COMET President Roe Daraio and WPIX's Greg Mocker confront the owner of a livery car operation that uses Woodside streets as a parking lot.

Hi Everyone,

I promised to update you if there is anything you need to be aware of in the Maspeth area.  Not surprisingly, we're having a car theft problem (GLAs) on the border with the 108th Precinct.    In order for you to see a clear pattern between the two communities, I'm listing the locations in Maspeth that were just given to me by the 104th and below that the GLAs in the Woodside area that were already sent to you and given to us by the 108th at our meeting on Monday.    Crime can happen anywhere so EVERYONE always needs to be alert.  However, it is imperative that those of you who live on the Maspeth/Woodside border and in Elmhurst near Calamus/51st Avenues be especially alert to any suspicious vehicles driving around.  If you are hesitant to call 911, get as much info as you can and pass it on to me.  I'll give it to our precincts.  The Maspeth burglaries follow the GLAs.  If you see a stranger on your neighbor's property, call 911 immediately!!  

Maspeth 104th GLAs (car thefts)

• 5/16 - 73rd/52nd Road, Honda Pilot was stolen.
• 5/22 - 52nd/62nd Street, 2011 Toyota Landcruiser was stolen.
• 5/23 - 51st Road/69th Street, a Toyota 4 Runner was stolen.
• 5/20 - Maurice Avenue/56th, a 2009 Toyota Matrix was stolen.

Woodside 108th GLAs

• 2010 Toyota was stolen from 51st/64th Street (most likely 51 #'s on Maurice)
• 2008 Lexus was stolen from 51st Avenue/71st Street
• 2011 Accura was stolen from 51st Road/72nd Street
• 1999 Honda was stolen from 69th Street/Garfield Avenue
• 2001 Chrysler was stolen from 69th Street/Maurice Avenue
• Honda motorcycle was stolen from 59th Street/47th Avenue

Maspeth Burglaries

• 53rd/65th Place - barbershop, front door/lock was broken.  $300 cash, plasma TV taken.
• 52nd/69th Street - entry through rear unlocked bedroom window.Jewelry, laptop was taken.
• 53rd/57th Avenue - more than $38,000 in jewelry, cash stolen.  One arrest, one escaped.
• 59th/58th Road - front door damage, complainant states house was broken into between 1:00 pm/1:05 pm.  Jewelry, cash was taken.
• 58th/61st Street - perpetrator entered through 2nd floor window and left through basement.  Jewelry, cash was taken.

Last week one of our Comet members told me about a burglary on Ankener Avenue near Calamus Avenue which is a block or two out of Maspeth/Woodside.  Today the same member came across two officers from the NYPD passing out fliers in the vicinity of Ankener Avenue.  I reached out to the 110th Precinct and here's DI Napolitano's response below.  Please pass this on to your friends and family in the area!!

"I actually asked Sgt Morales to target that area with crime prevention material due to the recent increase in burgs in that area. In fact, I was in that area yesterday with Russell. If u could spread the word that anyone seeing anything suspicious to please call 911. At the scene of one of the burglaries a male Hispanic around 6' was seen leaving a house that was just burglarized. He was neatly dressed with blue jeans, black jacket and a baseball cap.

There could be several burglars in the neighborhood so if they see ANYONE suspicious to call 911."

Please pass this info along and get the word out. Call 911 if you see suspicious activity.   At 5:15 pm today, one of our members called to say he saw the 110th Precinct on Calamus Avenue/Ankener Avenue.  He was told a home was burglarized.  This location is right on the Maspeth/Woodside/Elmhurst border so we all need to be alert.  Please don't leave your windows open when you go out and since most burglaries occur at the rear or side of a residence, make sure the windows and doors have good locks.  If you would like a free home security survey, call the Crime Prevention Officer at your precinct.  They will make an appointment to meet with you at your convenience and you will be given inexpensive ways to safeguard your home.   Crime Prevention Officers: 104th Precinct - PO Tom Barbario - 718-386-6223 108th Precinct - PO Eli Gani - 718-784-5427 110th Precinct - PO Elvis Santana - 718-476-9326   An update from the COP104 meeting last night:

• Maspeth had two residential burglaries in west Maspeth and two burglaries of trucks on Maurice Avenue during the past 28 days.
• Although burglaries can occur at any time, the Captain said most burglaries in the 104th Precinct (Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood) occur on Saturdays.
• Our larcenies went down in Maspeth this year but folks are still leaving "unattended property" in their cars such as laptops, GPS's, etc. or leaving their purse unattended in supermarkets, etc.
• The Captain stressed the importance of keeping a list of serial numbers for your electronics, bicycles or anything that has a serial number.  There is a new program where they can look up items that were sold to a pawn shop and if you have the serial number the item will be returned to you.  The serial numbers are also useful because if someone is caught with something they stole from you - you can prove it is yours by the serial number.

