Terrifying attempted mug
A crook attempted to mug a 26-year-old woman as she walked home on Kent Avenue on July 16.
The would-be mugger grabbed the woman from behind at around 3:20 am, covering her mouth with one hand.
“I want your valuables,” he demanded.
But the woman was able to shake him off and escaped without injury from the terrifying encounter, which occurred in front of a vacant building at the corner of North Fifth Street.
Big rig snag
Crooks heisted a big rig from a Humboldt Street lot on July 12, but cops recovered the truck the next day more than 40 miles away.
The thieves entered the yard, which is between Calyer Street and Meserole Avenue, and stole a Mack tractor — valued at $98,000 — between 6 and 10 pm.
But the crooks didn’t know that there was a GPS device in the big rig, which allowed police to track the truck to Monroe, New Jersey, where they discovered the rig — minus its license plates and alarm — the next day.
Gas heist
Two vicious robbers maced a gas station attendant when she refused to hand over tens of thousands of the Banker Street pump’s money on July 14.
The crooks held up the station, which is between Norman and Nassau Avenues, at around 12:30 pm.
“Drop the money,” one of the crooks demanded as he approached the 33-year-old employee.
When the station attendant refused to yield the cash, a crook sprayed her in the face with the annoying pepper-like spray, while the other hoodlum flashed a silver handgun.
With a gun in her face, the attendant forked over the money bag — which contained $45,554 — and the crooks jumped into a black car and fled.
Bag grab
Three crooks stole a bag containing $21,000 from a bench on July 14, but cops snagged them later that day.
The middle-aged thieves grabbed the bag, which was sitting on a bench at the corner of Calyer and Lorimer streets, at around 4 pm as the owner — who was on his way to deposit the money in the bank — stepped away from the loot to take a phone call.
With his back turned, the thieves snatched the bag, which contained the cash, as well as a wallet, a watch, a gold chain and two cellphones.
After watching surveillance footage, the victim was able to spot two of the crooks standing on Greenpoint Avenue between Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street, where cops nabbed them with the bag — minus the wallet, the gold chain, and $2,686.
Police arrested a third perp later that day.
Mama’s boy mugged
Cops nabbed a 15-year-old hoodlum who snatched a student’s Sidekick cellphone as he dialed his mother before school on July 14.
The suspected thief grabbed the phone at around 8:30 am while the victim tried to phone home at the corner of Nassau Avenue and North 15th Street. But cops caught the alleged perp later that day.
Most unholy
Crooks broke into a Java Street church charity office and stole $1,730 from a safe.
The thieves pried open the office, which is between Manhattan Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard, between 8 pm on July 12 and 2 pm on July 14.
Once inside, the crooks forced their way into a closet safe and stole the cash.
Copper robber
Thieves broke into a Conselyea Street construction site and stole valuable copper pipes.
The crooks pushed their way through a boarded up ground floor window between 4:30 pm on July 11 and noon on July 15, cops said.
Once inside the building, which is between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street, the thieves stole $100 worth of copper pipes and a water meter.
Cable thieves
Crooks stole a cable company van from its North Eighth Street spot on July 12.
After finishing a job at the corner of Kent Avenue at around 12:45 pm, the van’s driver stepped outside and realized that his Dodge van was missing.
About 20 minutes later, the employee found the van at the corner of Calyer and Franklin streets.
The thieves had broken the ignition cylinder, and snatched six cable boxes, four cable modems, a drill, and a pouch filled with tools.
Stairway to hell
A Northside musician took a nap in McCarren Park on July 16 — and when he awoke, his guitar was gone.
The cruel crook jacked the Eastman guitar from the dozing strummer between 6:30 and 9:30 am, escaping from the park, which is at the corner of Bedford Avenue and North 12th Street with the $2,700 instrument.
Coppered
Police nabbed a 38-year-old suspect who broke into a North Seventh Street construction site on July 18 to steal copper wire.
The thug forced his way into the site, which is between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street, at around 1:45 pm.
When a security guard tried to intervene, the thug pulled out a box-cutter and slashed the guard on the arm, but the guard was able to subdue the suspect until police arrived.
Unsmooth criminal
A crook tried to rob a city office of its electronics in broad daylight within sight of a security guard on July 19.
