ATM Bandits Strike Again.

Despite Arrests, ATM Bandits Strike Again... and again

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 14- Police are asking the public's help in identifying a lone individual wanted in connection with a string of as many as 54 burglary's since the beginning of the year-- and despite four arrests in June, thieves recently hit three stores in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx.

On Tuesday, October 28 Detective Michael DeBonis, an NYPD spokesman confirmed that two separate burglary patterns have now been linked together, saying, "Yes, it's a citywide burglary pattern and their wanted for all of these incidents."

After police announced three arrests at a heist at the Spin City Laundromat on East 204 Street in the Bronx on July 30, it was revealed that the suspects were wanted for 32 similar jobs in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester, the thieves often targeted businesses with ATM machines.

The bandits would either steal or dismantled the businesses surveillance equipment before stealing cash and other valuables.

The same group is now credited with 20 additional thefts that occurred in Queens and the Bronx.

The brazen burglary teams list of jobs now include a break-in at the popular Mar y Tierra Restaurant on Bainbridge Avenue in June and another business on Prospect Avenue as well as a dozen cases in Queens.

In the most recent incident that took place on Monday, October 22, thieves smashed their way into Connie's Laundromat, the Bedford Park Cleaners and the Wai Kang Kitchen along East Bedford Park Boulevard.

Thieves again made off with cash from all three registers as well as security cameras and equipment, before they reportedly cleaned-out the ATM machine inside the Wai Kang Kitchen.

According to Mar y Tierra manager Nelson Fernandez, "They took the ATM machine and moved it over to there," pointing to an open floor in the back of the restaurant, and continued, "and they sawed it (open) and took the money out."

He added thieves removed $4,000 from the ATM, $1,000 from the register and also removed several bottles of the restaurant's best liquor.

The restaurant shut for a day so police could conduct their investigation and Fernandez could make repairs to the ventilation system, where the thieves smashed their way through the roof and squeezed through the vent and into the restaurant.

Now open minus the ATM machine, Fernandez responded to a question about the missing ATM machine, with his own question, "Do I look stupid?" Customers will now have to bring cash or credit cards or visit the nearby bank.

Police have released a lone security camera photo of one suspect, but police could not immediately say where it was taken. The subject is wearing blue jeans, a sweat shirt and a baseball cap.

Anyone with any information on the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Serial groper continues reign of terror

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Serial groper continues reign of terror: Serial groper continues reign of terror By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 13- Despite round the clock surveillance of several key ...

Serial groper continues reign of terror

Serial groper continues reign of terror

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 13- Despite round the clock surveillance of several key areas and at least two possible suspects recently questioned, police continue to hunt for a serial groper who could now be responsible for nearly two-dozen attacks on girls and young women.

The NYPD has not yet acknowledged seven additional incidents reported since July 11, when two girls claimed they were molested as they crossed over the Eastchester Road footbridge that leads in and out of Co-Op City.

According to one published report and sources within the community, additional attacks have taken place on July 10, September 22 and 29, October 1, 18 and most recently on October 27.

A 14 year-old and an 18 year-old reported being attacked on July 10. A report in the Co-op City Times reported a 17 year-old was groped on September 22. A 16 year-old claimed she was molested on September 29 and a 13 year-old reported a stalking incident on October 18.

In the October 18 incident, Maxx Brown, 25, a security guard with the Workman's Circle Multicare Center on Grace Avenue, was aware of the sexual predator and believed he had thwarted an attack and the deviant was in custody.

Brown said he was making his rounds at 9 a.m. at Workman's Circle, across from Haffen Park, when a 13-year-old girl claimed she was being pursued by a 25-year-old man. Brown brought the crying teen inside where she called her mother and police.

Baffled when told that police stated that no arrests had been made, Brown recalled, "He (the suspect) actually saw me outside the nursing home and then inside the precinct. They (detectives) told me that when he saw me at the precinct, he confessed.”

After repeated requests an NYPD spokesman attempted to clarify, stating, "It wasn't the guy... we're not privy to the exact play-by-play, but the latest is that it's an on-going investigation and still no arrests.”

The official added, "There hasn't been any changes since the last

thing that was put out, I believe it was nine incidents that we’ve had. This is the latest that we have as far as what the investigators provide for us.”

After being denied access to investigators working the case, on Friday, October 24, this reporter visited one of the locations targeted by the suspect-- to question teens about police presence in the area.

Most of those questioned reported that they had not seen officers recently, but I'd soon realized that police had the area under surveillance and I had just walked onto the set of an undercover operation, as I was stopped by three plain clothes detectives.

A second vehicle with at least one ranking police official would watch from an unmarked car nearby.

One Co-op City resident whose 16-year-old daughter was molested on the Eastchester Road footbridge recalled, "A guy walked in front of her, grabbed her vagina and he just walked away.” 

Despite her daughter participating in a line-up to identify the individual, police have still not included that incident in the string of incidents that have now taken place in the neighborhoods of Eastchester, Edenwald and Baychester since February.

On October 23, the mother of the victim recalled, "I spoke to the detectives a little while ago and she said, 'Oh yeah, we're working on some leads, we'll know something by tomorrow.’”

If the latest incident recorded on Monday, October 27 is the same individual, he may have changed his modus operandi, by striking in the evening instead of early in the morning.

Police surrounded Seton Falls Park in the Edenwald section after a female claimed she was attacked by a black man between 25 and 30 years of age who had a full beard and an Afro.

