January 20, 2007 / News / Police Blotter / Bay Ridge–Bensonhurst

Don’t let strangers into your home

By Dana Rubinstein and Michael Giardina

for The Brooklyn Paper

Print this story

Share this story

Email a friend

Your name

Your email address

Recipients’ email addresses (Up to ten, separated by commas.)

digg

del.icio.us

An elderly Bay Ridge woman should replace her “welcome” mat with a “beware of dog” sign after getting robbed by two seemingly innocent young women she ushered into her apartment.

The 83-year-old Ovington Avenue resident opened her door on Jan. 6 at 11 am to two young women asking for a pen and paper.

“I’m here to see your neighbors, but they’re not home,” said one of the ladies. “Can I leave a note?”

The kind old lady said yes, and one of the younger women sat down at her kitchen table and began to write. The other wandered through the bedroom in the old woman’s apartment, which is near Third Avenue.

The note-writing team didn’t leave empty-handed, having snagged $350 in cash and jewelry valued at $500.

Sick vet robbed

It was a bad day that only got worse for one elderly lady at the beleaguered hospital on 92nd Street and Seventh Avenue.

The 75-year-old veteran had gone in for X-rays, but when she returned to the examination room, she discovered that someone had reached into her purse and stolen her wallet — even though the bag had been stored in a drawer near the bed.

In addition to the wallet itself, the victim lost $60, credit cards, plus her veteran’s ID card.

She didn’t report the December crime until Jan. 9, when Citibank informed her that someone had used her card at a hardware megastore in Gowanus.

Snatchtop

A quick errand on Jan. 9 ended miserably for two young women who returned home to find their front door cracked open and thousands of dollars in electronic equipment missing.

When the roommates, ages 25 and 22, returned to their apartment on Eighth Avenue, near 62nd Street, at 7 pm, they discovered that a $1,000 Acer laptop, a $700 Dell laptop, a $350 Kodak digital camera, a $500 black Gucci watch, a $200 Coach silver watch, and a $20 Samsung phone had been swiped.

D-man attacked

A deliveryman taking food to an Ovington Avenue address was attacked and robbed by 15 thugs on Jan. 9.

The 17-year-old victim was heading towards the home, which is near Ridge Boulevard, when the gang approached, menaced, and made off with $125 and a $50 wallet.

Pickpocketed

Two men grabbed a teen walking on Colonial Road on Jan. 9 and grabbed his cellphone right from his hand.

The 16-year-old victim was near the corner of 79th Street at 4 pm when the two pickpockets struck. The police later caught both perps, one a minor.

No bargain

A woman trying to save money at a Bay Ridge Avenue 99-cent store ended up getting the exact opposite result: she was pick-pocketed while waiting on line.

The woman was shopping on Jan. 7 at 4 pm at the store, which is located at Bay Parkway, when the thief unzipped her backpack and stole her wallet, police said.

The victim lost $600, plus debit and credit cards. Unfortunately, no one got a good look at the bandit, who fled quickly.

Reunion

A Bensonhurst man came home from a family reunion to find his apartment on West Fourth Street broken into and ransacked.

The man had returned with his family on Jan. 14 at 3 pm to find the bathroom window pushed in and their possessions scattered around the apartment, police said.

The thieves used the fire escape to get into the apartment, which is located near Avenue O. The perps took $1,100 and left through the front door. Nobody saw or heard the burglars escape.

Making tracks

A popular national submarine sandwich chain on Bay Parkway lost its cash register to crooks who broke in on Jan. 11 at 10 pm.

The thieves broke into the sandwich place through the front entrance after clipping the front gate locks, police said.

The crooks took the entire cash register and fled from the eatery, which is near 62nd Street. According to the storeowner, there was an unknown amount in the register. Nobody got a good look at the thugs as they ran off.

Mugging victim

A woman was mugged on Jan. 9 while walking on 64th Street towards her house.

The woman was near 24th Avenue at around 4:40 pm when two thieves ripped her purse out of her clutches. She later told cops that she never saw them coming.

The muggers — both men — fled with $258, plus her credit and debit cards.

Home burg

A woman returned home early one morning to find a messy home — and more than $2,000 in cash and electronics missing.

The victim came home on Jan. 10 at 8:45 am and immediately noticed that something was wrong in the house, which is located on 17th Avenue near 73rd Street.

Burglars had entered through the rear door, broke the lock and ransacked the place, police said.

The mess only temporarily concealed the crime: The thieves ran off with $1,900, plus electronics and jewelry. No witnesses saw the crooks.

Coat of harms

A man was mugged in the wee hours of Jan. 13 on 86th Street, cops said.

The victim had just left an all-night store, which is near 20th Avenue, at 3 am when he was set upon by two muggers.

One of the men demanded, “Give me your coat,” but when the victim refused, he was punched. In the ensuing scuffle, the man was knocked to the ground, where the crooks rifled his pockets and took $500, cops said.

Kung fu fighting

A Chinese food deliveryman received more than just a tip after delivering to an apartment building on 85th Street.

The man was waiting in the vestibule to be buzzed in just after 10 pm on Jan. 10 when a teenager grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold.

The thug forced the worker to the floor and stole $200 from him before fleeing the building, which is near 16th Avenue.

D train! D train!

A high school student was attacked for his portable video game while waiting for the D train on Jan. 12.

The New Utrecht High School student was waiting at the New Utrecht Avenue station, which is near 79th Street, at 12:30 pm when a thug asked to see his Sony Playstation Portable.

When the student resisted, the thug threatened to hit him if he didn’t comply. When the teen handed over the popular game device, the thief took it and ran onto the train, which had just pulled in, police said.

Cops said the crook once went to the same high school as the victim, and was recently released from jail.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper