Fiends steals 4-year-old disabled child's wheelchair

 

 QNS

A mother is seeking answers following the theft of her disabled son’s wheelchair by a group of thieves outside of her South Ozone Park home on Monday. 

Marta Escobar, a mother of a 4-year-old disabled child, says she left her home around 5:30 p.m. to run errands when a group of strangers took her son’s wheelchair stroller from the side of her home on Jan. 1. Her son, Anthony, is unable to walk or talk and is in great need of the wheelchair stroller.

Video footage, shared by Escobar on Facebook and Instagram, captures three trespassers entering the alleyway of her home a little after 5:45 p.m., minutes after she left.  

The intruders, with what appears to be a child, are seen on video entering the property and walking away with the wheelchair stroller, two other umbrella strollers, and packs of diapers. 

Escobar says her son’s prescription medicine was also stolen when the wheelchair and strollers were taken. On social media, Escobar claims migrants were responsible for stealing her son’s wheelchair, although this has not been verified. 

“It’s not fair that we are trying our best as a city to help these people and they are coming freely and walking into our private homes and stealing things that are so delicate and necessary for my child to be able to get to school every day,” Escobar wrote.

Big Trouble in Little Guyana II

 

 Impunity City

 Another broad daylight crime happened again in Little Guyana on bustling Liberty Avenue.

 Last time it was a brawl on a street corner back on the first day of the Spring that involved a man resorting to taking out a meat cleaver to settle it, which led to cops ultimately ending the tussle by drawing guns on him.

 This time it was an attempted robbery of a cell phone store that recently opened. Which led to a massive response by the NYPD and crowds of cellphone correspondents and lookie-loos.

 

Jackson Heights residents still displaced by massive apartment building fire got disenfranchised of their personal belongings

 

THE CITY 

Dozens of tenants displaced by a massive fire in a Queens building nearly a year ago say their apartments were burglarized, but police refuse to allow them to report their belongings stolen, according to the building’s tenant association.

At least 50 apartments have been burglarized since an electrical fire erupted in the six-floor building on 34th Avenue and 89th Street in Jackson Heights last spring, according to Andrew Sokolof Diaz, the tenant association president.

“The police will not allow us to file stolen property reports,” Sokolof Diaz told THE CITY.

The April 6, 2021 fire torched upper-level apartments, injured 21 people and displaced more than 140 households — about 500 New Yorkers. While top floor apartments were destroyed by fire, others below were ruined by the water used to fight the blaze.

In September, THE CITY reported that dozens of tenants of the 133-unit building sued the owner and various agencies in Housing Court, demanding that repairs be done in a timely manner so that families could retrieve their belongings and return home.

A judge has since issued the owner, Kedex Properties LLC, a series of deadlines to finish repairs, ultimately ruling on Nov. 23: “All work must be completed and ready for occupancy” by January 2023.

By November, many tenants from one wing of the building had yet to gain access to their apartments and were only able to glimpse inside for the first time since the fire through photos that appeared in mold and damage reports in court records. Several dozen residents from the other wing had received permission to enter their units and retrieve personal items months earlier.

Since January, tenants from the still-restricted wing have been able to view their apartments via directed video calls with building contractors inside.

In those calls, tenants noticed certain valuables were not in their spots. That fueled fears of residents who said they had for months alerted police to suspicious behavior in and around the building — specifically by security guards and contractors with access.

“Things have clearly been rummaged and ransacked,” said Sokolof Diaz, noting photos and videos show their apartments left in disarray, with mattresses flipped, closets and drawers opened, momentos strewn about and safes forcibly broken into.

When asked why tenants were unable to file police reports, an NYPD spokesperson did not offer an explanation but noted “complaint reports are recorded based on a preliminary investigation and information provided by the complainant.”

“A complaint report can be made by calling 911, approaching an officer or requesting a police report at a police facility,” said the spokesperson, Lt. Jessica McRorie.

She also said police reports for crimes and incidents can be made online.

THE CITY spoke with 10 tenants who said they believed their belongings were stolen when they finally saw inside their apartments through photos and videos.

“What little we were supposed to recover is gone,” said Neyilia Rodríguez, 56, who lived in a second-floor unit with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.

A photo in court records showed her son-in-law’s electric bike in their apartment. But when Rodríguez had a video call with a contractor, the bike was gone, she said, along with money, a phone, jewelry and her daughter’s permanent makeup equipment.

