POLICE BEAT

People watching becomes nabe watch

Posted

A Tuesday evening out took a strange turn Oct. 6 when a man started making his way down Bailey Avenue near West 234th Street, methodically breaking car windows.

That included one car owner who watched the window-smasher use a metal cutting tool to break the windows of his Nissan Altima. He called the police, who showed up and arrested the man on the scene. 

Officers found that in addition to shattering car windows, they believe he also stole a $120 bottle of cologne, a pair of Crocs shoes, and $20 in cash from the Nissan. 

Police charged the man with criminal mischief in the third degree.

Nearly home

One man was almost safely inside his home when his night, unfortunately, was turned upside-down.

It was just before 2 a.m., as he neared his Blackstone Avenue apartment building when a man standing outside pulled a knife, police said, stopping the victim in his tracks. The thief took the man’s phone and wallet, punched him in the face, and ran off.

Police arrived on the scene and searched the area, but couldn’t find anything. And there were no cameras in the area. 

The victim was physically OK, but was left without his iPhone 8 Plus, which police valued at $700, along with his wallet which held $60 in cash as well as his credit and debit cards. 

Police are investigating.

Old car, still appealing

It’s always a surprise to come back to your parking spot to find your car is missing. But it might be even more so when that car isn’t particularly new, or particularly fancy.

A 1990 Acura parked on the corner of Henry Hudson Parkway and Manhattan College Parkway on the evening of Oct. 9, police said. At 8:30 the next morning, the car was gone.

Cameras caught the Acura sailing over the Broadway Bridge toward Manhattan at 6 a.m., although the owner said he has the only key to the vehicle. 

There were no cameras on the corner, and a search by police didn’t turn up much, although officers continue to investigate.

Crime, 50th precinct, police beat, Kirstyn Brendlen