Bomb blues at Madison
Extra cops were dispatched to James Madison High School on Tuesday in response to a loose threat found scrawled on a desk.
Police were told that someone wrote “I will blow this school up on 3/16/10 and everyone will die” sometime between March 8 and March 12. It was still unknown who wrote the menacing message as this paper went to press.
While cops did not describe the incident as a “credible threat,” it was decided to add extra police and school safety personnel to the school, located at 3787 Bedford Avenue, on the day the bomb was supposed to go off.
Stabbed in library
A 13-year-old boy was hospitalized after a group of thugs stabbed him inside the Kings Highway library branch in Midwood.
Officials said that the child, a student at I.S. 234 on East 17th Street, was inside the library at 2115 Ocean Avenue, at 2:50 p.m. when upwards of seven youths attacked him.
The teen was taken to the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition after treatment.
His attackers, students from I.S. 381 on East 22nd Street, were taken into custody charged with gang assault. Their names were not released because all of the attackers were between 13 and 15 years old.
Sovereign smash in
A crafty crew of thieves tunneled their way into Sovereign Bank, 301 Avenue U at McDonald Avenue.
Police said that the brazen burglars dug three holes into the roof of the one-story bank sometime after 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 14 — right under nosy straphangers waiting on a nearby elevated train line.
While the thieves managed to stick a ladder into one of the holes and make their way down to the bank’s vault, they were scared off before they could empty any of the boxes.
This is the third time in the last two weeks that thieves tried to gain rooftop access in local stores.
Police said that someone tunneled their way into the roof of the Flatbush & R Laundromat, 2220 Flatbush Avenue, on February 28. The next day thieves attempted to dig their way into Song’s Deli, 5401 Avenue T, through the roof, but never got inside.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding the Sovereign Bank break-in to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential.
Popped over free pills
A Mill Basin pharmacy employee was arrested when it was discovered that he was dispensing drugs at amazing rebates, officials alleged.
Prescriptions were optional as well, prosecutors said as they hit 26-year-old Farah Razvi-Hatti with multiple counts of petit larceny, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance this week.
Cops were alerted to Razvi-Hatti’s alleged illegal practices by her employer, the owner of Care Pharmacy, 5915 Avenue N, after it was discovered that she had given two select customers hundreds of dollars in merchandise for $12 and $32 apiece, according to prosecutors.
A further investigation revealed that she had given four others a number of Hydrocodone pills, a strong painkiller, without a prescription between December and the beginning of February, officials alleged.
Struck down on Quentin
A 31-year-old man was clinging to life Friday after he was struck by a city bus in Midwood.
Police said that the victim, a resident of Ocean Parkway, was walking past the corner of Quentin Road and Ocean Avenue at 9:20 p.m. on March 12 when he was struck by the bus, suffering serious head trauma.
He was rushed to an area hospital in grave condition.
It was unknown if his condition had improved as this paper went to press.
Surprise guest
A 73-year-old woman returned to her East 28th Street home March 10 to find a gun-toting crook greeting her at the door.
Cops were told that the senior opened the front door to her home between Kings Highway and Avenue P at 7 p.m. As soon as she stepped inside, the gunman barreled down the stairs and pointed his pistol at her. He then ran out of the home, saying nothing.
Cops estimated that the thief crept into the home through a side window. He reportedly used a folding chair to give himself the extra boost inside.
It was unclear what was taken from the home as this paper went to press.
Mill Ave. gunpoint rob
Two gun-toting males held up a 36-year-old as he walked through a Rite Aid parking lot on Mill Avenue last week.
The victim said that he was walking through the lot near Avenue U at 2:40 p.m. March 12 when the unidentified suspects crept up behind him, pulled their gun and demanded his property.
The thieves fled with the victim’s wallet, which contained $200 and several credit cards.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 63rd Precinct at (718) 258-4411. All calls will be kept confidential.
B.B. bite
Cops are looking for a B.B. gunner responsible for firing a pellet at a 53-year-old woman on Strickland Avenue.
The woman said that she was at the intersection of Strickland and Mill avenues back on March 11 when she was hit.
Cops did not say exactly where the pellet landed, although the 4 p.m. target practice did cause a minor injury.
Caught inside
A Marine Park resident returned home March 8 to find a thief rummaging through his belongings.
The victim, a resident of East 35th Street near Avenue R, said that he went through his front door at 9:35 p.m. only to find an unexpected guest — a burglar.
The unidentified thief scrambled out the door as soon as he realized he was discovered, but he had enough of his wits about him to grab $100 and some electronics before escaping.
Cops later determined that the thief entered the home by forcing open the back door.
Robbed of phone
A 14-year-old girl was grabbed by the hair and robbed of her phone as she walked along Ralph Avenue.
The victim told police that she was nearing Glenwood Road at 3:50 p.m. on March 10 when an unidentified male ran up and asked if he could use her phone.
When she refused, the thief attacked, punching her in the face before running off with her cell phone.
Tire swipe
Thieves left a Bergen Beach car on blocks last week after removing all four tires and rims.
An East 69th Street resident told police he parked his 2004 Infiniti on his street at 2 a.m. on March 14.
When the 64-year-old returned to his car a few hours later, all four wheels were gone.
Open invite
A 33-year-old motorist made it quite easy for a thief to rummage through the things in her car — she left the door unlocked for him.
The woman told police that she left her vehicle at the corner of East 34th Street and Quentin Road at 2:30 p.m. on March 8 for just a few moments.
But by the time she returned, an opportunistic thief had already struck, taking her wallet and credit cards, police said.
King’s ransom
A quick-moving thief managed to snag $2,200 from a cash register during a recent visit to Kings Plaza.
Workers at a mall store said that the would-be customer entered at 5:30 p.m. on March 9.
When an employee walked away from the register for a moment, the unidentified male reached over the counter, opened the register, and emptied the till, witnesses said.
Help wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can help them arrest neighborhood graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s ongoing push to rid New York of graffiti; the leading quality of life complaint brought to police.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.
