Police Beat

Window smashed, yet nothing taken

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At the end of a long week, some folks like to blow off steam, downing a few pints at their local watering hole. Others might opt for a quiet night in with a crime thriller and a snifter of brandy.

Then there are those who get their kicks smashing car windows.

At least one person was in the mood to do exactly that last Friday. They roamed the streets between Van Cortlandt Park and the Jerome Park Reservoir until they came upon a green 2006 Dodge Caravan parked on the 3800 block of Sedgwick Avenue and decided its back window was due for a smashing.

A 32-year-old man told cops he’d parked the minivan there around 10:30 p.m., on Feb. 23, and when he returned early the next morning, the back window was indeed broken.

Whoever broke it appears to have had no other motive than a thirst for mischief, police said, because nothing from inside the car was missing.

Cops canvassed the area to no avail, and discovered no cameras around that would’ve captured the alleged criminal mischief. 

So, at least for now, it’s case closed.

 

Door broken, perps flee

Sometimes fighting can get out of hand — even fighting amongst friends. But it’s not every day that a door becomes collateral damage.

That’s exactly what happened last Sunday, leaving the proprietor of one Marble Hill business needing a new door.

A 50-year-old man told police he saw several guys fighting in front of the GG&J Food Center at 151 West 228th St., Feb. 25, just before 3 p.m. The rowdy bunch went overboard, however, breaking the store’s door before jumping into a white Jeep Wrangler and speeding away.

Cops have little to work with tracking down the fighters, and it doesn’t help there were security cameras at the location — primarily because the owner said he doesn’t know how to work them. 

This case is closed to patrol, police said, leaving the store owner with nothing but a broken door to fix, which will cost him at least $250.

One more Vannie break-in

One car owner’s ride became yet another vehicle targeted by thieves at a time when car break-ins have become a major problem throughout the Bronx, especially in the area of Van Cortlandt Park.

The 34-year-old told cops he parked his blue 2015 Honda Civic four-door sedan on Vannie’s southern edge, at the corner of Bailey Avenue and Van Cortlandt Avenue West, at around 6 a.m., on Feb. 20, only to return at 4:30 that afternoon to find someone had broken in. He reported a number of items missing, including his Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone — valued by police at around $700 — an airbag worth a little more than $950, plus three brand-new window drapes.

The guy reportedly couldn’t provide police with the phone’s unique identification number because it was a work phone, he said, and didn’t have that information handy.

It wasn’t clear how the car was broken into, police said, but detectives are still investigating this grand larceny from an auto.

 

Plant no match for burglars

Plants are essential to human life, but they may not be the most reliable form of security.

A 32-year-old Kingsbridge resident learned that the hard way, and probably wishes he’d secured his windows instead of leaving nothing more than a plant as the only guard against would-be burglars.

He told cops he left his apartment on the 3400 block of Kingsbridge Avenue around 4:30 p.m., on Feb. 20, returning around suppertime to find one of the windows open, a house plant moved aside, and nearly $10,000 worth of precious belongings missing.

Gone were a 14-karat gold bracelet, valued by police at around $3,000; several gold and diamond earrings, valued at around $6,000; and $200 cash. Also taken was a jar filled with about $300 worth of quarters. 

Cops couldn’t say whether a fire escape might have made getting in through the window easier. In the meantime, detectives are still looking into the burglary.

Police Beat, Zak Kostro