Crime Watch

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth The Worst of Crimes A group of Upper West Side neighbors received a rude-and hot-awakening when they discovered their air conditioners had been stolen. Last Thursday, the manager of a building on West 71st Street reported to police that eight AC units, worth a total of $8,000, were discovered missing from the building's storage area when residents went to install them in preparation for our current heat wave. Employees of the building all had access to the area, which was shut only by a shoddy door and single lock. The Worst of Crimes A group of Upper West Side neighbors received a rude-and hot-awakening when they discovered their air conditioners had been stolen. Last Thursday, the manager of a building on West 71st Street reported to police that eight AC units, worth a total of $8,000, were discovered missing from the building's storage area when residents went to install them in preparation for our current heat wave. Employees of the building all had access to the area, which was shut only by a shoddy door and single lock. A Time to Steal After returning from a trip to San Francisco a few months ago, a 60-year-old disabled woman learned she had been robbed when the boyfriend of the alleged perpetrator told her what he knew. According to the police report, the victim had given a set of keys to her apartment to her neighbor when she went away. That neighbor was the boyfriend of the alleged thief, and told the victim that his girlfriend confessed to stealing a $2,000 antique brass clock and two flat-screen televisions worth $1,650 from the woman's apartment. It's unclear if the boyfriend was involved or simply duped into providing access to the crime scene. Missing Motorcar An Upper West Side resident parked her new car on West 85th Street last Sunday. When she returned a short time later, the car was gone without a trace-police found nothing on a canvass of the area, there were no security cameras trained on the spot and no broken glass was found near where the car had been parked. The missing vehicle is a 2012 silver Mercedes E350, worth a cool $64,000. Subway Snatcher While waiting for the southbound 3 train at the 135th Street station last Monday, an 18-year-old approached another man and asked him if his cell phone contract was with AT&T. The feigned interest was actually preparation for a grab. Both parties boarded the train, and when the doors opened at the West 72nd Street station, the perp grabbed the iPhone and ran. The victim chased him through the station and alerted a nearby police officer, who cornered the perp and was able to arrest him after a bout of dodging and arm flailing. The phone was recovered. Thwarted Bank Robbery Police arrested a man suspected of multiple bank robberies last Friday after an unsuccessful attempt at another holdup. The 42-year-old white man approached a teller at an Apple Bank branch on Broadway with a note demanding cash. Defying the normal practice of obeying the demands to avoid conflict or injury, the teller refused and hit the alarm. The perp immediately fled on foot and was apprehended by a bank employee and a police officer on the street.