Hi All,
 
This is to remind folks about the lawsuit fundraiser at O'Neill's.  There's also a flier for Elmhurst's tree lighting celebration.
 
Roe Daraio, President
COMET Civic Association
www.cometcivic.com
​

Hi All,
 
PO Marco Torres, 108th Precinct Community Affairs, called to let us know an arrest was made at one of our zombie house (abandoned house) locations.
 
The arrest was made at approximately 7:00 pm last night, Wednesday, November 15th, at 67-21 47th Avenue. The individual arrested is a 40-year old man who they believe is homeless. He was arrested for Criminal Trespass and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance.
 
We want to thank DI Travaglia for taking our concerns about these zombie properties seriously and also want to thank Lt. Corcoran, Special Operations, for having his officers visit the locations we provided. This house will be turned into the Department of Buildings and hopefully secured as soon as possible.
 
Abandoned properties were one of the topics discussed at our last COMET meeting. We asked our precincts if they would monitor the locations to make sure they were secured now that the cold weather is setting in. We don't want vandals, squatters or individuals using these locations for criminal activities. A couple of frame houses in our area, one of which is in Elmhurst on 54th Avenue, went on fire and luckily it didn't spread to neighboring homes.
 
If you know of an abandoned property near you, please let us know. They are not only unsightly, but could present a danger to neighbors on the block.
 
Roe Daraio, President
COMET Civic Association
www.cometcivic.co

Hi All,
 
It was an informative meeting last night but the news isn't good. Northern Maspeth is getting hit hard with burglaries, west Maspeth has been hit as well. Some of these burglaries occurred at night and in a couple of instances people were home. I am also listing the burglaries in Elmhurst and Winfield/Woodside. Please alert all your neighbors!!
 
Please make sure your doors and windows are locked and secured. Keep a light on, especially at the rear of your home where the perpetrator can't be seen from the street. Call 911 if you see anyone suspicious in the area!! Night residential burglaries are a big concern since oftentimes people are home. Most burglars don't want to confront people.
 
As for the Holiday Inn, we were told there's now 100 men "living" there. The number will surely climb. There are one to two men per room.
 
Northern Maspeth - Burglaries

• 52nd/70th Street - a shed was burglarized sometime between October 8th and 10th.
• 69th/53rd Avenue - rear window was broken sometime between 8:45 pm and 10:00 pm on October 13th.
• 69th/53rd Road - basement and front door were forced between 8:00 pm and 11:45 pm on October 20th.
• 73rd/Grand - front door was forced sometime between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm on November 5th
• 54th/69th Pl - entry to home was made sometime between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm on November 5th.

West Maspeth - Burglaries

• 61st/56th Street - rear door forced between 4:30 and 10:00 pm on October 19th.
• 59th/58th Avenue - rear entry between 8:30 pm and 9:12 pm on November 5th.

Woodside/Winfield - Burglaries

• 48th/59th Street - credit card stolen on October 22nd and reported at 3:30 pm.
• Garfield Avenue/67th - entry was made through the front and reported at 9:00 am on October 14th

Elmhurst - Burglaries

• 82-15 Queens Blvd - two burglaries occurred via front doors on October 11th
• 84th/57th Rd - burglary reported at 6:30 pm on October 12th
• 55th/Seabury - rear entry sometime between 12:15 pm and 1:55 pm.
• 87-97 55th Avenue - the donation box was stolen from the Mosque but luckily there was no money in it.

WANTED by the 110th Precinct
 
A male black, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a cap and layers of clothing - there is a "Bench Warrant" out for him for not appearing on his court date. The pastor from the First Presbyterian Church attended our meeting and told us she and her family were threatened at their home by this man who also came into the church and disrupted the service. He has exposed himself on several occasions in front of adults and children. He is most likely mentally disturbed. He has been seen near Italian Charities, in the "valley" area, on 57th Avenue near Crowley Park as well as on Van Horn Street, the 55th Avenue footbridge and PS 102. If you spot him call 911 and tell the Operator that he is wanted by the 110th Precinct for a past crime. You will get a quick response.
 
 
Roe Daraio, President
COMET Civic Association
www.cometcivic.com

​ Hi All,
 
We just heard from an Elmhurst resident who wants to alert the community about a homeless man who is most likely mentally disturbed and who has allegedly been exposing himself.
 
This individual has been seen near the 55th Avenue footbridge that crosses from Van Horn to 85th Street, on Van Horn Street near PS 102, 57th Avenue, Italian Charities as well as near Target.
 
The male is approximately 6-feet tall, has a dark complexion, and wears layers of clothing which makes him look larger. He was seen wearing a dark baseball cap and a brownish color jacket.
 
The resident who passed this information on to us said the 110th Precinct has received complaints about this individual.
 
Oftentimes our streets are very deserted. If you see a suspicious person, turn around and go the other way. If you believe this person is a threat, call 911 and give the operator a description of the person, location where he was last seen and why you believe he is suspicious or a threat. Keep a watchful eye out around all the schools in our area!
 
It gets dark early and we all need to be aware of our surroundings, keep cell phones out of sight and stay in well lit areas.
 
 
Roe Daraio, President
COMET Civic Association
www.cometcivic.com
-- 

Hi All,
 
Just a reminder - our COMET meeting will be held this Monday, 11/7 at 7:00 pm at St. Adalbert's Parish Center, lower level, 52-40 84th Street.

• Our precincts will give us an update about crime in our area, any unusual incidents, homeless shelters. Residents have called our attention to tents being erected on the LIE embankment as well as Maurice/Principe Park. There was also concern about a homeless encampment on Woodhaven/Queens Boulevard. We are interested in hearing how our precincts have been monitoring and handling this.
• We're curious to hear comments about the newly installed bike lanes and hear how they're affecting motorists and pedestrians. Obviously the bike lanes are here to stay, for now, but if anyone has a suggestion to make the area safer, i.e. signage, etc. we will pass it along to DOT.
• The city is installing LED lights in our area. Maurice Avenue between the service road and 65th Place was brought to our attention as being very dark since these lights were installed. DOT has informed us they'll do a study and get back to us. The city has a "minimum light requirement". If you know of any other dark areas, please let us know. 
• Any new updates regarding the Elmhurst rezoning proposal.

 
Open House
 
Maspeth H.S. will be holding an open house this Monday from 5:00-7:00 pm. It's best to avoid this area during this time, if possible, since there have been traffic issues in the past.
 
 
Roe Daraio, President
COMET Civic Association
www.cometcivic.com