Police blotter
Van driver fatally strikes woman
in hit-and-run on Chelsea street
BY ROBERT
POZARYCKI
Detectives have
arrested the van
driver who struck
and killed a 29-year-old
woman on a Chelsea street
early Sunday morning and
fl ed the scene.
Joseph Chery, 61, of
Washington Avenue in
Brooklyn was booked on
Aug. 4 for his role in the
Aug. 2 crash that claimed
the life of Maria Christina
Villacres, a resident of Corona,
Queens.
Law enforcement
sources said the incident
happened at 5:09 a.m. on
Aug. 2 at the corner of West
23rd Street and 7th Avenue.
According to police,
Villacres was attempting
to cross West 23rd Street
from south to north when
The intersection of West 23rd Street and 7th Avenue
in Chelsea, where a 29-year-old woman was
struck and killed in a hit-and-run on Aug. 2, 2020.
the unidentified driver,
behind the wheel of a van,
struck her while traveling
eastbound on the roadway.
Despite hitting Villacres,
authorities said, the driver
did not stop his vehicle and
continued traveling eastbound
on West 23rd Street.
Offi cers from the 13th
Precinct and EMS units
responded to a 911 call
about the collision. Upon
PHOTO VIA GOOGLE MAPS
arrival, cops found Villacres
unconscious and
unresponsive with head
and body trauma.
Paramedics rushed her
to Bellevue Hospital, where
she was pronounced dead.
Chery was charged with
leaving the scene of an accident,
resulting in death.
Additional charges may be
pending the results of the
ongoing investigation.
Man dies after being kicked down a
flight of stairs at Penn Station: NYPD
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A man died of his injuries after he
was kicked down the stairs at Penn
Station on Tuesday night.
According to police, at 11:11 p.m. on
Aug. 4, offi cers responded to a call regarding
an unconscious man at Penn Station,
near the entrance at 34th Street and 7th
Avenue. Upon their arrival, offi cers and
EMS found an unidentifi ed man at the
bottom of the stairway.
Sources familiar with the investigation
PHOTO VIA GOOGLE MAPS
Police seek cyclist who assaulted
a 76-year-old man during an
argument in Manhattan
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Cops are looking for a man who assaulted
a senior man in Manhattan.
According to police, at 7:30 p.m.
on July 21, a 76-year-old man was walking
on the sidewalk on West 14th Street
near 7th Avenue when he got into a verbal
dispute with an unknown man riding a bicycle.
The suspect proceeded to get off his
bike and push the victim, causing him to
fall back on the sidewalk and hit his head.
The suspect then fl ed the scene eastbound
down West 14th Street on his bike.
The victim temporarily lost consciousness
and suffered head trauma and a
laceration to the back of his head. EMS
took the victim Lenox Hill Hospital in
stable condition.
The NYPD released video of the suspect
taken from nearby surveillance footage.
Anyone with information in regard to
this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s
stated that the victim was chased by an
unknown suspect with a knife. Once the
victim reached the staircase, the suspect
kicked him, causing him to fall and suffer
head trauma as a result.
The victim was rushed to NYU Langone
Hospital, where he ultimately died of his
injuries. The medical examiner will determine
the cause of death.
At this time, the NYPD could not provide
a description of the suspect. No arrests
have been made and the investigation is
ongoing.
SCREENSHOT VIA VIDEO COURTESY OF THE NYPD
Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS
(8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA
(74782). You can also submit tips online
at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter
@NYPDTips. All calls and messages are
kept confi dential.
Crook steals $2,000 worth of
handbags and clothing from
Coach store in Manhattan: cops
BY EMILY
DAVENPORT
Cops are looking for
a crook who swiped
high-end handbags
and clothing from a
Manhattan store over the
weekend.
According to police, at
6 p.m. on Aug. 1, an unknown
man entered COach
Fashion, located at 685
Fifth Avenue, and began
to take bags and clothing
from the store displays.
When a 31-year-old female
employee attempted to intervene,
the suspect pulled
out a box cutter.
The suspect then fl ed the
scene with the merchandise,
which had an estimated
value of $2,000. There
were no injuries reported
as a result of this incident.
On Aug. 3, the NYPD
released video of the suspect
taken from inside the
store.
Anyone with information
in regard to the identity of
this male is asked to call the
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS
(8477) or for Spanish,
1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
You can also submit tips
online at nypdcrimestoppers.
com, or on Twitter
@NYPDTips. All calls
and messages are kept
confi dential.
SCREENSHOT VIA VIDEO COURTESY OF THE NYPD
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