8 AUGUST 1, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Cops need the public’s
help in finding the
thief who stole a Super
Shuttle van from a Long
Island City street and went
on a joyride last month.
The NYPD released on
July 26 video footage of the
suspect responsible for the
June 20 theft, which took
place just after midnight in
the area of Queens Boulevard
and 38th Street.
Law enforcement sources
said the perpetrator got
behind the wheel of the
Super Shuttle parked at
the location, then drove it
away. Police found the van
later in the day, unoccupied
and parked adjacent to the
Queens County Criminal
Court House at 125-01 Hoover
Ave. in Kew Gardens.
The incident was reported
to the 108th Precinct.
Anyone with information
regarding the thief ’s
whereabouts can call Crime
Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for
Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
All cal ls are kept
confidential.
Crook targets R’wood women for jewelry
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWODOTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Police are looking for the thief
who sweet-talked women into
handing over their jewelry
in the Ridgewood area three times
since May.
Cops say that the suspect —
identified on July 26 as Ezequiel
Ortiz, 34 — is sought for a citywide
jewelry theft pattern that includes
five other incidents in Manhattan
and the Bronx.
According to law enforcement
sources, Ortiz struck first in
Ridgewood at 3:33 p.m. on May
4, when he approached a 76-yearold
woman walking along Myrtle
Avenue near Putnam Avenue.
Authorities said Ortiz allegedly
offered to clean the woman’s ring.
The victim then handed over her
wedding band, valued at $600, and
Ortiz fled the scene on foot.
The second Ridgewood area
theft took place at 3 p.m. on July 7
inside the Dollar Tree store at 300
Wyckoff Ave. on the Ridgewood/
Bushwick border.
Police said Ortiz allegedly
approached a 75-year-old woman
and offered to clean her necklace.
As the woman removed the chain
from her neck, Ortiz allegedly
snatched it from her hands and
ran out of the store.
The next day, at 1:30 p.m. on
July 8, Ortiz allegedly stole
another necklace from a 66-yearold
woman in front of a store on
Myrtle Avenue between 60th Lane
and 60th Street.
According to law enforcement
sources, the perpetrator
approached the victim and told
her that her necklace had been
damaged. After he offered to
repair it, the woman took the
chain off her neck and put it in
her purse.
The persistent thief continued
speaking with the victim and
finally convinced her to hand over
her necklace so he could make
the repair. She then handed the
necklace to Ortiz, who ran away
in an unknown direction.
Security camera footage that
the NYPD released on July 26
shows Ortiz talking with one of
his victims on Myrtle Avenue.
Anyone with information
regarding his whereabouts can
call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
(for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
All calls are kept confidential.
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
EDAVENPORT@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A man died of his injuries aft er
he was run down by a car in
a hit-and-run in Woodhaven
last week.
At around 5 a.m. on July 25,
police responded to a 911 call
regarding a motor vehicle
collision involving a pedestrian
struck on Woodhaven Boulevard
near 91st Avenue. Upon their
arrival, officers found a 56-yearold
man lying in the roadway,
unconscious and unresponsive,
with severe body trauma.
EMS responded to the location
and pronounced the victim dead
at the scene. His identity is being
withheld pending proper family
notification.
A preliminary investigation
found that the victim was
attempting to cross Woodhaven
Boulevard, from east to west,
when a gray sedan traveling
southbound on Woodhaven
Boulevard struck the victim.
Police say that the vehicle involved
in the collision did not remain at
the scene following the crash.
No arrests have been made at
this time. The investigation is
ongoing.
Photo by Robert Stridiron
The suspect behind a series of jewelry thefts in Ridgewood has been linked
to a citywide grand larceny pattern. Photo courtesy of NYPD
Joyriding
thief takes
shuttle spin
Driver sought in deadly Woodhaven crash
Photo courtesy of NYPD
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