Crime Watch

SUSPICIOUS EVIDENCE A 35-year-old Upper West Sider played amateur sleuth last week when her laptop went missing. The woman returned home on Oct. 3 and noticed two clues-one, her computer was gone, and two, her carpet was marred by muddy footprints, made by boots that were not hers or her husband's. There were no signs of damage or forced entry in the West 72nd Street apartment, and the victim noted that her superintendent has a key and that there had been workers in the building that day. The brand-new 2012 MacBook Pro model is worth $1,300. WELL-DRESSED THIEVES A well-timed criminal duo hit a Banana Republic clothing store on the Upper West Side last Friday afternoon. A store employee told police that one man served as a lookout while another came in and stuffed 28 items-22 shirts and 6 sweaters-into a blue bag. The pair left the store together and hopped into a car, speeding off in an unknown direction. Their total fashion haul was $1,519 worth of preppy attire. ONE EMPLOYEE NOT LOVIN' IT An employee of a McDonald's restaurant on Broadway was caught on security footage robbing his employer last week. After a manager deposited the shift's earnings into the store safe, the employee snuck in at 3:27 a.m., opened the safe and took $2,729 in cash. ZOMBIE CREDIT CARD An Upper West Side man was shocked to find out that a credit card he thought was long dead had actually arisen and was busy making purchases around the web. The 59-year-old resident told police last week that he had opened a Discover card many years ago but had not used it in over a decade. Suddenly this August, the long-dormant account became extremely active, racking up charges at Apple and Macy's to the tune of $41,484. The man has since closed the account and told police that he isn't even in possession of his card. CAMERA SWIPED FROM CAR On Tuesday, Oct. 2, a 62-year-old man from New Rochelle parked his car, a red 2003 Honda Pilot, on West 77th Street. When he returned to retrieve it the next day, he discovered that someone had smashed in the back left window. The man's camera bag was gone, along with a $1,500 Canon camera, a $900 camcorder, an $1,800 laptop and a $700 zoom lens. VACATION SURPRISE After returning home from a monthlong vacation, a 31-year-old Upper West Sider was greeted with a nasty shock. The woman told police that she returned to her West 79th Street apartment and discovered that several pieces of jewelry, which she kept in a box in her closet, were missing. The victim said that only her dog walker and the building's management had access to the apartment. The missing items, totaling $3,900, included a gold diamond horseshoe ring, a gold necklace with a Star of David and a diamond watch. TEENAGE ASSAULT Police arrested a 17-year-old girl Oct. 3 following an altercation outside on West 84th Street. According to police, the girl was in an argument with a 20-year-old man, and she struck him in the arm with a black cane, causing pain and redness in his left elbow. The girl was arrested on assault charges at the scene.