craigslist who claimed to be leasing an apartment. The 27-year-old then further checked in on the apartment’s availability and found it had never been available for rent and the building had no affiliation with the person advertising on craigslist. The would-be lessor then checked on the money orders, and found that they been cashed.

No AsylumA bicycle owner apparently placed too much faith in his building’s security arrangements. At 4 p.m. on Friday, October 2, a 50-year-old man left his Asylum Cyclos carbon cross bicycle unlocked and hanging from a bike rack in the storage area at 41 West 96th St. When he returned to retrieve the bike eight days, the two-wheeler was gone. The bicycle area was open to all residents of the building, and a side entrance was accessible to contractors working in the building. The bike is valued at $3,000.

Twelve Large False ChargeAt a minute after midnight on Saturday, October 3, a 23-year-old man living on West 104th Street was checking his credit card balance online when he noticed multiple unauthorized transactions charged against his account totaling $12,128.96. He told police he still had that credit card in his possession.