10 MAY 31, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
POLICE BEAT
Cops looking for Ridgewood carjackers
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM / @R
KELLEY6
Police are searching for two
suspects who remain at large
aft er a pair of carjackings in
Ridgewood on back-to-back days
last week.
According to a tweet from the 104th
Precinct, the fi rst incident took place
on May 23 at approximately 7:20 p.m.
near the corner of Seneca Avenue and
Troutman Street, when a group of suspects
approached the victim’s vehicle.
The perpetrators then threatened the
victim with a fi rearm and stole the
victim’s car.
Police later apprehended three of
the suspects, but a fourth individual
remains on the run; he has been identifi
ed as Luis Rivas, 23, of the Bronx.
According to the NYPD, Rivas stands
approximately 6 feet tall and his last
known address is on Cannon Place in
the Jerome Park neighborhood of the
Bronx.
Ex-Ridgewood middle school teacher jailed for sex crimes with teen
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@R_KELLEY6
A former teacher at a Ridgewood
middle school will now be
spending time behind bars for
pleading guilty to internet sex crimes
involving a 15-year-old former student.
Michael Cognato, 35, a Bethpage, NY,
resident who formerly taught at I.S.
93, was sentenced on May 29 to serve
six months in prison and 10 years of
probation for engaging in sexually
explicit communications with the
female student and convincing her to
send him explicit photos and videos of
herself.
As part of the plea deal, Cognato
resigned from the New York City Department
of Education, surrendered
his New York state teaching license,
must complete a sex off ender program
and will be listed on the sex off ender
registry for life as a level two sex
off ender.
“This defendant’s actions are very
troublesome,” said Queens District
Attorney Richard A. Brown. “He
preyed on this young student whom
he had once been entrusted to teach.
This case should serve as a clear and
unmistakable warning that parents
must be mindful of the people that
their children communicate with
online. And let this be a warning to
sexual predators that law enforcement
is prepared to pursue you just as diligently
as you go aft er young, innocent
children.”
According to court records, the
victim had been part of Cognato’s
eighth-grade class and continued to
be tutored by him aft er she graduated
from I.S. 93. Between July 2017 and September
2017, the two communicated on
Facebook and Skype before Cognato
began sending the victim explicit photos
and videos of himself on Snapchat
and the victim sent photos and videos
in return at his request.
The girl’s mother contacted the
police aft er learning of the inappropriate
behavior, and the NYPD Queens
Special Victims Squad arrested Cognato
in October 2017 following an
investigation.
In pleading guilty in March to
attempted use of a child in a sexual
performance and second-degree
criminal contempt, Cognato admitted
that he engaged in the sexually explicit
conversations with the 15-year-old girl
and then violated a court order aft er
his arrest by contacting the victim
again.
Cognato could have received up to
15 years behind bars for the crimes he
committed.
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Sources familiar with the investigation
said that the case is sealed, so no
further information about the incident
or the arrested suspects is available.
Law enforcement sources said the
second carjacking occurred on May 24
at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Woodward
Avenue near Cornelia Street.
According to a tweet from the 104th
Precinct, the suspect approached the
victim and displayed a silver revolver.
The thief then stole the victim’s
phone and car keys and drove off with
the victim’s 2009 Chevrolet Silverado
truck with a New York license plate
number of GMS 4267.
Cops described the unknown perpetrator
in this case as a white Hispanic
man who wore a gray hat, sunglasses,
a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and white
sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding
either of these incidents is asked to
contact the 104th Precinct’s Detective
Squad at 718-386-2723 or Detective Borough
Queens North at 718-520-9200.
All calls are kept confi dential.
THE 104TH PRECINCT DID NOT PROVIDE
A BLOTTER BEFORE PRESS TIME ON MAY 30.
Photos via Twitter/@NYPD104Pct
Luis Rivas
Photo via Shutterstock
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