Leonard St mug
A thug shoved a 34-year-old man to the ground in a vicious mugging on July 11.
The crook pushed his victim from behind, knocking him to the sidewalk on Leonard Street near Nassau Avenue at around 11:35 pm. The crook grabbed his victim’s backpack and ran off with his umbrella, a map, a Nokia cellphone, a book, and $55.
Bag grab
A Good Samaritan got robbed when she gave directions to passersby on July 6.
The victim was dining at a Bedford Avenue eatery at around 5 pm, when four strangers asked for directions.
When she turned to help the passersby, someone snatched her pocketbook from the table. The crooks got away with the victim’s $81 Metrocard, sunglasses case, and $36, and then used her credit card to purchase a $45 Metrocard.
Bag snatch
A crook stole a 23-year-old woman’s purse while she used the bathroom at a Union Avenue bar on July 13.
The thief grabbed the bag at around 2:50 am, escaping from the bar, which is at the corner of Richardson Street, with the victim’s purse, cellphone, keys, and credit cards.
Dropped call
A crook interrupted a 12-year-old girl’s phone call when he stole her Sidekick from her hands in McCarren Park on July 6.
The thief — who wore a black shirt, black shoes, and had his black hair gelled up and dyed partly blonde — grabbed the phone from the girl’s fingers at around 4 pm, then sprinted south on Lorimer Street towards Meeker Avenue.
Losing games
Thieves broke into a gamer’s Bedford Avenue apartment on July 8 and swiped videogame consoles.
The crooks climbed the fire escape and entered the apartment, which is between North Sixth and Seventh streets, through a rear window between 9 am and 6:15 pm, cops said.
Once inside, the thieves snatched a Nintendo DS, a Sony PSP, an Apple laptop, and Canon and Nikon cameras, then fled through the front door, which they left open.
Better off G
It was a bad week to own a car in Greenpoint:
• Thieves stole a Chevy Silverado from the corner of Norman Avenue and Diamond Street. The crooks hotwired the truck between 5 pm on July 2 and 5 pm on July 6, and drove off in the gray pickup truck.
• A car thief stole a Toyota Tacoma from a Greenpoint Avenue spot while the truck’s driver was at work. The crook hotwired the car, which was parked at the corner of Jewel Street, between 9:45 am on July 7 and 7:30 pm on July 8. The thief didn’t just get the tan truck — he also got a camera and some clothing that was left in the cab.
• Crooks pilfered a firefighter’s Dodge Caravan overnight on July 9. The thieves got into the car between 6 pm and 7:45 the next morning by prying open the seal on the passenger side window. Once inside the truck, which was parked near McGuinness Boulevard, the crooks grabbed the fireman’s courtesy badge, wallet, phone charger, IDs, gift certificates, bankcards, and Oakley sunglasses. The thieves also removed the truck’s air conditioner, stereo, and GPS navigation system.
• A crook stole a Honda Element that was idling on Calyer Street on July 11. The thief hopped in the car, which was left running between Moultrie and Humboldt streets, at around 8:05 am and drove off, escaping with the car and an EZ Pass.
• A quick-acting crook snatched a handbag from an unlocked car parked on Wythe Avenue on July 11. The thief struck between 8:45 pm and 9:10 pm, grabbing the purse from the car, which was between North Third and North Fourth streets. The crook got away with the victim’s iPod, credit cards, cellphone, IDs, and Metrocard.
• Crooks heisted construction equipment from a commercial van parked on the corner of Huron and West Streets overnight on July 11. The thieves broke into the white Ford van between 11 pm and 9 am the next morning, making off with saws, paint brushes, grinders, wood cutting saws and other building supplies.
Skater robbed
Pride wasn’t the only thing a skater lost when he took a tumble on the corner of Meeker and Kingsland Avenue on July 6.
When the 18-year-old thrasher fell at around 10 am, he dropped his wallet, but before he realized it was lost, a thug snatched it up.
The crook tried to use the skater’s credit card to purchase a T-Mobile cellphone on the Internet, but the skater was able to cancel the charges.
Tooling around
Thieves broke into a Clay street apartment overnight on July 8 and stole as many power tools as they could carry.
The crafty hoods got in through a first floor window between 7:30 pm and 5 am the next morning, escaping from the apartment, which is between Manhattan Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard, with two screw guns, a panel saw, a circular saw, and other home improvement tools.
Lights off
Crooks stole two Mac laptops from a North 11th Street lighting shop overnight on July 9.
The thieves removed the laptops from an upstairs office between 5:30 pm and 7:50 am the next morning, escaping from the business, which is between Driggs and Bedford avenues, with two MacBooks, cops said.
— Ben Muessig
