4 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 22, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Scams, burglaries continue to drive crime at Flushing-based precinct
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Flushing, College Point and Whitestone
continue to be hit hard by scams and
home break-ins even as other crimes are
down, offi cials said on Wednesday night.
In spite of a few recurring crime
trends in the command, Inspector Judith
Harrison, commanding offi cer at the
109th Precinct, reported a decrease in
many of the major crimes. For the last
28-day period, the precinct saw a 36.4
percent decrease in robbery and a 70.6
percent decrease in grand larceny auto.
“Our numbers are low at this time,”
Harrison said at the March 14 meeting of
the 109th Precinct Community Council.
“Th at’s good, but I don’t want us to get
a false sense of confi dence, because we
are spiking in grand larceny; and what’s
driving our grand larceny numbers are
identity theft s.”
Scams directed at the elderly are of
particular concern, Harrison noted. Th e
inspector read a series of related complaint
reports.
In one, an 86-year-old man got a scam
phone call that his son needed money. Th e
man met with perpetrators with $3,000 in
hand. In another, a perpetrator called an
84-year-old woman over to a vehicle and
off ered her a free necklace. Th e victim
walked over and the perpetrator placed
the new necklace on the woman while
removing the woman’s necklace. Th e gift -
ed necklace was a fake.
“I don’t read these complaints reports
to shame or embarrass anyone. Th is is
real; this happens,” the inspector said.
Harrison encouraged residents to visit
or call their elderly family members,
friends and neighbors and inform them
of these scams.
Mail fi shing continues to be an issue
in the command and the city, a representative
from the United States Postal
Inspection Service added.
In the crime, perpetrators use makeshift
devices, including sticky mouse traps and
bottles dipped into adherent solutions, to
“fi sh” mail out of mailboxes. Aft er removing
the mail, thieves then sort through the
envelopes looking for checks and use an
acetone solution to remove the ink and
alter the information.
Harrison reminded residents to use the
Uniball 207 gel pens, which contain a pigmented
ink that adheres to paper. Th e
model can be found at most offi ce supply
stores. Mail should also be dropped off
in mailboxes prior the scheduled pick up
time and not left to sit overnight.
“We’re aggressively trying to combat
these, but it’s a monster. It’s out of hand,”
she said.
Th e command also continues to see an
uptick in burglaries. Th e precinct was up
nearly 85 percent for the 28 day period.
Harrison noted offi cers made a signifi -
cant arrest on March 10 aft er apprehending
a Bronx man linked to multiple local
break-ins. Still, the issue persists.
Doors and windows should always
be locked and alarm systems activated,
Harrison said.
“People come here to prey upon you
all,” she told attendees. “You have nice
things. You have nice homes. You have
nice cars. And unfortunately there is an
element out there — a criminal element
— that wants to take advantage of you.”
Cops seize nearly 200 pounds of
marijuana during Flushing drug bust
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Six individuals face drug possession
and other charges aft er cops conducted a
massive bust at a Flushing residence this
week which led to the seizure of nearly
200 pounds of marijuana and ketamine.
On March 13 at around 2:20 p.m., offi -
cers from the 109th Precinct Anti-Crime
Unit were on plain-clothes patrol in an
unmarked car when they observed three
males standing at 146th Street and 58th
Avenue near an SUV, law enforcement
sources said.
Upon further surveillance, cops
allegedly observed the individuals
exchange large bundles of cash and vacuum
sealed bags of marijuana. When
the offi cers approached the individuals
and identifi ed themselves, the men fl ed
to a nearby residence, but were quickly
apprehended.
Upon executing a search warrant on
the Flushing home, offi cers recovered 195
pounds of marijuana — worth an estimated
street value of $500,000. Th ey also
seized 19 bags of the painkiller ketamine,
a machine used to print forged identifi cation
cards and more than $19,000 in cash.
Four Flushing residents were taken
into custody: Chenfeng Li, 23; Feng
Pan, 26; Rong Yang, 30; and Ling Ling
Lin, 28. Also arrested at the scene were
Brooklyn resident Hao Li, 28, and Wen
Chen, 37, of Manhattan. Each suspect
was charged with criminal possession of
a controlled substance, criminal sale of
marijuana and forgery.
During the precinct’s community
council meeting on March 14,
Commanding Offi cer Judith Harrison
commended the offi cers for their eff orts.
“It was a great arrest,” Harrison said.
“We were able to go in; we executed
that search warrant and put six people
under arrest and a lot of drugs off
the streets.”
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/THE COURIER
Inspector Judith Harrison speaks at the March Community Council meeting
Photo courtesy of NYPD
Left to right: Offi cers Daniel Gangale, Joseph Knight, Sgt. Ling Ma and Andrzej (Andy) Maziarz
Photo via Google Maps
Repairs begin on commuter
lot at Little Neck train station
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Improvements are in the works for
Long Island Rail Road commuters in
Little Neck.
Repairs began on March 19 at the commuter
parking lot at the Little Neck station,
which is part of the Port Washington Line.
Slated improvements for the transit hub
at the Little Neck Parkway and 39th Road
include repaving, striping, and sidewalk,
curb and drainage improvements. Work
will continue into mid-May.
Construction work will mainly take place
on weekdays and only a portion of the
parking lot will remain open. Parking will
be limited for commuters: up to 19 fewer
spaces will be available for use at the lot.
Th ere are approximately 100 total spaces.
Th e lot will be completely closed on
April 27-29 and May 4-5.
Alternate commuter parking is available
at the Douglaston Station, located at
235th Street and 41st Avenue. Additional
bus and taxi service information can be
found at www.mta.info.
Th e pedestrian overpass at the east end
of the station will also be unavailable for
the duration of construction.
Th e parking lot is privately operated.
Residents looking for additional information
should call 511 and say “LIRR” or
visit www.mta.info/lirr.
Improvements are currently in the
works at other stations along the LIRR’s
Port Washington branch. Construction
began this month on two new elevators at
the Murray Hill station, located at 150th
Street and 41st Avenue. Th e Flushing-
Main Street LIRR station is currently
undergoing a $24.6 million overhaul.
The Little Neck LIRR station
link
link
link
/www.mta.info
/lirr
