While crime in the 90th Precinct remains significantly down from last year’s levels, the precinct has seen a spike in burglaries over the past month.
In the 28−day period ending May 10, there were 34 burglaries, almost double the 18 for the corresponding 28−day period last year.
The burglaries have nearly single−handedly slowed down the pace of crime reduction in the precinct, which encompasses Williamsburg south of Metropolitan Avenue.
Last month, crime was down around 25 percent from its 2008 levels; this month, crime is down 21 percent.
The burglaries have been concentrated in two areas, according to Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper, the precinct’s commanding officer: one area stretching from Marcy and Driggs Avenues, from S. 4th Street to Grand Street; and another area from Montrose Avenue to Scholes Street, from Leonard Street to Bushwick Avenue.
This second area that saw a spate of burglaries earlier in the year, but it tapered off toward the end of February.
“That issue is back up in that area,” said Kemper.
In both areas, the burglaries have tended to take place during the middle of the day, with the burglar or burglars often breaking into multiple apartments in the same building.
“They’ll find a away into the common door, and then do a bunch of apartments in that building,” said Kemper, who said he doesn’t think the two spates are connected.
He said electronic items like laptops and cameras are the most common objects stolen.
In addition to the burglaries, the precinct saw its first murder this month, though the suspect has been arrested.
At around 9:30 p.m. on May 2, Jan−Roman Kulig, a 55−year−old Ridgewood man was robbed and viciously beaten on Ten Eyck Street and Morgan Avenue, Kemper said.
Cops said a security camera in a nearby building showed the suspect, identified as Julius Sanders, 28, of Bedford−Stuyvesant, allegedly approach the victim and attempt to rob him at gunpoint. The video shows the suspect allegedly striking the victim in the head with the gun, which turned out to be an imitation, Kemper said. When the object fell to the ground, the video shows him allegedly stomping the victim.
“There’s a possibility [Kulig] died from a heart attack, but the bottom line is because of [Sanders], he died,” said Kemper.
Police originally apprehended Sanders – who police said has a litany of prior arrests including robberies and assaults – for an unrelated narcotics charge. While in police custody, cops determined he had allegedly committed the murder, Kemper said.
Yet crime in the 90th Precinct remains significantly lower than it was last year at this time.
Robberies are down 34 percent from last year’s levels, while felonious assaults are down 21 percent. Grand larcenies are down 30 percent, and auto thefts are down 18 percent.
There has been the same number of murders and rapes as there were last year, though cops caution that rape statistics are notoriously unreliable because of it is widely under−reported.
