12 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com s police beat COMPILED BY TONIA N. CIMINO & CRISTABELLE TUMOLA 108TH PRECINCT LIC, Sunnyside and Woodside Man’s body found in water near Long Island City Police are investigating a body discovered in the water near Long Island City on Monday night, September Cement & Brick Work Old World Craftsmanship Cement & Brick Work CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Serving Queens for 35 Years Serving Queens for 35 Years For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 Licensed #808097 and Insured Licensed #808097 and Insured Old World Craftsmanship CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Pavers and Exposed Aggregate Concrete For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 23. Authorities found the fully-clothed body of a 30-yearold Asian man submerged in the East River at 44th Drive around 11:45 p.m., said police. Members of the NYPD’s Scuba Team and Harbor Unit retrieved the body from the water. There were no visible signs of trauma observed. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. 109TH PRECINCT Downtown Flushing, East Flushing, Queensboro Hill, College Point, Malba, Whitestone, Beechhurst and Bay Terrace Search for iPhone thieves The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the suspects wanted for snatching a woman’s phone from her hands. On Wednesday, September 11, the victim, 27, was walking in the vicinity of Broadway and Grove Street when the suspects rode up on their bicycles and took her iPhone from her hand. The suspects then fl ed the scene. There were no reported injuries. Cops say the fi rst perp is 16-20 wearing a blue shirt and black shorts. The second suspect is described as also between 16 and 20, wearing a black shirt and black pants. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS. Man killed in Whitestone car crash One man is dead and two injured after a car jumped the curb on the Whitestone Expressway on Monday, September 23. Michael Munoz, 42, was hit and killed when a 78- year old male driver of a dark Toyota Camry lost control of the vehicle and rushed up on the sidewalk in front of the E-ZPass building in Whitestone around 2:15 p.m., cops said. Munoz’s skull was split open and blood ran from his head, nose and mouth on the ground, witnesses said. The elderly driver and an aged female passenger suffered minor injuries and were transported to New York Hospital Queens, police said. Munoz had been staying at Extended Stay America, a hotel next to the E-ZPass building, for about four years with his father, hotel workers said. “He was very friendly, funny and talkative,” said Maria Stefanidis, a worker at Extended Stay America who frequently spoke with Munoz. “I’m still in shock. I feel really bad for his father.” Cops are still investigating the accident. 110TH PRECINCT Corona and Elmhurst Man dies after being shot in head, neck in Jackson Heights A 33-year-old man died late last week after he was shot in the head and neck in Jackson Heights, police said. The name of the man was not yet released. Police said the incident occurred September 20 shortly before 6 p.m. at 89-09 Roosevelt Avenue. The victim was taken to Elmhurst General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. There were no arrests and the investigation is ongoing, police said. 112TH PRECINCT Forest Hills and Rego Park Woman killed in Queens Boulevard hit-and-run A 58-year-old Elmhurst woman was killed Saturday night, September 21 in an apparent hit-and-run while crossing Queens Boulevard, police said. Nisath Hossain was struck by a car in Forest Hills near Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue shortly after 10 p.m., cops said. The driver fl ed the scene, police said, and Hossain was later pronounced dead at North Shore University Hospital. Authorities believe Hossain was crossing the major thoroughfare when she was fatally hit by a car going westbound. The notoriously dangerous Queens Boulevard is unoffi cially known by borough residents as the “Boulevard of Death.” There are no arrests, police said, and the investigation is ongoing. Queens cops charged with taking bribes Two Queens police offi cers have been arrested for allegedly accepting cash payments for copies of offi cial NYPD accident reports. The district attorney’s offi ce identifi ed the two offi - cers as Danny Cano, 36, who is assigned to the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights, and Roberto Espinal, 44, who is from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst. They were both arraigned last week on charges of bribe receiving and offi cial misconduct. Espinal was also charged with receiving reward for offi - cial misconduct. If convicted, they each face up to seven years in prison. The two, working independently of each other, allegedly accepted cash payments ranging from $40 to $1,500 in exchange for the accident reports. They are accused of selling the reports and the information contained within them to “runners” who would fi nd accident victims and bring them to medical clinics and doctors as part of an insurance scheme, according to the district attorney. Police looking for second suspect in string of citywide robberies Cops have arrested a man connected to 34 robberies in Queens and Manhattan, but are still looking for a second suspect wanted in the crime spree. As of Friday, September 20, charges were still pending against the 49-yearold suspect who was apprehended, said police. The second suspect has been identifi ed as Richard Rivera, 43 and is described as, 5’7”, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He is armed and is known to fl ee the scene of the robberies in either a dark-colored, late-model Nissan Altima coupe or a dark-colored, late-model Toyota Camry, according to authorities. Rivera and his alleged accomplice are accused of robbing dozens of businesses in the two boroughs within the last seven months. Nine of those incidents took place in Queens. They also allegedly robbed a store in Manhattan in February 2010. Man arrested for striking offi cer with stolen vehicle Cops have arrested a man for allegedly striking a police offi cer in Astoria last month with a stolen vehicle he used in a robbery earlier that day. Gary Sarback, 61, of Lake Worth, Fla., was charged with attempted murder on a police offi cer, assault, unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal possession of stolen property after he was apprehended in Astoria, said authorities. The injured cop was on patrol near Crescent Street and Broadway the night of Thursday, August 22 when another cop tried to pull over a pickup truck, said police. Shots were fi red as the suspect tried to leave the scene, hitting the offi cer with his vehicle. The driver then ditched his truck around 37th Avenue and 24th Street and fl ed on foot. Both offi cers were taken to Cornell Medical Center with non-threatening life injuries where they were later treated and released. Before hitting the offi cer with the vehicle, the suspect allegedly approached a 49-year-old woman around 79th Street in Astoria that afternoon and forcibly removed her pocketbook, according to authorities. The victim sustained minor injuries after she chased the suspect back to his truck and was dragged by the vehicle as it fl ed. It was later determined that the vehicle used in the robbery was reported stolen in West Palm Beach, Fla, two days earlier, and that a .38 caliber revolver was inside the truck when it was taken.
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