Police Blotter
108TH PRECINCT
Jose Santiago-Cruz (inset) is wanted for questioning in connection to an attempted
kidnapping in Long Island City. Photos courtesy of the NYPD
Cops search for attempted kidnapping suspect
LONG ISLAND CITY — Police
were searching for a man who may
know something about two suspects
who pretended to be cops while trying
to abduct a man at a Long Island City
dealership.
According to police, at 9:50 a.m. on
Dec. 12, two unknown men walked
inside of the Hyundai of Long Island City
dealership — located at 34-54 44th St. —
and approached a 28-year-old man who
was waiting to have his car serviced.
Authorities said the suspects then
sprayed the victim with an unknown
substance, told him that he was
under arrest for being a fugitive and
attempted to remove the victim from
the location in handcuffs.
Law enforcement sources stated
that the victim put up a struggle and
ultimately fought off the suspects, who
then fled the scene in a grey Dodge
Caravan and went westbound on
Northern Boulevard.
Police were looking to question
Jose Santiago-Cruz in relation to
the incident. He is described as a
Hispanic man with dark hair, brown
eyes, standing 5 feet, 6 inches tall and
weighing 200 pounds.
— Emily Davenport
106TH PRECINCT
Teen flees from S. Ozone Park detention center
SOUTH OZONE PARK — Police were
looking for a teen who ran away from a
juvenile detention center in South Ozone
Park on Christmas night.
The absconder, whom the NYPD
identified as 16-year-old Henry Corey,
fled from the facility, located at 133-23
127th St., at 8:30 p.m. after pulling the
fire alarm, which caused the building’s
doors to open, according to authorities.
The juvenile detention center is operated
under the auspices of the Administration
for Children’s Services (ACS).
Once the doors were open, authorities
said Corey fled the building in an
unknown direction.
According to law enforcement sources,
Corey was in custody at the site — which
is a Close to Home juvenile detention
center — and could not leave without the
agency’s express permission. The Close
to Home initiative houses youths that
have been convicted of certain crimes,
holding them in a residential community
rather then sending them to a prison.
Police did not disclose why Corey
was at the facility. TimesLedger
reached out to ACS for comment and is
awaiting a response.
Police described Corey as having
a dark complexion, brown eyes, black
hair, and a slim build, standing 5 feet,
10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.
He was last seen wearing a red du-rag,
a plaid robe, gray sweatpants and
white socks.
— Emily Davenport
Cops seek suspect in Fresh Meadows robberies
Avenue. Police said the suspect began to
follow her after she got off the Q65 bus,
approached the victim, threw her to the
ground and ran off with her purse.
Neither of the victims were injured
in the robberies, both of which were
reported to the 107th Precinct.
Police described the suspect as a black
man who was last seen wearing a winter
jacket with a fur hood, black pants with a
white stripe and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regard
to this incident 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 and
messages are kept confidential.
— Emily Davenport
107TH PRECINCT
$1,500
SAVINGS
FRESH MEADOWS — Police were
looking to question a man about a pair of
robberies that took place on the streets
of Fresh Meadows in December.
Police said a 34-year-old female was
walking home Dec. 15 at 12:40 a.m. in
the vicinity of 162nd Street and 75th
Avenue after exiting the Q65 bus. The
suspect, who was following the victim,
approached her and threw her to the
ground, according to authorities.
The perpetrator then snatched the
victim’s purse and took off northbound
on 162nd Street, law enforcement
sources noted.
Authorities said the second incident
took place Dec. 23 at 10:59 p.m., when a
62-year-old woman was walking home
in the vicinity of 162nd Street and 73rd
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