Gang brutally beats up boys and steals their bikes at Atlas Mall

WARNING, GRAPHIC: 5 boys viciously attacked by gang of 10+ grown men at @ShopAtlasPark. Bikes were stolen. @NYPD104Pct @NYCMayor @QnsBPRichards @CBSNewYork @NY1 @NBCNewYork @ABC7NY @fox5ny @PIX11News @nypost @NYDailyNews pic.twitter.com/s19YRJJSBs

— Juniper Park Civic (@junipercivic) November 1, 2021

Man wearing Black Lives Matter merch robs gas station at gunpoint

 Impunity City

...in Astoria, two men held up and robbed a gas station at gunpoint, grabbing $450 from the register and the cashier's cellphone. One of the thieves was wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt and BLM cap. This not only shows how he denigrated the social justice movement with his criminal act, but also sadly showed how the movement's slogan has been reduced and devolved into a commercial brand.

Woman gets raped twice by two men with her family present in Little Neck home invasion robbery

 QNS


Two men robbed and raped a 34-year-old woman and terrorized her family during a home invasion in Little Neck over the weekend, police reported.


Cops are looking for the duo, as well as a third individual who assisted them, in the violent encounter that took place at about 9:31 p.m. on May 4 in the vicinity of 251st Street and 57th Avenue.

According to law enforcement sources, the 34-year-old woman was leaving the residence when the two men — one of whom brandished a firearm — approached and forced her back into the home.


Security camera footage that the NYPD released on May 6 shows one armed suspect chasing the victim inside the house and two other perpetrators walking in.

 Seven other people were in the residence when the victim re-entered along with the two home invaders, sources familiar with the investigation said. The seven residents were forced to a bedroom, where they were detained as one of the robbers took the victim upstairs and searched for loot.


The victim provided the robber with $1,000 in cash, and then the suspect sexually assaulted her, police said. After the attack, he brought the victim back downstairs and removed another $800 in cash from the woman’s 54-year-old mother.


But that wasn’t enough for the perpetrators, police said, as they demanded more money. Authorities said the victim then went to another bedroom and provided $8,000 in cash from a nightstand. The second robber then sexually assaulted her in that bedroom, police noted.

 #SafestBigCity my ass de Blasio.

Band of cell phone thieves in Ozone Park area

From CBS2:

A Queens father is calling for action Saturday after his son was robbed of his cellphone as he walked home from school, and police say it’s part of a growing trend in the area.

“It is very, very important to get them off the street,” Anthony Pedraza told CBS2’s Dave Carlin in an exclusive interview.

Pedraza says his mission is to let other parents in Ozone Park, Queens know that cellphone thieves are brazenly finding their victims in the daytime and heartlessly picking on youngsters. The latest victim was his 12-year-old son, Greysen.

The seventh grader said the man who robbed him, along with three accomplices, confronted him Wednesday after school. Greysen had gotten off a city bus and was in a shopping center that fronts South Conduit Avenue.

The robbers made their move as he was walking on a dirt path to get to his house.

“I went to walk away and when I was crossing over the conduit, they came up to me and said they had a gun in a book bag and give me your phone,” he said.

They took his iPhone, and nothing else. Greysen tried the “find my phone” feature, but had no luck.

Serial bank robbers caught

From the Daily News:

Three men — including the son of a slain Gambino foot soldier — were arrested Tuesday morning for brazenly raiding $5 million in cash and valuables from several New York City bank vaults, officials said.

The crew — composed of Michael Mazzara, 44, Charles Kerrigan, 40, and Anthony Mascuzzio, 36 — used a gas welding torch to cut through the banks’ roofs and vaults.

The burglars pocketed money and items such as jewelry and baseball cards, many of which were heirlooms Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office said in a criminal complaint.

Basketball star's shooting becomes a federal case

From the Daily News:

The feds are investigating whether a Brooklyn man arrested for an armed stickup outside a Queens hip hop club is connected to the robbery crew that shot Knicks player Cleanthony Early last month, the Daily News has learned.

Kareen Brown, 27, is charged with participating in a Sept. 6, 2015 robbery of three persons at the Purlieu Club in Astoria, according to a complaint unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Brown is not charged with the Dec. 30 attack on Early, nor is it mentioned in his court papers, but there are similarities between the two crimes, sources noted.

Brown and his accomplices allegedly boxed in the victims' car with their vehicles — just like the Uber cab occupied by Early and his gal pal Iliana Douge was surrounded in Maspeth after they left the CityScapes strip joint. A team of four robbers carried out the Purlieu Club robbery and as many as six bandits wearing ski masks accosted Early, police said.

Brown's crew may have had inside help on the Purlieu Club job — when the three victims tried to retrieve their car from the valet parking lot around 6 a.m., they were told the keys had been lost, according to the complaint.

While they waited for a locksmith, Brown allegedly drove up in front of their car and asked if they were looking for their keys. A second car pulled in behind the victims' car and Brown announced a robbery, cops say.

Brown's federal defender Jan Rostal declined to comment. Brown is being charged in federal court because both being a convicted felon and committing a carjacking with a firearm are federal crimes.

