The 104th just called to let me know that an individual was arrested in connection with a car break in on Menahan Street and another on Grove Street.  Alan Vega, male Hispanic, 46 years old, 5'9", carrying a backpack, was arrested at about 1:00 am this morning while riding his bicycle.  He was caught with 3 GPS's, 3 I-Pods and cash.  He has been arrested multiple times in Brooklyn.  It is assumed that he might be responsible for the Maspeth incidents but with no video or eye witnesses it will be difficult, if not impossible, to charge him with the crimes.  The investigation is still ongoing to see if other precincts can connect him to incidents in their commands.  By the way, this individual was arrested as a result of a 911 call by a resident.   Please do not assume this is the only person doing car break ins.  Do not leave items in your vehicles.  Don't forget the crooks stealing rims/tires are still on the loose!    I heard back from the 110th Precinct.  According to PO Garland, there were no reports of rims/tires being taken off vehicles in our section of Elmhurst.  One Comet member insists her nephew's tires were stolen but apparently a report wasn't filed nor was one filed for the vehicle in the vicinity of Crowley Park.  NO REPORT, NO CRIME STATISTIC, NO ADDITIONAL POLICE COVERAGE IN OUR AREA.  PO Garland did tell me we had one robbery in the vicinity of Broadway/51st Avenue.  A woman was pushed and her cell phone was stolen.  Please keep your electronics out of sight!  And please, report crime!    

For those of you who saw the commotion on Calamus Avenue this afternoon at about 3:00 pm, here's what I've learned.   At approximately 3:00 pm today on Calamus Avenue/74th Street, the 108th Precinct arrested a male in a stolen vehicle.  Believe it or not, they found a stolen motorcycle in the stolen vehicle!  He was arrested for a double GLA (Grand Larceny Auto).  The investigation is still ongoing.   I'm sure we'll hear more about this i.e. where the  vehicle was stolen from, etc. at our Comet meeting on 9/12.

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about car break ins.  But they are continuing to happen dispite every effort to discourage folks from leaving GPS's, loose change, etc. in their cars.  Some people remove their GPS but leave the suction cups or marks from the suction cups on the windshield alerting the crook(s) that there's likely a GPS in the glove compartment.
 
The latest incidents occurred over the weekend in the vicinity of 56th Road/60th Street - not far from 59th Drive where the last break ins occurred.  One source claims more than 20 cars were broken into this past weekend.  The 104th said that at the time I called about 9 reports were filed.  (It's possible that some people didn't take the time to make the report.)  If you, or someone you know was a victim, you can still make a report.  At this point the number of vehicles broken into isn't this issue - the issue is that crooks are wondering around our area and no one sees anything suspicious!
 
This is not just a Maspeth problem.  The 104th states that these incidents have occurred pretty much throughout the precinct - including Glendale and Ridgewood.  These crooks will move around throughout the area.  As they near our precinct borders we soon may find victims in Elmhurst and Winfield too.  This must be a lucrative business because they keep coming back. 
 
It's likely that these crimes are occurring during early morning hours.  If you should happen to get up to go to the bathroom, take a moment to look out your window.  If you see something suspicious, get a description/direction the individuals are headed and call 911.  Tell the operator we've had a rash of car break ins and explain why these people look suspicious.  Don't be concerned if you're right or wrong - let the police sort it out.  You can't get into trouble if you're mistaken.
 
If anyone has any information about these break ins please contact the 104th.  If you prefer, pass the info on to me and I'll give it in anonymously.  We need to get these people off the street.  Please pass this on to friends/family!

70th Street between Garfield/51st Avenue
Winfield/Woodside, Community Board 2, 108th Precinct
 
National Grid has acquired a permit to open the street for a major gas installation.  The work is scheduled to take place from 8/8 to 9/7.  It does not indicate whether the work will be done during the day or night.
 
If you use this street to get to or from Queens Boulevard or get to Maspeth/Elmhurst/Winfield, you might want to consider an alternate route.  If you live or own a business along this strip it might be a good idea to take pictures of your sidewalk/curb in the event any damage occurs.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Community Board 2 at 718-533-8773.  Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer covers this area.  His number is 718-383-2917.  If there's an emergency, call 911. Please pass this on to others in the area who might be affected and make a note of the above numbers in case you need them.

Residents and business owners, We've had several robbery incidents in the area.  The perpetrators are two male blacks.  The victim of the latest robbery followed the perpetrators and observed them getting into a blue Civic with "FLA" as part of the license plate.  They fled toward Eliot Avenue.  Here are the incidents so far - a couple are repeats from my email last week but you need to see the connection.   

