8 MAY 16, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Packages stolen from R’wood building Cops look for
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
EDAVENPORT@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Police have released a photo
of a suspect that they believe
stolen thousands of dollars’
worth of doors and air vents from
a Jewish cemetery on the border of
Queens and Brooklyn.
According to law enforcement
sources, at 4 p.m. on April 19, an
unknown man was spotted at
the Beth Olam Cemetery, located
at 2 Cypress Hills St., removing
property from the location by a
66-year-old employee. The suspect
ultimately fled the scene in a
vehicle in an unknown direction.
An investigation found that
the thief had taken seven sets of
mausoleum doors and 50 bronze
mausoleum vent covers.
The vents and doors that were
stolen are valued at approximately
$24,000, authorities said. Police
believe that the suspect was
working with an unidentified
female; the NYPD, however, could
not provide a description of her at
this time.
Two days later, a similar
burglary took place at the same
cemetery. At 10:45 a.m. that
morning police received a report
that more sets of mausoleum
doors and air vent covers were
taken from the cemetery.
A spokesperson from the NYPD
says that they believe that the
crimes are connected and will be
investigating it as a pattern, as the
cemetery has been the victim of
multiple theft s in recent history.
The cemetery employee took a
picture of the suspect in the April
19 incident, which was released by
police.
Cops described the suspect as
a white man in his 30s who was
last seen wearing a navy blue
hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored
pants and black sneakers.
Anyone with information in
regard to the identity of this male
is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime
Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS
(8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-
PISTA (74782). The public can
also submit their tips by logging
onto the Crime Stoppers website,
nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on
Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and
messages are kept confi dential.
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@QNS.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Police need the public’s help in
fi nding a burglar who recently
entered a Ridgewood apartment
building’s mailroom and stole 15
packages intended for tenants.
The theft occurred at around 9 p.m.
on April 2 inside the building located
at 803 Wyckoff Ave., between Putnam
and Cornelia Street.
Security personnel at the apartment
building discovered the theft upon
reviewing surveillance camera footage
taken at the location, authorities said.
The investigation revealed that the
unidentifi ed female burglar entered the
lobby and gained access to the mailroom
through an unsecured entry.
Once inside, law enforcement sources
said, she grabbed 15 mail items that were
left unattended, then fl ed the building
on foot in an unknown direction.
The incident was reported to the
104th Precinct. Police do not know the
total value of the stolen packages.
On May 8, the NYPD released video
camera footage of the suspect. She’s
described as a Hispanic female with
black hair in her 20s or 30s who was last
Photo via Google Maps/Inset courtesy of NYPD
seen wearing all dark clothing.
Anyone with information regarding
her whereabouts can call Crime
Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish,
dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime
Stoppers website, nypdcrimestoppers.
com, send a direct message on Twitter
@NYPDTips or text 274637 (CRIMES),
then enter TIP577. All calls and messages
are kept confi dential.
BY MARK HALLUM
MHALLUM@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Queens bicyclists still seeking
answers regarding a cyclist
who was hit by a truck at a
street corner near the Maspeth/
Woodside border on April 11 as
charges still linger for the operator
of the vehicle.
The NYPD told QNS as of Tuesday
that no arrests have been made
and the investigation is ongoing.
Moreover, the name of the 32-yearold
victim will not be released to
the public because the victim
is not deceased; following the
incident, the cyclist had been taken
to Elmhurst Hospital in critical
condition.
NYPD Motor Vehicle Collisions,
on the city Open Data website,
attributed the cause of the crash
to the truck “following too closely”
with the cyclist still only being
listed as injured.
Laura Shepard, who heads
the Transportation Alternatives
Queens Volunteer Committee,
believes law enforcement may
not be taking enough action in an
incident involving a cyclist.
“NYPD is responsible for
providing accurate and transparent
reporting about fatalities and
injuries on public streets,” Shepard
said. “It is deeply concerning that
the agency is failing to provide
up-to-date information about the
victim’s condition. When people
are hurt or lives are lost, the facts
should not be swept under the rug.
The Collision Investigation Squad
determined that the truck driver
was ‘following too closely’ and yet
NYPD has not charged the driver or
issued a statement explaining why
they have not. The victim deserves
justice and due process. I hope the
32-year-old victim survived this
gruesome crash and will make a
full recovery. The local safe streets
and cycling community cares and
would like to help in any way
possible.”
Councilman Robert Holden is
awaiting more information from
the 108th Precinct but encourage
drivers and bicyclists alike to be
more diligent with increasingly
diverse forms of transportation
on the roads.
“With more pedestrians and
bicyclists on the road than ever
before in New York, all must use
extra caution and slow down to
prevent incidents like this in the
future,” Holden said.
The truck involved in the wreck
was registered with D&N services,
an operation out of a house in
Astoria.
The incident occurred at Maurice
Avenue and 69th Street about 6:14
a.m. and one witness conveyed to a
source that it looked as though the
cyclist was under the vehicle at the
time when police had arrived.
According to cops, the driver
remained at scene following the
incident.
Photo provided by Laura Shepard
grim burglar
Bicyclists want answers on crash
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