A .40 caliber shell was recovered by police from outside the Astoria nightclub.

Hoverboard seekers robbed at hooker haven

From the Daily News:

Two Long Island men made a late-night trip to Queens, hoping to buy a “Kool Wheels” hoverboard, only to find themselves ambushed, robbed and bound, the victims told the Daily News.

Brian Taylor, 40, and Walter Roth, 34, went to a home on 103rd St. and 33rd Ave. in Jackson Heights, a known brothel according to cops, on Sunday, answering an ad selling hoverboards for $100 to $200, the victims said.

As they entered, three men grabbed them from behind, one of them brandishing a black handgun, police sources and the victims said.

Knicks player shot outside Maspeth strip club

From COMET:

At about 7:30 am I received a call from Captain Travaglia, 108th Precinct, who wanted to alert us about a shooting that occurred at approximately 4:18 am this morning in Cometland.

NY Knicks player Cleanthony Early left City Scapes Nightclub, 55-61 58th Street and was heading northbound on Maurice Avenue. Just before reaching Tyler Avenue his Uber car was stopped by 4-6 males in three separate vehicles who then proceeded to rob him of his jewelry, cell phone and US currency. He was shot one time above his right knee. The perpetrators fled in an unknown direction.

The Uber driver ran to DSNY to call 911 and Early ran down 64th Street with his girlfriend and was able to reach a house and call 911. Cleanthony Early was taken to the hospital and is not likely to die.

Bad stuff happening in Queens parks lately

From A Walk in the Park:

Four males were slashed with razors inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Four men were sitting on a bench inside the park at 11 p.m. on November 4th, when a group of male Hispanics on bikes approached and began cursing.

Two assailants got off the bikes and pulled razors. One slashed a 41-year-old victim in his hand who was on a cell phone causing him to drop the phone.

The attackers picked it up and when the victim's friends protested, the two attackers slashed his three friends as well.

The victims were all male 41 (phone stolen) 28, 28, and 26.

The incident occurred in the park near northeast corner of 49th Avenue and 111th Street within the confines of the 110 Pct.

Police apprehended the suspects on bikes nearby a few hours later at 2:30 a.m. on November 5th.

From A Walk in the Park:

A walk in the park turned into a nightmare for an Asian husband and wife this week when they were mugged in Kissena Corridor Park.

The couple, male, 34, and female, 31 were in the park near 45 Avenue & Colden St. at 8:50pm when they were approached from behind by two assailants in black wearing masks.

One punched the female in the back of the head causing her to fall on the ground. While she was on the floor one held the husband and twisted his arm behind his back and removed $ 50 from the victim's pants pockets.

The perps fled southbound on Colden St. according to police.

From the Daily News:

A Queens man was found dead in a park, cops said Saturday.

The man was found in Forest Park on Myrtle Ave. near Woodhaven Blvd in Kew Gardens on Friday night around 10 p.m., cops said. He was unconscious and unresponsive.

A city Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

Elderly woman dies after mugging

From WPIX:

An 80-year-old woman who was mugged last weekend in Queens has died from her injuries — but not before identifying her attacker, police say.

Police say Celica Londono of 76th Street, Queens, was walking with her 92-year-old sister-in-law around 4:40 p.m. on 76th Street near 35th Avenue when a man identified as 32-year-old Jordan Vecchio cut her purse straps and shoved her to the ground.

Londono suffered injuries to her abdomen, arm and face. Her sister-in-law was not injured, police say.

EMS transported Londono to Elmhurst General Hospital where she died from her injuries on Wednesday.

Man beaten over cell phone at FMCP

From CBS New York:

Police in Queens were looking Thursday for a group of men who viciously beat a man with a bat just to steal his cellphone.

As CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported, Jorge Huerta was left with 20 stitches in his head, two broken ribs, and bruises all over his body following the attack this past Sunday night.

Huerta, 21, was convinced that the attack would leave him dead.

“I was leaving the park after playing soccer,” Huerta said in Spanish.

The attack happened around 9:30 p.m. Huerta said he had just finished playing soccer with his friends inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and was walking home when six to eight men jumped him — still in the park near 49th Avenue and 111th Street.

He said at least one man was beating him with a bat, and the blows to his head left him unconscious. When he awoke, he realized the attackers had taken off with his LG smartphone.

Thief robs casino patron

From the Daily News:

One gambler's luck vanished when a crook snatched a wad of cash from his hand and disappeared at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, police said on Tuesday.

The 54-year-old victim was sitting at an electronic table game when the suspect slinked up behind him, grabbed about $2,000 in cash and took off running from the casino floor on July 2 around 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

Security cameras caught the thief hurdling down staircases as he made his getaway.

