QNE_p027

QC12292016

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 29, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27 Flushing home is being targeted by Amazon Prime package thieves yet again BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com @smont76 One Flushing resident’s stoop appears to be a prime target for Amazon package snatchers. Lenny Wayne, a photographer at Le Pro Photography who investigated an Amazon Prime package thief outside of his home earlier this year, said it has happened again. Wayne told Th e Courier that a thief stole a package from his stoop on Dec. 20. When Wayne realized back in April that packages were being stolen on a monthly basis, he decided to set up security cameras outside of his residence in the hope of catching a glimpse of the perpetrator. He eventually was able to secure footage of the suspect, but explained that the perpetrator had his face covered up, leaving the 107th Precinct, who conducted the investigation, unable to identify him. Months later, Wayne’s cameras are still rolling, and he was able to catch the Dec. 20 thief on camera — who Wayne believes is the same thief from months prior. “My cameras in my house alert me to some kind of movement — any motion detection,” Wayne said. “When I looked at the Amazon tracking, a half hour later I realized, ‘Where’s the package?’” Video footage taken from three different angles of the Dec. 20 incident shows the perpetrator rolling up outside of the residence in a dark red car, parking and jogging up to the stoop. Th e thief — seen dressed in blue jeans and a dark-colored jacket and beanie hat — then jogs back to his car with the stolen package. Wayne uploaded the three videos to YouTube the next day and said he fi led a police report with the 107th Precinct shortly aft er the incident. “If you know or recognize this man in the video, call the 107th Precinct at 718-969-5100 or Detective Portillo,” he writes in the video description. Th ough the investigation is new and ongoing, Wayne said the chance of catching the culprit this time around seem better. “Th is time Detective Portillo says I have a better chance since they can see the face and the getaway car in the video,” Wayne said. Wayne’s video footage can be seen on QNS.com. File photo/THE COURIER A tree is chipped during the 2015 Mulchfest at Jackson Heights’ Travers Park. Tree-cycling program starts BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@qns.com/@A_GiudiceReport Now that Christmas is over, what are you going to do with your Christmas tree? Th e NYC Parks Department and the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) are off ering two ways to “tree-cycle” your Christmas trees: the DSNY’s annual Christmas tree curbside Death of Flushing man attacked this summer at College Point Park is ruled a homicide BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Th e death of a Flushing man who was viciously attacked inside College Point Park in June was a ruled a homicide on Dec. 22, it was reported. Th e incident that left 21-year-old John Pierre Villenueva unconscious with head trauma near the handball courts inside College Point Park near 14th Avenue and College Point Boulevard occurred at about 6 p.m. on June 15. Police said a dispute broke out inside the park when Villenueva was attacked. It appeared he was punched in the face and hit his head on the ground. According to NYC Parks Advocates, Villenueva later died on Sept. 9 at New York Hospital of Queens as a result of complications from an impact injury to the head, as noted in the Medical Examiner’s report. Police have identifi ed a person of interest in the case, a 23-year-old man who has not been arrested. Th e person of interest has 11 prior arrests, law enforcement offi cials said, with crimes ranging from felony assault to drugs to robbery. Anyone with information regarding the case or the suspect’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit their website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confi dential. collection program, and the Parks Department’s annual Mulchfest event. Between Jan. 3, 2017, and Jan. 14 (weather permitting), DSNY will be collecting clean, non-bagged Christmas trees left on the curb, which will be chipped, mixed with leaves, and recycled into rich compost for the city’s parks, institutions and community gardens. DSNY advises residents to remove all stands, tinsel, lights and ornaments before putting trees out for collection. Since aft er Christmas 2015, DSNY has collected more than 214,000 Christmas trees for their “tree-cycling” program. If you want to take a piece of your recycled Christmas tree home with you, the Parks Department will be holding their annual Mulchfest event where residents can bring their trees to nearly 80 locations across the city to be chipped and turned into mulch — a bag of which participants can take home with them. MulchFest will be held on Jan. 7, 2017, and Jan. 8, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Th ose not able to attend MulchFest can use NYC Parks’ drop-off sites, which are accepting trees beginning Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, through Jan. 8, 2017. Th e drop-off locations throughout Queens include the following: • Astoria Park at 19th Street and Hoyt Avenue; • Captain Mario Fajardo Playground at Kissena Boulevard at Booth Memorial Avenue; • Cunningham Park at 196th Place and Union Turnpike; • Forest Park at Forest Park Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard; • Hunters Point South Park at LIC Landing Events Space at 51st Avenue and Center Boulevard; and • Juniper Valley Park at 80th Street between Juniper Boulevards North and South. For a full list of Mulchfest chipping and drop-off sites across Queens and the other boroughs, visit www.nyc.gov/ parks and search “Mulchfest.” For more information on DSNY Christmas tree collection program visit www.nyc.gov/ dsny, or call 311. Photo courtesy of Robert Stridiron The death of John Pierre Villenueva who was attacked inside College Point Park in July, and died in September, has been ruled a homicide.


QC12292016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above