Police Blotter
Man socks senior citizen bottle
collector on Lower East Side
BY BEN VERDE
Cops are searching for a
man who socked a fellow
bottle collector during a
dispute over recyclables on the
Lower East Side on Sept. 12.
Law enforcement sources say
the two men were engaged in a
dispute over cans on the sidewalk
outside 180 Orchard St. at
around 2 a.m., when the suspect
allegedly slugged the 77-year-old
victim in the face, knocking him
to the ground, before fl eeing the
scene.
Surveillance footage from the
scene shows the victim return to
his feet soon after being knocked
down.
No arrests have been made,
and the investigation is ongoing
according to the NYPD.
Anyone with information in
regard to this incident is asked
to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS
(8477) or for Spanish,
1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The
public can also submit their tips
by logging onto the CrimeStoppers
website at crimestoppers.
nypdonline.org, or on Twitter
@NYPDTips.
Police are looking for a man who walloped a senior citizen
over a bag of cans.
Dangerous duo sought for slashing man in East Harlem attack
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Detectives need the public’s help
in fi nding two attackers who assaulted
and slashed a 52-year-old
man near an East Harlem bodega earlier
this month.
Police released video footage on Saturday
night of the suspects sought for the
Sept. 16 attack, which occurred at about
5:20 a.m. near the corner of 1st Avenue
and East 116th Street.
According to law enforcement sources,
the two suspects engaged the victim in a
verbal dispute inside the bodega. The reasons
for the argument were not disclosed.
After the victim walked out of the bodega,
authorities said, the duo followed and
then assaulted him at the intersection.
During the beatdown, cops said, one of
Homeless man cuffed for alleged
violent rape attempt on C train
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NYPD
Police arrested Sinke Zewge, a homeless
man, in connection with a violent rape
attempt on board a C train in Washington
Heights on Aug. 3, 2021.
Offi cers from the 33rd Precinct and NYPD Transit
District 3 responded to the assault. The victim
was evaluated at the scene.
Zewge faces charges of attempted rape, robbery,
assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal obstruction
of breathing.
the suspects pulled out a cutting instrument
and slashed the victim in the chin
and armpit. They then fl ed the scene, and
were caught on camera outside a nearby
funeral home running away in footage that
the NYPD released on Sept. 25.
Offi cers from the 25th Precinct and
EMS units responded to the incident. The
victim was brought to Harlem Hospital,
where he received stitches for his injuries
and was listed in stable condition.
Police described both attackers as Hispanic
men. One of the perpetrators wore
a gray t-shirt, blue jean shorts and red
sneakers, while his partner wore a black
t-shirt, blue jean shorts and white sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding the
assault or the suspects’ whereabouts can
call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for
Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Detectives slapped the cuffs Monday on a
homeless man with a lengthy criminal history
who allegedly strangled and attempted
to rape a woman on board a C train in Washington
Heights this summer.
Sinke Zewge, 39, is accused of attacking the
40-year-old female victim while riding a northbound
train approaching the 168th Street station at about
9:45 p.m. on the night of Aug. 3.
Sources familiar with the case stated that Zewge
had been previously arrested 14 times, with the most
recent arrest coming back in 2018 for forcible touching
in Manhattan’s 25th Precinct. Other charges he’s
faced in recent years range from possession of a
forged instrument to robbery and second-degree
assault.
According to law enforcement sources, Zewge allegedly
approached the woman while she was seated
on the train, then demanded her property. Seconds
later, he allegedly slammed her into the train seats,
then began strangling her until she briefl y passed
out.
Police said the suspect then groped the woman’s
body and attempted to rape her. After the C train
came to a stop at the station, Zewge allegedly
dragged the woman out of the train car and onto
the platform.
Seconds later, cops said, the attacker fl ed the
station.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NYPD
The two suspects behind a Sept. 16 slashing in East Harlem.
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