GRAND LARCENY IN THE HEART OF CROWN HEIGHTS

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 approximately 12:25pm A Hasidic Jew from Georgia, who is in Crown Heights visiting family, parked his vehicle in front of 621 Crown Street Between Albany and Troy Avenue and went inside for under two minutes to drop something off, leaving his doors closed but unlocked. When he returned the side door of his vehicle was wide open and one of his bags containing his belongings valued at over $10.000.00 Dollars including; a laptop, four pairs of Tefillin (phylacteries), passport, checks and other valuable objects was missing. The Crown Heights Shmira was called and 911 and Shmira members were dispatched to the location.

Shmira members were on scene in under a minute and began questioning the complainant about the description of the bag and its contents. The complainant vaguely remembered seeing a suspicious male on a bike passing him by and then coming back perhaps waiting for a chance to grab the bag and go. The description of the bag and possible suspect were transmitted over the air. As Shmira members began canvassing the area looking for the perpetrator and the bag, one of the members went to a nearby building to check video surveillance footage. Police arrived and a report was made. The NYPD Evidence Collection Team came down and dusted the car for fingerprints. Two Detectives came down and questioned the victim and other possible witnesses including the buildings’ superintendent. Shmira members continued to search through all of the streets and alleyways for two hours after the call and Crown Heights Shmira is still keeping their eyes peeled. An investigation has been initiated and hopefully the perpetrator will be found with the bag and all its contents.

Urgent Alert:

Crown Heights Shmira is asking for the help of the public in locating the stolen property.

We are looking for a bag made of black cloth material. Inside the bag is a 17 inch Acer laptop model number AS7110. There are four pairs of Tefilin inside the bag as well as other valuable objects. If you see someone trying to sell these objects or if you come across a discarded bag with any belongings inside DO NOT TOUCH them since they are evidence and may have the perpetrators’ fingerprints on them. Please call Shmira and 911 right away.

Summer is here and crime is on the rise. “It was only for two minutes” is an all too familiar sentence that members of the Crown Heights Shmira hear. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because your vehicle is parked on the street in broad daylight that it is immune from vandalism or theft. Never leave you vehicle unlocked no matter where it is parked or for how long. When the car is parked remove all objects (even something with negligible value) from the vehicle. Leaving anything in the vehicle may tempt a perpetrator to shatter the window in order to retrieve that object. The Crown Heights Shmira Patrol is actively working very hard to keep the community safe. Shmira is requesting all residents of Crown Heights to please do their part in protecting themselves and others around them. Please be aware of your surroundings at all times and try not to walk alone at night.

Follow