Police described the suspect as a light skinned man, 20- to 25-years-old with a thin build.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Love the quality of the image captured by the casino's security cameras!

Subway crime is on the rise

From the Daily News:

More cops are riding the rails — collecting overtime along the way — to combat a spike in subway crime, Transit Chief Joe Fox said Monday.

There were 61 robberies in the transit system in May, an increase of 30 cases from the previous year. Overall, there were 47 additional major felonies, hitting 216 for May, from 169 the prior year — a 27.8% increase.

Fox said cops were stepping up enforcement on trains when about 70% of transit crime began to occur on the rails in April — instead of on platforms or in station mezzanines — up from the typical 60%.

“We want them on the trains to be present and visible,” Fox told MTA board members.

To hit back against a spate of felonies, Fox said more transit officers were on patrol and shifts were extended. “We’ve been deploying a lot of overtime in the last couple of months,” Fox said.

The show of force also followed an uptick in felony assaults. There were 99 attacks this year through May, a nearly 27% spike from 78 in the same period in 2014.

Robberies this year are also outpacing 2014 by 4.8%, with 196 cases through May compared with 187 during the first five months of last year. Fox noted robberies in the subway in 2014 reached “historic lows.”

Authorities seek Queens bank robber

From WPIX:

NYPD detectives and FBI agents are hunting a prolific, armed robber who they say has ripped off at least 12 banks in Queens.

According to the FBI-NYPD Joint Violent Crime Task Force, he often wears a collared shirt and baseball cap, and passes the teller a note demanding cash. During at least five of the robberies he has pulled up his shirt to show a handgun tucked into his waistband.

The last time he struck was in December 2014, when cops say he stole cash from the Chase bank at 74-04 Elliot Avenue. Officials say he has been mainly hitting banks in and around the Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Astoria.

• Chase Bank, located at 60-67 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, NY, on December 6, 2014;

• Chase Bank, located at 69-55 Grand Avenue, Queens, NY, on October 4, 2014;

• Dime Savings Bank of Willamsburgh, 75-23 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights, NY, on August 30, 2014;

• Chase Bank, located at 47-11 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside, NY on July 25, 2014;

• Santander (attempt), located at 89-01 Northern Boulevard, Jackson Heights, NY, on July 22, 2014;

• Chase Bank, located at 77-01 31st Avenue, East Elmhurst, NY, on June 7, 2014.

Crime on the rise before summer kicks off

From DNA Info:

Serious crime increased in three-quarters of the city's neighborhoods last month as New York heads into a summer that may be long, hot and violent, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Fifty-seven of the city's 76 NYPD precincts reported spikes in serious crime during a four-week period ending May 24 compared to the previous four weeks, according to NYPD statistics compiled on a new DNAinfo crime mapping system.

The other 19 precincts reported overall crime remained steady or declined during the period, compared to the previous month.

While it has long been police lore that crime rises with warmer weather, the trend is even more disturbing because it is not confined to the two eye-catching categories — murder and shootings — that Mayor Bill de Blasio and police brass have blamed on localized gang activities.

Serious crime includes rape, robbery, assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft.

Queens Museum wants to host bank robber's art

From the NY Post:

He robbed banks, saying it was for “art” — and now the curator of the taxpayer-funded Queens Museum wants to honor him.

Nutty Professor Joe Gibbons — who videotaped himself ripping off banks as part of a bizarre “art project” — has snagged the prestigious invitation from the Queens Museum to show off his felonious film project.

The curator of the institution — which used $57.5 million in public money to expand — can’t wait to give a forum to this alleged public enemy, who is facing serious robbery charges.

“Once he is released, I hope to help him by extending an invitation to screen his work at the Queens Museum,” curator Larissa Harris gushed in a letter to a Manhattan judge. “This would be an enormous honor for us.”

Big winner at Resorts World gets mugged

From the Daily News:

A cunning yet patient crook robbed an 88-year-old Queens man of his casino winnings after following him all the way from the betting house to his home — a journey that took 90 minutes and covered more than 10 miles.

Prosecutors say Gregory Hillman, 57, started trailing his mark right after he spotted the octogenarian counting $1,000 in prize money at the Resorts World Casino in South Ozone Park on Halloween night.

Video surveillance captured Hillman following the victim into and out of a casino bathroom, out of the betting parlor and onto a shuttle bus, authorities said.

Hillman trailed behind the victim as he boarded an E train at the Jamaica station and stepped off at the Roosevelt Ave./74th St. stop in Jackson Heights, authorities said. When the elderly man walked into a supermarket after leaving the subway station, Hillman was captured on surveillance video walking in and out right behind him.

Hillman remained behind the victim when he boarded a Q47 bus and rode it to East Elmhurst. It was only after the man got off the bus and neared his residence that Hillman finally pounced.