• 7/7/11, 4:00 am, Queens Blvd/65th, 2 male black perpetrators entered business, punched the worker in the face and stole $4,000.
• 7/12/11, 6:50 pm, Maurice/64th, 2 male black perpetrators entered business, punched worker in the face and stole cash.
• 7/16/11, 10:00 pm, 69th/Calamus, 2 male black perpetrators approached a 16-year old male, punched him in the face and stole his iphone.
• 7/25/11, about 11:00 pm, vicinity of 86th St/60th Ave (just outside the Comet area in Middle Village), two male black perpetrators punched a male in the face, stole his knapsack, iphone, etc. (I think this is near the footbridge from Elmhurst to Middle Village.)

If you see suspicious males lurking around - or driving around in a blue Civic with "FLA" as part of the license plate, call 911 immediately.  Tell the operator, "We've had several robberies in the area and these individuals (or car/license plate they are driving around in) matches the description.  Our precincts are aware of the conditon and will respond immediately.  Please pass this on to your friends and neighbors in the area.  These men are in a car so we don't know where they'll hit next!  Since all these incidents occurred near a precinct border it's likely the perpetrators will be in another precinct by the time 911 is called making it difficult to track them. On a positive note, south Elmhurst had no robberies but PO Rivera, Community Affairs at the 110th, will check to see if any robberies fit this pattern on the north side of Queens Blvd.  However, there are two incidents in Elmhurst that you need to be aware of.  One was a purse snatch (grand larceny) that occurred in the Woodhaven station on 7/7 at 3:35 pm. The other was a residential burglary that occurred in the vicinity of Seabury/57th Avenue on 7/8 through the rear of the house.  Please be alert to what is going on around you!

PO Youssef, Community Affairs from the 108th Precinct provided us with our crime stats for the past 28 days.  There's good and bad news.  Folks who live on the Maspeth/Woodside/Elmhurst border need to be aware.  I should have the stats for Maspeth and south Elmhurst by the beginning of next week.   0 murders; 0 rapes; 4 robberies; 1 felony assault (husband/wife); 1 car theft (GLA); 3 grand larcenies.  One incident was a bike that was chained on Calamus Ave/72nd St and was stolen on 6/26 at noontime.   Robberies

• Calamus Ave/69th St - on 7/16 a 16-year old male victim was punched in the face by 2 male black perpetrators at 10:00 pm. His iphone was stolen.
• 65th Place/Queens Blvd - on 7/5 a worker in a commercial establishment was punched in the face at 4:00 am and approx $4,000 was stolen.  Perpetrators were 2 male blacks.
• 69th St/49th Ave - a male Hispanic perpetrator attempted to rob the victim at 2:40 pm.
• 69th St/48th Ave - on 7/4 at 1:40 pm the victim left his keys in the car, came out and saw a male white perpetrator in vehicle - he tried to thwart the car theft by hanging on the side of the vehicle which caused injuries.

The commercial robbery aside, all 3 remaining robberies were crimes of opportunity.  Be alert to your surroundings and do not turn onto a side street if you think you're being followed.  Call 911 or go into a store.  And for heaven's sake don't leave your keys in your vehicle!  Please pass this along to your friends/family in the neighborhood.

Captain Cody, 104th Precinct, discussed rims/tires being stolen off cars citywide at the COP104 meeting tonight and offered a tip to deter this from happening.  He said a lot of the cars being targeted are Honda, Toyota Camry and Nissan but if you have expensive tires on any vehicle you could be a victim.   A good way to prevent the theft of tires and rims is to simply park close to the curb and angle your front wheels to the curb while parking.  This does not allow the perpetrators enough room to fit the tire iron between the curb and the lug nuts.  Obviously this will only help the prevent tires being stolen on one side of the vehicle, but losing only two tires is better than losing four.  Also consider purchasing locks for your tires.

COMET is sponsoring this month's COP104 meeting at Maspeth Town Hall.  Please make an effort to attend.

Monday, July 18th (rain date July 19th) from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm we will be holding another VIN Etch at Maspeth Federal's parking lot on Grand Avenue/69th Street.  By taking part in this FREE program you will likely receive a discount on your vehicle's theft insurance.  We will also be registering bicycles.  In the event your bike is stolen and recovered by the police, it will be returned to you.  These are citywide programs so everyone is eligible no matter where they live.