Open house
Cops are investigating a Fourth Avenue resident’s claim that he may have been burglarized by a thief who got a sneak preview of his stuff during an open house.
The victim, 29, told police that he left his home, located near Degraw Street, at 8 a.m. on May 21.
He returned home at 8 p.m. that night only to discover that his apartment door had been forced open.
Thieves removed a Dell computer, as well as a $300 Fender electric guitar.
The victim said that he is in the process of moving and his apartment is currently being shown by a realtor.
It’s possible, he said, that the person who broke into his home had already visited the home during one of these tours.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this break-in to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 78th Precinct at (718) 636-6411. All calls will be kept confidential.
Tool takers sought
Thieves busted into a 2007 van as it was parked on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street, taking an assortment of tools.
Police were told that a drill and a cement gun were two of the items taken from the 2007 Chevy van sometime on May 19.
Employees for East Coast Wireless Services said that they parked the van near the corner at 8:45 a.m.
They returned to the car at noon to discover that someone had forced open the side door, cops were told.
Wallet taken
Students at the Secondary School of Journalism are trying to get the scoop on who stole a teacher’s wallet last week.
The 24-year-old instructor told police that he left his wallet unattended in the school, located at 237 Seventh Avenue, for about three hours. When he returned to where he left it, the wallet, as well as the $30 and credit cards inside, was gone.
Police were told that someone used a credit card inside the wallet to make $250 worth of purchases.
Cops were still looking for the sticky-fingered thief as this paper went to press.
No place to sit
Thieves stripped a 2004 Infiniti G35 last week, taking over $9,000 worth of car parts.
Police said that the most expensive thing taken from the car was a set of leather seats, which cost $6,000.
The 38-year-old motorist told police that he parked his car on President Street near Eighth Avenue at 9:45 a.m. on May 19.
He returned to his car two days later and was surprised at what he saw – or, to be more accurate, was surprised at what he didn’t see.
The seats, as well as a door panel and clock console were gone.
As of this writing, cops were still looking for the car strippers.
Bounced into cell
A 39-year-old woman was arrested last week after she was caught trying to cash bad checks at an area check cashing business, police alleged.
Cops said that they were called to Check Cash, 230 Flatbush Avenue, at 7 p.m. on May 19 after Allyah Jenkins allegedly tried to cash a fraudulent check that wasn’t in her name.
When the manager, who had recognized her from a similar incident and allegedly knew her check-erred past (she had been arrested for cashing bad checks before) Jenkins apologized, but wanted to cash the check anyway.
Cops took her into custody and charge her with grand larceny, criminal impersonation and criminal possession of stolen property.
She was also charged with drug possession when cops allegedly found a crack pipe and a small amount of crack on her person.
Gone in a flash
A young woman from Calabasas California learned a hard lesson about life in the big city: don’t leave anything in the street you want to keep.
The woman said that she had just unloaded her car on 14th Street near Fourth Avenue at 9:15 p.m. on May 21 and went to have dinner with a friend – completely forgetting that she had left a backpack with her wallet, laptop computer and credit cards right in the street.
A short time later, she realized what she had done and ran back to 14th Street, but someone had already helped themselves to the bag, officials said.
A not-so-happy meal
A maintenance crew working at an area McDonald’s ended up resembling a bunch of frowning fry guys after thieves ransacked their van, taking hundreds of dollars in tools.
The victims said that they were doing some repair work inside the eatery, located at 375 Hamilton Avenue on the afternoon of May 20 when someone drove a heavy object right through their driver’s side window.
The thieves removed drill bits, saw blades, a tool box as well as an assortment of pricey tools, cops were told.
Grab and run
She was listening to music one minute and the sound of silence the next.
A 21-year-old area woman said that two fast-footed thieves made off with her iPod as she approached Eighth Avenue from Union Street recently.
Cops were told that the unidentified males ran by her at 10:45 a.m. on May 17, ripped the iPod from her person and ran off.
The victim chased the thieves back onto Prospect Park West, where she lost them, police said.
No injuries were reported.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 78th Precinct at (718) 636-6411. All calls will be kept confidential.
Getting book-wormed
An eager reader told police that someone made off with her wallet as she perused the aisles of the Park Slope Barnes & Noble.
The victim, 37, said that she had just exited the store, located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street, at 9:15 p.m. on May 14 when she realized that someone had been in her bag.
She claimed that she never felt anyone push or jostle the bag when it was pilfered, police said.
Police said that her credit cards were in the wallet when it was taken.
Wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti continues, a $500 reward is being offered to anyone with information about graffiti vandals in their neighborhoods.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti vandals.
Graffiti is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism is urged to contact either 311 or 911.
Video vixens
A 22-year-old budding director was robbed of $3,000 worth of video equipment as he went to an area apartment to film a late night bachelorette party, officials said.
Police sources said that investigators were looking into the theory that the victim may have been lured to the Baltic Street apartment building between Court and Smith Street, since no bachelorette party was being held at the address.
The victim said that he was in the building, waiting for the elevator just before 5 a.m. on May 18 when four black males surrounded him.
One of the thieves pulled a gun and hand over his satchel bag, which contained all of his video equipment, as well as his cash.
The victim told police that he immediately went to the apartment where the party was supposed to be held so he could call police, but no festivities were found.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this theft to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 76th Precinct at (718) 834-3211. All calls will be kept confidential.
Robbed on Mill
A 49-year-old man was robbed of a shoulder bag containing clothes, his glasses and an insulin injection as he walked past the corner of Mill and Henry streets, officials said.
The victim said that he was passing the corner at 3 a.m. on May 25 when two black males pulled a gun on him.
The thieves grabbed the victim’s bag and ran off, leaving him unharmed, officials said.
Double trouble
Two 20-year-old men were arrested last week in connection with a gunpoint hold-up at the corner of West 9th and Smith streets, cops from the 76th Precinct said.
Michael and Matthew Davis were charged with confronting a man at the corner at 9:18 p.m. on May 22.
They pulled a gun on the victim and ran off with his Sidekick cell phone, police alleged.
The two were apprehended a short time later and charged with robbery.
Although they share the same last name, it was unclear if the two were related to each other as this paper went to press.
Home raid
A 33-year-old Baltic Street woman returned home last week only to discover that she had been visited by a burglar.
The woman told police that she left her home, located between Smith and Hoyt streets, at 7 a.m. on May 14.
She returned at 6 p.m. that night only to find broken glass on her kitchen floor.
Someone had busted through a kitchen window and looted the place, taking a laptop computer, a digital computer and some jewelry.
The woman told police that her kitchen window looks out to the roof of the adjoining building, making it pretty easy for the thief to crawl through.
Cops were trying to track down the burglar as this paper went to press.
Village villains
Thieves broke into Village Care of New York, 83 Coffey Street, in Red Hook last week, taking office receipts, as well as a personal check book and a social security card.
Workers said that they closed the office at 9:30 p.m. on May 20.
When they re-opened the following morning they discovered that someone had forced open a rooftop window.