PO Youssef returned from vacation and I was able to get the crime stats for the 108th Precinct  Winfield/Woodside area that is adjacent to Maspeth and Elmhurst.   The two reported burglaries sparked my attention.  Rather than just taking jewelry, cash and small items that can easily be hidden in a backpack or pocket, the burglar(s) also removed large items from the residences.  Since most of us live near a precinct border you need to know what is going on a few blocks from your home.

• Items were removed from a residence on 51st Avenue/65th Place.  
• The second residence's basement apartment, located on 48th Avenue/65th Street, was burglarized and items were stolen.

I assume that the perpetrator(s) had a vehicle since he/they would look suspicious carrying large items down the street.  Although these burglaries happened in close proximity to one another, if a vehicle is involved this crook(s) could easily move to other nearby locations in Maspeth and/or Elmhurst.    If you see any person or persons removing large items or other property from a residence and it's not the homeowner, call 911.  If you see a stranger lurking near a driveway, etc. call 911.  Let the police question the individual.  You can't get into trouble if you're mistaken but you may help lower our crime stats and save someone from becoming a victim if you're right.  Most importantly, if you return home and see evidence of a break-in, do not enter and call 911. A burglar could be dangerous when confronted. Please pass this on to your neighbors and friends in the area.  Thanks.   By the way, PO Youssef said the overall crime numbers for the last 28 days in our area are 6 cimes this year compared to 9 crimes last year - a reduction of 33% year-to-date.

A Comet member reports that on Monday, 4/13, her neighbor awoke to find his 2011 Escalade perched on top of four boxes and all four wheels had been removed.  The vehicle was parked on 53rd Avenue at 66th Street.  The neighbor has replaced the tires on the Escalade and had wheel locks installed.  Hopefully this incident was reported to the 104th Precinct.  

Hi Everyone,   Last month I sent a notification to folks alerting them about an individual wanted in a series of burglaries in south west Elmhurst in the 110th Precinct near the Woodside border.  Surprisingly, folks from Maspeth responded said they saw someone matching his description.  One sighting was on 57th Avenue near PS 58, the others were in west Maspeth.  Everyone who called asked if this individual had a beard but the 110th Precinct said surveillance tape of the person was too grainy to see it.  

Update:  DI Napolitano of the 110th Precinct contacted me to say it's now believed this individual DOES have a beard.   In case you weren't notified previously or forgot the description, it's as follows:  male black, approx 6' - 6'2, thin about 190 lbs.  He was last seen wearing a black North Face jacket with work boots.  He was walking with a shopping cart.  If this man did burglaries in Elmhurst he certainly won't have a problem doing them elsewhere.    If you see someone matching this description, CALL 911.  Tell the operator that you see a male matching the description of a burglar wanted for multiple burglaries in the 110th Precinct.  The responding precinct will then refer the case to the 110th Precinct Squad to determine whether or not this is the suspect they are looking for.  Pass this on to others in the neighborhood and let's work to get this perpetrator off the street before there's more victims!

Our drag racing problem was the lead story on Eyewitness News tonight:

Maurice Avenue is flat, straight and newly paved. There are no stop signs or stop lights for nearly a mile, making it the perfect spot for drag racing.

"They have spotters looking out for police. They have communication signs. They know how to trick the cops," resident Armand Czapkowski said.

"There are hundreds of people out here. Cars parked in the driveways. It's kind of scary. They're running rampant," Cawley said.

So with the help of council members Jimmy van Bramer and Elizabeth Crowley, residents in both Woodside and Maspeth are urging the department of transportation to put in speed humps, speed grooves, traffic lights and speed cameras.

They're passing around petitions hoping something gets done before someone is hurt or killed.

CBS 2 News and Fox 5 also covered the story.

Join COMET and Council Member Van Bramer Monday, November 22nd at Tyler and Maurice Avenues to protest the drag racing.