Wild ride
Cops couldn’t stop a car thief during a fifteen block chase — but a fence in Coney Island could.
Cops were on the lookout for a swiped 1996 Honda Civic last seen on Vandalia and Louisiana avenues in Starrett City before 6:30 pm on May 22.
It wasn’t until the next morning that cops found the missing car motoring past West 8th Street.
When they tried to pull the car over, the man behind the wheel, identified as 22-year-old Nicholas Rodriguez, zoomed off, only to crash into a fence fifteen blocks away, police said.
Cops charged him with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a controlled substance, after they found a small amount of drugs on him, according to prosecutors.
Stabbed in Coney
A Coney man was stabbed repeatedly near the Sideshow by the Seashore on May 21 during a violent spat with a young couple, police were told.
Officials said that the man was arguing with the couple, ages 21 and 20, on Surf Avenue between West 12th Street and Stillwell Avenue at 5 pm when the male suspect, identified as Emanuel Torres, pulled a knife and attacked, leaving him with injuries to his arm and stomach. The suspect’s female companion, identified a Michelle Rivera, also lunged at the male with a broken CD, witnesses said.
Their victim was taken to the hospital, where he needed stitches to close up wounds on his arm.
Both Torres and Rivera were taken into custody, charged with assault in the second degree.
Ave V villain
A 61-year-old woman was knocked to the ground and robbed in Sheepshead Bay on May 20.
Police said that the victim was walking past East 9th Street and Avenue V at 8:30 pm on May 20 when the 35-year-old suspect snuck up on her and shoved her to the ground, leaving her with cuts to her forearm and finger.
The thief scooped up the purse, but he didn’t get far. Cops caught up with the suspect, identified as Eric Mordagado, after he dumped the purse on Avenue U.
Ill fortune
A thief swiped a set of keys from a patient in Coney Island Hospital, then used it to break into the man’s home and swipe his car.
The victim told police he was inside the Ocean Parkway hospital at 6 am on May 15 and fell asleep knowing his keys were on his night stand.
While he was asleep, someone took the keys and went to his home, which is on on Avenue S between East 1st and East 2nd streets, and took an assortment of clothes, video games, jewelry, a laptop computer and the keys to a 2003 Chevrolet Impala, which was also taken.
Five days later, cops caught up with the Impala, and the 22-year-old suspect, at the corner of Neptune Avenue and West 27th Street, and charged him with the theft of the keys, the burglary and the car theft. The thief’s name is not being released because he may be related to his victim.
No quick getaway
Two thieves took off — after cops spotted them breaking into a car in Sheepshead Bay on May 21 — on a pair of skates and a bicycle.
The thieves, identified as 19-year-old Kenneth Vargas and 18-year-old Jason Miller, rolled off after they were spotted breaking into a car on Shore Parkway and East 14th Street at 4:18 am.
Cops put the breaks on the free-wheeling roller blader after a short chase. The teen on the bicycle dumped his wheels and ran off on foot, but couldn’t outrun pursuing police.
Plucked in Plumb Beach
A thief swiped a car off of Plumb 2nd Street on May 21 with some help — the car’s owner left the door unlocked.
The 1995 Honda Accord was last seen sitting between Avenue W and Whitney Avenue at 3:30 pm, police were told.
Robbed of bookbag
A teen was attacked and robbed of his bookbag on May 21 after two thugs asked him if he was part of the Latin Kings.
The victim told police that he was on 20th Avenue near 70th Street at 4:20 pm when the two suspects approached and posed their question.
One of the bullies attacked the victim when he denied he was part of the notorious gang.
The struggle ensued and the thieves ran off with the bookbag, but didn’t get far. Both were arrested with the backpack a short time later, charged with robbery in the second degree, grand larceny and petit larceny.
What a tool
A thief broke into a Gravesend construction site on May 22, but was apprehended after he left his getaway car parked in front — teeming with the loot he just stole!
Police said that Ramon Lamacchia, 47, cut the chain to the front gate sometime after 10 am and then went inside the site on Kings Highway between West 2nd and West 3rd streets.
He took an assortment of cables, drills and other tools that were kept in the basement of the new building.
Cops found the pickup truck allegedly belonging to Lamacchia parked outside the construction site.A grinder and bolt cutter taken from the construction site were inside.
He was charged with burglary in the third degree, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
Cleaned up
A city Sanitation worker was arrested on May 23 after he was caught drunk driving through Brighton Beach.
The off-duty employee, 35-year-old Peter Steffen, was pulled over at the corner of Brighton 7th Street and Shore Parkway at 6 am and charged with DWI, police said.
Wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can lead them to graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti, which is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners.
According to police, there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.