The thick-skulled thief broke into the Department of Sanitation facility on North Henry Street at around 11:30 am.
An eagle-eyed security guard spotted the hoodlum removing keyboards, computer monitors, toner cartridges, a wireless mouse, and two computers from an office, which is between Kingsland and Greenpoint avenues, and attempting to hide the goods behind a road barrier.
The guard alerted police, who nabbed the suspect at the scene.
No consolation
A cruel crook used a mean trick to get close to his victim before he mugged her on July 19.
The thug confronted his victim at the corner of Manhattan and Engert avenues at around 4:05 am, buddying up with her before he turned vicious.
“Are you okay?” he asked the woman, who was walking home from her boyfriend’s apartment.
Before she could answer, the thug — who was wearing all black — forced her to hand over her purse, which contained a credit card, driver’s license and $20.
Vicious villains
A thug tried to steal a woman’s purse as she walked to work on July 19, but she braved his assault and held onto her bag.
The crook grabbed the 49-year-old woman from behind as she walked down Humboldt Street between Nassau and Driggs avenues at around 6 am.
When the woman wouldn’t hand over her bag, the cruel crook punched her twice in the face, then escaped in a vehicle with two accomplices.
Soccer steal
Crooks stole a soccer player’s bag while he played at McCarren Park on July 16.
The thieves struck at around 9:30 pm, snatching the bag, which was sitting on a bench near the corner of Bayard and Lorimer streets.
The crooks got away with a Sidekick cellphone, a Calvin Klein wallet, a driver’s permit, a gold watch, a platinum chain, and a social security card.
Gamed
A crook broke into a gamer’s Richardson Street apartment on July 16 and jacked two high-end video game consoles and a popular battle contest.
The thief broke into the apartment, which is between Lorimer Street and Union Avenue, between 10:30 am and 5 pm and snatched an xBox 360, a Playstation 3, and the game “Gears of War.”
Sneaky sneaker
A hoodlum stole a 19-year-old’s purse from a North Sixth Street shoe store on July 17.
The quick-acting crook grabbed the bag at around 6 pm, while the victim was checking out some new kicks.
The thief escaped from the shop, which is between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street, with the pocketbook, which contained debit and credit cards, a Kodak digital camera, a Motorola Razr cellphone, a Metrocard, lipstick, keys, and a brown wallet.
Car thefts abound!
Crooks are stealing cars and motorcycles like they’re going out of style. Auto thieves made off with at least seven motor vehicles this from Greenpoint and Northside streets this week. Here are the details:
• Crooks stole a motorcycle from its Roebling Street spot on July 13. The thieves picked off the silver motorbike — which is valued at $2,500 — between 1 pm and 10:30 pm on the block between North 11th Street and Union Avenue.
• A crook turned out with more than he bargained for when he stole a Dodge sedan from a Graham Avenue spot on July 15. The thief hotwired the car between 3 and 4 am, escaping with car, which was parked at the corner of Frost Street, and a Mac laptop.
• Cops nabbed a hoodlum suspected of stealing a Honda motorcycle from the corner of Driggs Avenue and North 11th Street on July 15. The thief took the 26-year-old bike at around 11:30 pm, but cops say they nabbed him later that day.
• Crooks heisted a gray Toyota sedan from its Morgan Avenue spot overnight on July 16. The thieves snatched the ride between 10 pm and 9:30 am the next morning, escaping with the car, which was parked at the corner of Nassau Avenue.
• Brazen bad-guys stole a Honda Civic from its Franklin Street spot on the morning of July 17. The no-goodniks jacked the green sedan from between Huron and India streets, while the victim was at work, between 8 am and 12:30 pm.
• Crooks took a Yamaha motorcycle from a Jackson Street driveway overnight on July 17. The thieves stole the bike from the spot, which is between Manhattan and Graham avenues, between 9 pm and 10:30 am the next morning, when the owner realized the bike — which is valued at $6,000 — was missing.
• Hoodlums stole a Honda from its spot at the corner of Woodpoint Road and Skillman Avenue overnight on July 19. The thieves stole the Civic between 5 pm and 3 pm the next day, escaping with the sedan, a fancy car stereo, CDs, and a pair of snowboarding boots.
— Ben Muessig
