Crime Watch

| 24 May 2017 | 11:50

A 29-year old man was killed by a city Department of Transportation dump truck on West 51st Street near Broadway after he hopped on to its side but then tumbled off and under the truck's tires. Photo: Edwin Soto

BY JERRY DANZIG

MAN CRUSHED TO DEATH BY DOT TRUCK

A 29-year old man was killed by a city Department of Transportation dump truck near Times Square Monday night after he hopped on to its side but could not maneuver himself off in time as the truck approached a construction site.

Police said the truck, along with two other dump trucks, were traveling westbound on 51 Street between Broadway and Eighth toward the construction site about 10 p.m., when the victim jumped onto the driver’s side of the truck and stood on a diesel tank foot rail. The victim’s backpack became entangled with metal fencing at the construction site, near Times Square Church, about midblock, sending the victim tumbling to the ground where he was run over by the truck’s rear tires, police said. EMS personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The driver, who remained at remained at the scene, did not know the man had hopped onto the 14-wheeler’s foot rail, police said. The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad unit is continuing its investigation.

Tooled UpIt was tool time for a local thief recently. At 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, a 38-year-old man returned to his white Ford van parked outside 110 West 75th St. to find that someone had broken into the vehicle and made off with construction tools worth $3,000.

Swamping the DuaneShoplifters hit two local Duane Reade stores in one week. At 8 p.m. on Friday, May 12, two men around 30 years old entered the Reade location at 4 Amsterdam Ave. and stole Claritin and other over-the-counter medications totaling $1,300.

Then at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 15, a man entered the Reade store at 1889 Broadway and took makeup valued at $1,399.

Copping TopsA shoplifter stole the shirts off the back of a chain clothes store. At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 8, a 50-year-old man entered the Club Monaco store at 211 Columbus Ave. and made off with $7,500 worth of shirts.

Tricross LossOne man’s bicycle wasn’t just Specialized; it was burglarized. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, a 42-year-old man parked and locked his bicycle outside 334 Amsterdam Avenue. When he returned for his ride later, it was gone. The stolen bike was a Specialized Tricross valued at $1,500.