The suspect in the latest incident was wearing black jeans, black 

boots and black gloves with the letters RDX on them. 

Officials at the NYPD could also not say if a man wanted for six

similar attacks that occurred in Baychester and Soundview during one six-hour period in November, 2011, had ever been apprehended.

Meanwhile, police in New Rochelle arrested a man back in July for several groping attacks there. Officials charged Guillermo Merino with four similar attacks in June and is now facing sex abuse and harassment charges.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Police make arrests in 2 unrelated homicides

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Police make arrests in 2 unrelated homicides: Police make arrests in 2 unrelated homicides Suspects charged in October nightclub killing By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 12- D...

Police make arrests in 2 unrelated homicides

Police make arrests in 2 unrelated homicides

Suspects charged in October nightclub killing

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 12- Detectives in the North Bronx had a busy week, quickly solving two homicides that occurred on the same day as well as charging two suspects in last month's nightclub homicide in Fordham.

Officers from the 52nd Precinct responded to a 911 call of a male shot at a house party at just after midnight on November 2, inside of 2316 Loring Place North in University Heights.

The victim was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police would later identify the victim as 19-year-old Jordany Correa of nearby Morris Avenue.

Police say a witness to the killing found a photo of the suspect on the social media website Facebook, investigators ran the photo through the NYPD's facial-recognition software and came up with the suspects name.

On November 4, detectives announced the arrest of Carlos Ramirez, 19, of Claflin Avenue. Ramirez was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

On the afternoon of November 2, police were called to the Grand Concourse Motel, located at 2327 Grand Concourse and discovered the victim, Richard Rivera, 45, stabbed several times in the torso in the building's stairway at 5:30 p.m.

Paramedics rushed Rivera to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died a short time later.

Police quickly arrested neighbor Eddie Davis, 53, who is facing

murder, manslaughter and weapons possession charges. Investigators offered no motive for the killing.

On November 3, police announced the arrest of two men, charged in the wild nightclub brawl in Fordham that left one man dead and five others wounded.

Officials said that the October 5 brawl broke out inside the Xtreme Lounge on Valentine Avenue and spilled onto the street and involved a gun, a knife and a baseball bat.

Detectives charged Zaire Bansey, 19, of Castle Hill and Peter Hajdari, 18, of Westchester Square with murder, manslaughter and weapons possession charges in the death of Dennis Rodriguez, 24, of Mott Haven.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Football Invades Yankee Stadium

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Football Invades Yankee Stadium: Football Invades Yankee Stadium (Photos by Gary Quintal) By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 10- The first of three coll...

Football Invades Yankee Stadium

Football Invades Yankee Stadium

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 10- The first of three college football games scheduled to be played in Yankee Stadium during the remaining days of 2014 took place on Saturday afternoon, November 8. The Black Knights of Army (3-6) and the University of Connecticut Huskies (2-7, 1-4) met on the gridiron at the baseball cathedral on 161^st Street. 

The first big event at Yankee Stadium since Derek Jeter’s final game in the Bronx on September 25 drew tens of thousands to the neighborhood for the weekend festivities. Both sides of River Ave. were filled with spectators watching a large contingent of West Point Cadets march from 153^rd Street to the ballpark’s entrance. As always, the 161^st Business Improvement District (161 BID) led by its executive director Cary Goodman provided a warm welcome to visitors, whether attending the game or not. Youth Ambassadors of the local organization distributed maps of the area and local restaurants and sports bars gave free souvenir footballs to its patrons. 

The 27,453 fans inside the stadium were entertained by the West Point Band and Glee Club and a demonstration by the West Point Parachute Team before the contest and heard a stirring rendition of God Bless America sung by Master Sgt. Mary Kay Messenger at the conclusion of the third quarter. They also were treated to an exciting football contest whose result was not decided until the final minute of action.

Both teams began the game with disappointing identical win/loss marks, 2-6, under their first year coaches, Bob Diaco at Connecticut and Jeff Monken at Army. Army took a 14-0 lead with two short runs after lengthy drives. Quarterback Angel Santiago began its successful game-long ground attack with a two-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter. Coach Diaco of the Huskies felt the game changed at that point, “At 14-0, the game changed. The opportunities for the opposition became too few.”

At 8:39 of the second quarter, Joe Walker ran the ball across the goal line for the Black Knights.  

Santiago only threw three passes, two completed, for Army, but had a net gain of 97 yards on 25 carries. His second touchdown was scored on a 1 yard rush in the fourth quarter. 

Walker scored a second touchdown on a two-yard rush in the third. 

The third touchdown for the Huskies with 2:08 left in the contest brought the score to 28-21. The Connecticut kicker made an on-side kick that was recovered by the Huskies on their own 48. UConn quarterback Chandler Whitmer led the drive to the Army 6. On the drive, he carried three times for a total of 43 yards himself. 

The Huskies were six yards away from tying the game when Whitmer’s last pass was intercepted by Chris Carnegie on the Army 1 and carried 99 yards for the final score of the game with 28 seconds remaining.

Army coach Monken praised the junior for his second interception of the game, “I can’t say enough for the play by Chris Carnegie. It was  a huge play for the team.”

Coach Diaco did not feel the one play was the cause for his team’s loss, “That play did not lose the game. There were too many errors on offense. We didn’t execute well enough; we didn’t play well enough.”

On November 22, college football will return to Yankee Stadium as Leigh and Lafayette will compete in their 150^th game, the longest rivalry in college football history.