Boorish burglar sought for 13 Manhattan eateries
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Cops need the public’s help in
fi nding a burglar who busted
through a dozen eateries across
Manhattan since mid-November.
Each of the capers have taken place
during late-evening and early-morning
hours, from about 11 p.m. to about 6
a.m. The crook — a man in his 30s with
a medium build and eyeglasses — usually
forces his way inside the front door,
going as far as to kick it down or pull it
enough times to snap the locks.
The most recent caper occurred at 1
a.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at the Left Bank
Diner, located at 117 Perry St. in Greenwich
Village. Law enforcement sources
said the burglar smashed open the glass
front door, then went inside and removed
electronic tablets, a liquor bottle
and $200 in cash.
The other break-ins, in chronological
order, are as follows:
• Nov. 19, 12:30 a.m., at Milk &
Hops bar/nightclub, 166 Ninth Ave. in
Chelsea. Cops said the suspect forcibly
kicked in the glass of the front door,
then went inside and removed $269 in
cash.
• Nov. 20, 12:36 a.m., at Paolas Osteria,
1246 Madison Ave. on the Upper
East Side. According to police, the burglar
walked through an unlocked front
door, went behind the bar and removed
$200 from the cash register.
• Nov. 21, 12:50 a.m., at Vino Tapas
Security camera images of the suspect behind a string of recent burglaries
at Manhattan businesses.
Restaurant, 201 East 31st St. in Kips
Bay. Police said the crook forcibly
opened the front door, then removed
$700 in cash from the register.
• Nov. 21, 6 a.m., at Sarafi na Restaurant,
7 Ninth Ave. in the West Village.
Law enforcement sources said the bandit
repeatedly pulled on the front door
until he fi nally broke the locks. He then
entered the establishment and removed
three tablets, an Apple computer and
two Samsung phones.
• Nov. 21, 11 p.m., at Nirvana Restaurant,
346 Lexington Ave. in Murray
Hill. Cops reported that the suspect
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NYPD
forcibly opened the front door, then
stole $150 from the cash register.
• Nov. 21, 11:20 p.m., at Tipsy Scoop
Candy Store, 217 East 26th St. in Kips
Bay. According to police, the burglar
forcibly pushed open the glass front
door with his shoulders and backside,
causing it to shatter. He ultimately fl ed
without stealing any items, but caused
$850 in reported damage.
• Nov. 21, 11:48 p.m., at Cafe Delectria,
564 Third Ave. in Murray Hill.
Cops said the crook attempted to force
open the front door, but abandoned his
burglary bid after triggering an alarm.
• Nov. 25, 11:30 p.m., at Bocca Di
Bacco Restaurant, 167 Ninth Ave. in
Chelsea. Authorities said the bandit
forcibly pulled open the front door, then
unsuccessfully attempted to remove
cash from the register.
• Nov. 26, 4 a.m., at CookShop Restaurant,
156 Tenth Ave. in Chelsea. Police
said the perpetrator shattered the
front door glass, then attempted to remove
cash from the register, but ran off
empty-handed when he noticed several
employees entering the room.
• Nov. 27, 2:21 a.m., at Under the
Bridge, 1079 First Ave. on the East Side.
According to law enforcement sources,
the crook smashed through a front window,
then entered the establishment and
removed an Apple tablet, fi ve Samsung
tablets and two bottles of liquor.
• Nov. 29, 2 a.m., at Pio Pio Restaurant,
210 East 34th St. in Kips Bay. Police
said the suspect broke through the
front door and removed $200 in cash
from the register.
• Nov. 29, 4:33 a.m., at Bocca Di
Bacco Restaurant in Chelsea. Cops reported
that the suspect returned to the
eatery and forcibly broke the lock of the
front door to get in. He then removed
an Apple iPad from the counter and fl ed
on foot westbound along 20th Street.
Police said he was last seen wearing
a gray/dark green jacket, a light-colored
hooded sweatshirt, black Adidas sweatpants
and white sneakers.
Call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
with info on the case.
Village Chamber in 70th year of helping local biz
BY GABE HERMAN
Now in its 70th year serving the
neighborhood, the Greenwich
Village Chelsea Chamber of
Commerce (GVCCC) is continuing its
work to promote and advocate for businesses
in the area.
“The whole idea for the Chamber is
to stimulate the local economy,” said
President Andres Pazmino. “We try to
be holistic with our approach.” This
includes making local connections for
merchants, not just with other merchants,
said Pazmino, but also with
consumers and government agencies.
The Chamber’s boundaries go from
34th to Canal Streets, and the Hudson
River to Third Avenue. There are 206
members, an increase from last year.
“It shows that the Chamber is growing,”
Pazmino said.
Some of GVCCC’s major partners
include Starbucks Reserve, Google,
NYU, Gottlieb real estate and Lyft,
which has been involved in Chamber
events like giving discounted rides as
part of Shop Bleecker.
Pazmino noted a diverse group of
members that also includes nonprofits
COURTESY GVCCC
Chamber President Andres Pazmino.
like the American Cancer Society,
family-owned small businesses like
Li-Lac Chocolates and Walker Hotel,
immigrant-owned stores like Tiziano
Zorzan, and the woman-owned aRoqa
Indian restaurant.
Pazmino has been president since
April, and said he is still new and learning
on the job. “It has been very rewarding,”
he said. “I’m having a ball. I
enjoy talking to merchants, I learn their
challenges. They’re very smart people
and care about the community at large,
not just their businesses.”
The GVCCC advocates on issues affecting
the local business community,
such as an amendment on the Commercial
Rent Tax, and paid time off legislation,
which the Council opposes because
it requires businesses with fi ve or
more employees to pay for the vacation.
“While we’re not against the concept or
principle of paying for employees’ vacation,”
Pazmino said, “small businesses
then don’t have resources to afford it,
and it will chip away at the bottom
line.”
There is a narrative that all business
owners are rich, Pazmino said, “and
that is not true, especially when you’re
a small or medium-sized business or
property owner.” He added, “We need
to be careful not to generalize because
there are lots of people that are entrepreneurial
and not making as much as
people think they are.”
Pazmino said he would like to see
the government work with businesses
to create less bureaucracy, and not to
over-regulate, but instead provide some
regulations while helping businesses to
thrive. He said it can take a long time
for businesses to get permits, including
a 6-month waiting period for a liquor
license. “It’s simple math,” he said. “It’s
about government being more effi cient
with processes.”
The GVCCC also runs events aimed
at helping businesses, many of which
have been started in recent years by
executive director Maria Diaz and can
include discounts and promotions at local
stores. The events include Chelsea
Chew, the Village Arts Alive series,
NYPD precinct tours through the Safe
City Safe Streets program, and Shop
Bleecker, which just concluded its November
run, and which Diaz said is a
favorite of hers.
The next Chamber event will be the
annual Safe City Safe Streets luncheon
on Dec. 12, which awards offi cers for
the work they do in the community
and relationships formed with GVCCC
members. More information about the
Chamber can be found at villagechelsea.
com.
4 December 5, 2019 Schneps Media