Crime Watch UWS 12.07.23

Gang of Four Thieves Terrorize Smoke Shop Employee

A 25-year-old male employee of the Exotic Smoke Shop at 483 Columbus Ave. at West 83rd St. reported that at 4:25 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28, he was working behind the counter when four men entered the store. One of them stayed at the front door blocking it while the other three broke the counter door, went behind the counter and punched the employee with a closed fist multiple times. They then took $300 in cash from the register, broke a glass cabinet and removed merchandise, concealing the items in their pockets. They finally fled the location, heading northbound on Columbus on foot while the employee refused medical attention at the scene.

Two Cars Stolen from Local Garage and Recovered in the Bronx

A 21-year-old male employee of a parking garage on West 65th St. told police that at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday November 23, two 20-year-old men entered the location and stole two cars by accessing the business’s key safe. The employee managed to trace the location of the stolen vehicles, which were both recovered in front of 2660 Third Ave. near East 142nd St. in the Bronx. The two suspects were last seen fleeing southbound on foot. The vehicles stolen and recovered were a dark blue 2021 Ford sedan valued at $20,000 and a blue 2022 Toyota SUV, also valued at $20,000.

Visitor’s Parked Hyundai and its Contents Taken

A 33-year-old female visitor from Pomona, NY, reported that at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 25, she parked her white Hyundai Elantra on West 74th St. When she returned the following morning at 8:45 a.m. she found her car was missing. In addition to the car valued at $40,000, other property inside the vehicle included six pairs of shoes, an E-ZPass transponder and four items of clothing, making a total stolen of $41,185.

Elderly Woman Stung in Bank Account Phone Scam

According to police, at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 27, a 74-year-old woman living on West 77th St. received a phone call from an unknown man claiming that there was an issue with her bank account. The caller told the woman that she needed to send two Zelle payments of $998.89 each to clear up the problem. The woman sent the money before she realized that she had been scammed. The total amount stolen came to $1,997.78.

Package Thief Breaks into Building on West 72nd Street

A 62-year-old employee of a residential building on West 72nd St. stated that a 35-year-old female resident was away on vacation at 3:07 a.m. on Sunday, November 19, when a 30-year-old man wearing a brown-and-white plaid coat jimmied the building’s front door to gain access to the lobby. Once inside, the suspect removed from the lobby, without permission or authority, packages belonging to the female resident and others. In all, the suspect made off with five packages, one of which was valued at $50. The police report provided no values for the other packages.