Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Security BreachOne security installer could use better security in his car. At 5:30 p.m. on May 18, a 37-year-old man parked his car in front of 200 West 90th St. When he returned the following morning at 11:20 a.m., the rear passenger's-side window had been broken into and items valued at nearly $9,000 were missing from inside the car. They included a DeWalt drill gun, Bosch drill bits, an eBay electric tester, stud finder, and staple gun, pliers, a screwdriver, Versace reading glasses, cash, outdoor and indoor cameras, a control panel, garage door opener, batteries, plus motion, broken glass, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors, making a total value stolen of $8,759.

TV TollOne TV viewer must wish he had not been so intently glued to the tube. At 7 p.m. on May 15, a 41-year-old man parked his gray 2008 Yamaha R8 in front of 218 West 104 St. He then returned to his apartment at 209 W. 104 Street and watched TV. When he next looked out his window at 3 a.m. in the morning, he did not see his bike where he had parked it. The stolen chopper is valued at $6,000.

Housing ComplexA tourist staying at a hostel found the Big Apple a most hostile place. At 9 p.m. on May 15, a 49-year-old man from Italy was walking along the pathway of the Frederick Douglass housing complex on 103rd Street from Amsterdam to Columbus Avenue when an unknown man grabbed his suitcase and fled eastbound. The items stolen included an iPad Pro valued at $1,300, two jackets worth $1,000, two sweaters totaling $1,000, two pairs of pants tagged at $1,000, fourteen books worth $45, and a Ferragamo suitcase valued at $1,600, making a total loss of $5,945.

Hybrid LowlifeA battery bandit struck two hybrid cars on Riverside Drive recently. In the first incident, at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, a 54-year-old woman parked her gray 2012 Toyota Camry with DC plates on Riverside Drive between West 99th and 100th Streets. When she returned the next day at 10:30 in the morning, the rear passenger's-side window had been broken and items removed from the vehicle and thrown on the grass along the drive. She also found that the vehicle's hybrid battery system had been removed. The property stolen included silver sandals valued at $25, shoes tagged at $25, and the hybrid battery core worth $3,500.

That same afternoon at 4:30 p.m., a 43-year-old man parked his gray 2012 Toyota Camry with NY plates on that same stretch of Riverside Drive. When he returned the following morning at 9:28, he also found that the rear passenger's-side window had been broken, items were thrown on the grass, and the vehicle's hybrid battery system had been removed. It too was valued at $3,500.

No School HolidayIt appears that a high school student was desperate for a long weekend. At 5 p.m. on , May 15, a 36-year-old female employee of the West Side High School at 140 West 102nd St. received a phone call from a private number, so she did not answer it. Later, when she was listening to the voice mail, she heard a male caller leave a message saying, “Pick up the phone, b*tch. I want $50,000, or I am going to blow the sh*t up tomorrow morning 9 a.m. at the school.” The reporter said she did not recognize the voice, and a search of the school turned up nothing suspicious. The call was ultimately deemed a hoax, and no money changed hands.