Heat is on

A thief snatched an idling car on Washington Avenue while the owner let it warm up on chilly Jan. 22.

The owner, a 57-year-old man, told police he turned on his 2004 Mercedes-Benz E500 directly in front of his home between Greene and Gates avenues. He then waited in his vestibule at 10 am until the car shook off the chill.

When he turned his back to lock the building’s front door, he heard the sound of his car door opening and spun around to see another man driving off with his German import.

Double whammy

Police were seeing green when they arrested a man on Jan. 22 for stealing a car because the dopey crook on Park Avenue also had a bag of pot and drug accessories on his person.

The alleged criminal, 24, was spotted at 4:19 pm behind the wheel of the stolen vehicle — the ever-popular Nissan Quest minivan, which was reported missing earlier that day — near the corner of Emerson Place.

Officers say they found the wacky tobaccy during the arrest.

Clotheshorse

Someone stole a huge amount of clothing from her Flatbush Avenue storage facility on Jan. 22.

The victim, 31, said the thief stole 75 bags, 60 sets of hats, gloves and scarves and a whopping 144 berets, often worn with an affectation, from the locker between Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue after 10 am and before 6:40 pm.

Anyone with a French accent is considered a suspect.

Down the tubes

Police hooked a man who was caught stealing bathroom appliances and dietary supplements from a national retailer on Flatbush Avenue on Jan. 23.

The 43-year-old thief took five electric shavers, vitamin C tablets, a jar of flax oil capsules and other boosters from the chain store between Hanson Place and Atlantic Avenue at 2:40 pm.

About a girl

An unevenly matched macho argument among five men ended with one getting a bottle broken over his head at the corner of Lafayette and Grand avenues on Jan. 19.

The victim, 36, said he argued with the four other hooligans over a woman — the details are unclear — and eventually one of the quartet swatted his noggin with a glass bottle at 2 am. The victim went to Interfaith Medical Center under his own power for treatment.

Train in vain

Two teens hit and mugged another lad near the corner of Clinton Avenue and Fulton Street on Jan. 13.

The ruffians demanded the 14-year-old’s money. He refused to give it up at 3:30 pm, so one of the villains punched him in the mouth, which sent him flying to the pavement. The accomplice stole the victim’s Metrocard.

©2009 Community Newspaper Group