Police blotter
Horror on Houston: Cops probe
discovery of dismembered
man on Lower East Side
living room near some bags. According
to Sergeant Carlos Nieves, who was at the
scene, the victim’s head, arms and legs
were also removed at the scene.
Law enforcement sources said the victim’s
sister apparently made the gruesome
discovery and called 911.
Sources told amNewYork Metro that an
electric saw was reportedly found near the
body, however the NYPD could not immediately
confi rm if that’s the case.
The NYPD will do a video canvass of
the area in order to fi nd more information.
At this time, it is not clear what the motive
behind the incident was. The incident
has since been ruled a homicide. The
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Vandal trashes Black Lives Matter mural
outside Trump Tower with red paint
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The Black Lives Matter mural
outside Trump Tower
in Midtown was just four
days old when a nefarious vandal
showed up on July 13 to deface it.
City offi cials, including Mayor
Bill de Blasio, and civil rights
leaders had painted the block-long
mural on 5th Avenue, on July 9
just outside the skyscraper that
then-developer Donald Trump
built nearly 40 years ago. The
mural meant to deliver a message
of equality, solidarity and justice
to President Trump and the city
at large.
But that message was apparently
lost on the vandal who
splattered red paint all over the
investigation is ongoing.
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
golden letters of the mural Monday
afternoon.
According to law enforcement
sources, the suspect — described
as a man in a black shirt and hat —
showed up at about 12:13 p.m. on
July 13 dumped the paint across the
words “Black Lives” and then ran
from the scene along 56th Street.
Passing vehicles along 5th Avenue
drove over the wet, red paint
— inadvertently spreading it over
the two words with tire tracks.
Crews came by quickly on Monday
to clean up the vandalism,
according to WABC-TV, closing
a lane along 5th Avenue to get rid
of the damage.
City offi cials have painted similar
murals across the fi ve boroughs
in recent weeks following the start
of the George Floyd protests. It
followed the creation of a Black
Lives Matter mural that Washington,
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser
ordered painted on a block-long
stretch of 16th Street near the
White House back in June.
Similar Black Lives Matter murals
and messages that have popped
up across America have been
vandalized or destroyed in recent
weeks. One couple in California
who painted over one such mural
in the city of Martinez was later
arrested on hate crimes charges.
The Patrol Borough Manhattan
North is investigating Monday’s
incident outside Trump Tower. A
law enforcement source said that
it’s too early in the investigation to
determine whether the vandalism
could be considered a hate crime.
The mural vandalism occurred
after a weekend of protests in
Brooklyn and Queens in which
“Back the Blue” pro-police
supporters clashed with Black
Lives Matter counter-protesters
— which led to some volatile
encounters.
When plans for the 5th Avenue
mural surfaced on July 1, President
Trump tweeted his opposition
to it, claiming it was a stunt
designed to antagonize police.
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The NYPD is investigating the death
of a man who was found dismembered
in a Lower East Side apartment
building.
According to police, at around 3:30 p.m.
on July 14, police responded to a call of a
past assault at 265 East Houston St. Upon
their arrival, offi cers and EMS found a
dismembered body of 33-year-old Fahim
Saleh inside an apartment at the location.
A spokesperson from the NYPD stated
that the victim’s torso was found in the
Violent purse snatcher in
Chelsea dragged woman on
the street: cops
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Detectives are looking for
the heartless thief who
assaulted a 79-year-old
woman during a brutal purse
snatching in Chelsea on Sunday
morning.
Cops said the attack happened
at 9:15 a.m. on July 12 in front
of an apartment building on West
23rd Street near 8th Avenue.
According to law enforcement
sources, the perpetrator
approached the senior woman
as she walked through the area
and grabbed hold of her purse
from her shoulder. The woman,
however, latched onto the bag and
refused to let go.
Police said the suspect began
dragging her on the pavement
before the victim fi nally relinquished
the purse. He then took
off on foot eastbound along West
23rd Street.
Authorities said the victim’s
purse contained her asthma
pump, hearing aids, cellphone
and numerous credit cards.
Offi cers from the 10th Precinct
and EMS units responded to the
incident. Paramedics brought the
PHOTO COURTESY OF NYPD
The suspect involved in a
violent purse snatching in
Chelsea on July 12, 2020.
victim to Lenox Health Greenwich
Village for treatment of bruises to
her head, hand and buttocks.
On Monday, the NYPD released
security camera footage of
the thief. He’s described as a bald
Hispanic man who wore a blue
surgical mask, a white t-shirt, red
shorts and dark-colored sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding
his whereabouts can call
Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
(for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
You can also submit tips online
at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on
Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and
messages are kept confi dential.
PHOTO REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer investigates
where a “Black Lives Matter” mural was vandalized with red
paint along 5th Avenue outside Trump Tower in the Manhattan
borough of New York City, New York, U.S., July 13, 2020.
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