FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 13, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
More mailbox fi shing in northeast Queens
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Mailbox fi shers have been running rampant
Photo via Shutterstock
Two burglars sought for major pattern in NE Queens
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
Police continue to look for two men
who stole cash and jewelry aft er burglarizing
11 homes throughout northeast
Queens since September — stealing, in
one instance, more than $400,000 in loot.
Seven of the break-ins have occurred
since early November, authorities said.
On Nov. 3, the suspects made two more
attempts in burglarizing two homes, one
in the vicinity of 33rd Avenue and 214th
Place in Bayside and the other in the
vicinity of 6th Avenue and 147th Street
in Whitestone, by trying to force open
the rear door of the home. Th ey were
ultimately unsuccessful each time, and
fl ed each location without any property.
Sometime between 9:30 a.m. on 7:20
p.m. on Nov. 8, the suspects broke
into a home in the vicinity of Powells
Cove Boulevard and 152nd Street in
Whitestone by forcing open a rear door.
Once inside, the crooks stole $400,000
worth of cash and jewelry that belonged
to the 60-year-old female homeowner.
Police say that between 2 p.m. and 9:50
p.m. on Nov. 10, the suspects gained
entry to a home in the vicinity of 15th
Road and 216th Street in Bay Terrace by
forcing open a rear door. Once inside,
the suspects took $17,000 worth of jewelry.
Th e pattern continued on Nov. 26. At
6:18 p.m., the thieves broke into a home
in the vicinity of 11th Avenue and 136th
Street in College Point by forcing open
a door in the rear of the home. Once
inside, the suspects took $2,000 in cash
before fl eeing the location.
Th e burglars struck again on Dec. 1
at a home in the vicinity of Little Neck
Parkway and 38th Avenue in Little Neck.
Between 9:40 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. that
day, the suspects broke into the home by
forcing open a rear door. Once inside,
the suspects took $300 worth of jewelry.
Finally, the suspects broke into a home
in the vicinity of 46th Road and 204th
Street in Bayside between 3:25 and 6:15
p.m. on Dec. 3. Once inside, the suspects
took $3,000 in jewelry and money.
Anyone with information in regards
to the burglary pattern is asked to call
the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at
1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish,
1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls are
kept confi dential.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
in the 111th Precinct and local police
are warning residents against using the
blue United States Postal Service (USPS)
mailboxes to send checks or cash.
According to an ongoing Twitter
thread, which offi cers keep updated on
the precinct’s Twitter account, there
have been multiple reported incidents
of mailbox fi shing since the beginning of
November.
Neighborhoods within 111th Precinct
include Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck
and Fresh Meadows.
Th e most recent incident of mailbox
fi shing happened just days ago on
Tuesday, Dec. 4. Offi cers reported that
a check was stolen from the mailbox on
217th Street and Northern Boulevard in
Bayside.
Since Nov. 3, the precinct has reported
several incidents of mailbox fi shing. In
some instances, offi cers said that multiple
checks were stolen from one mailbox.
Th e following is a list of targeted mailboxes
according to the precinct:
Nov. 3: Mailboxes at Little Neck
Parkway and Northern Boulevard and
Browvale Lane and Th ornhill Avenue
were targeted. Th ieves stole and washed
checks from these mailboxes.
Nov. 5: One check was stolen, washed
and cashed from a USPS mailbox at 73rd
Avenue and 188th Street.
Nov. 19: Fishers stole, washed and
cashed a check from a box at 196th Street
and 53rd Avenue.
Nov. 23: Several checks were stolen,
washed and cashed aft er being deposited
at a box on 60th Avenue and Marathon
Parkway.
Nov. 28: One check was reported
stolen from a USPS mailbox at 48th
Street and Bell Boulevard. Th e precinct
reported that a mailbox at 53rd Avenue
and Springfi eld Boulevard was also targeted.
Offi cers are advising residents to avoid
using the blue mailboxes until the USPS
replaces them with new ones. In the
meantime, locals are urged to take their
checks and other sensitive mail directly to
the post offi ce.
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