Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Distrito DistressAnd the scary scam calls keep coming. In the afternoon of Jan. 27, a 48-year-old man from Brightwaters, N.Y., received a phone call from an unknown man who said he had the victim’s son and would kill him unless the victim followed his directions. The victim complied with the instructions, withdrawing cash from an ATM and transferring the money via Western Union to a location in Mexico City. The amount transferred was $2,000. Police said one Luis J. Hernandez of Mexico City is wanted for grand larceny by extortion. Shopping RipA parked car is can poor place to park your property. On Jan. 30, a 50-year-old man left his rented 2016 Buick Lacrosse at the northwest corner of Greene and Broome Streets while he went shopping. When he returned at 9:15 p.m., the driver’s-side rear window had been broken and three custom-made men’s suits by Hickey Freeman, valued at $2,400, were missing.

Murray WorryAnother week, another gym locker break-in. At 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, a 35-year-old man returned from a workout in the Equinox gym at 54 Murray St. to discover that his locker had been broken into and property stolen. The victim was notified by his credit card company that someone had attempted to use his card at the New York Dolls Club nearby. The other items stolen were a pair of John Varvatos jeans priced at $200, a Diesel belt worth $50, a MetroCard valued at $20, and a wallet priced at $50, along with a driver’s license and various debit and credit cards. The total stolen came to $420. Video surveillance captured the suspected perpetrator scanning in at the gym, and he was identified by information he revealed to gym personnel. Thomas Laviano is wanted by the police for grand larceny.

Situation of Some GravityA young man was set upon by two thugs on the subway. Shortly after midnight on Monday, Feb. 1, a 19-year-old man riding the northbound A train as it approached Fulton Street when he was approached by man who removed the victim’s wallet from his pocket. The victim took a step toward the thief and asked, “What are you doing?” A male accomplice then placed a gravity knife to the victim’s neck before and punched him in the head, knocking him out. The victim told police that he regained consciousness as the train was pulling in to 190th Street, where he reported the incident to a Transit Authority employee, who he said failed to offer assistance. The items stolen included $160 in cash, a green card, a Social Security card, driver’s license, bike permit, health insurance card, debit card and MetroCard.

S4 Done 4No Crime Watch column would be complete without a cellphone theft story. At 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27, a 36-year-old woman got off the E train at Church and Dey Streets and was walking toward the PATH station talking on the phone she was holding in her left hand. Suddenly, a man came up from behind and snatched her Samsung Galaxy S4, before fleeing northbound on foot along Church Street and disappearing inside the subway station at the southwest corner of Barclay and Church Streets. Police searched the area but could not find the thief or the phone, which is valued at $300. Unfortunately, the phone’s tracking device had been turned off.