Crime Watch

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A weapon was found in a public mailbox. At 11:30 AM on Monday, September 9, a postal carrier found a weapon in the mailbox on the Southeast corner of Park Avenue and East 94th Street. The weapon was a 32 caliber Smith and Wesson Premier handgun.

Ambulette Assault

An ambulette driver assaulted another driver in a road rage incident. At 11:05 PM on Monday, September 9, a 36-year-old male driver got into a verbal dispute with a private ambulette driver. The dispute escalated, and the 36-year-old took out his phone to record the incident. The driver of the ambulette knocked the other driver's phone out of his hand to the ground, before quickly getting back into his ambulette and driving away. The 36-year-old followed the ambulette to an Access-A-Ride pickup station on East 70th Street and York Avenue in front of New York Presbyterian Hospital. Both men then exited their vehicles, and the ambulette driver proceeded to shove the other driver and then punched him in the face and head with his closed fist. The 36-year-old's face and ear on his left side became swollen, but he refused medical attention.

Phone Fraud

Someone opened five cell phone accounts in a woman's name after filing false tax returns in her name. At 3:30 PM on Tuesday, September 10, a 26-year-old woman living on East 90th Street realized that she had not yet received her income tax return and wanted to find the cause of delay. She called the Internal Revenue Service and was told that the return had been sent. Apparently, someone had used her information but filed giving a different address, so the IRS told her to re-file with her accountant. The woman then said she received mail from AT and T confirming that she wanted to go paperless. So she called AT and T and was told that someone had opened up five cell phone accounts using her name and Social Security number on August 30. The accounts had been opened in the New Jersey 732 area code.

With Friends like This?

A man was assaulted by an acquaintance who stole his wallet and cell phone. At 11:30 PM on Monday, September 9, a 52-year-old man living on East 61st Street was transported to New York hospital by EMS. He told the hospital staff he did not know what had happened to him, but doctors determined that he had sustained a broken jaw and eye socket. Later, he was able to give details of what had transpired, saying he had been struck with an unknown object and his wallet and cell phone taken by a male perpetrator. This perpetrator was identified as Anthony Elton, a 48-year-old man and acquaintance of the victim.

Grabbed at Gunpoint

A man had his cell phone robbed at gunpoint. At 11 PM on Saturday, September 7, an 18-year-old man from Grover Beach, CA was sitting on a park bench on the northwest corner of Third Avenue and East 91st Street, when he was approached by an unknown perpetrator who said, "Do not make this harder than it has to be." The young man then heard what he thought was someone loading a gun, and he felt a cold object being pressed into his neck by a second perpetrator who was standing behind him. The first perpetrator said, "Just give us the phone," and took the cell phone from the victim's hand. Both perpetrators then fled on foot northbound between buildings towards East 92nd Street. The victim returned to his apartment on East 91st Street and called 911 using his roommate's phone. Police searched the area but couldn't find the robbers. The stolen phone was an iPhone 4 valued at $200.