Photo: iStock
July 13, 2011 Staff Report
Crime jumped in the Sunnyside/Woodside & LIC region in June, with the number of reported burglaries up markedly.
Sgt. David Porter said that crime across Police Precinct 108 jumped 11% in the 28-day period ending in June 26, 2011, compared to the same 28-day period a year ago. There were 90 reported crimes.
Burglary was a large factor in the increase, up 61% for the 28-day period compared to a year ago. There were 29 burglaries during the period, with the concentration of burglaries (and robberies) occurring on both the north and south side of Queens Blvd between 36th and 49th Streets.
The number of robberies jumped to 9 for the 28-day period, up from 5 a year ago. However, there were no murders (0 for the year) or rapes in the latest period.
Porter said that many of the burglaries and robberies in the area are committed by perpetrators who come in from surrounding neighborhoods or boroughs.
“Murder and rape is something we don’t have to be concerned about too in this precinct,” Porter said. “We consistently get zeros with murders and when there are rapes, it’s very rare to be stranger rape,” he said. While all rapes are viewed as being extremely serious, most rapes occur when the people involved know one another, he said.
The number or reported crimes this year has dropped 3.4% for the year to date.
The police base these statistics on the number of reported crimes that fall under the 7 major serious crimes: murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto.
In other news, a man from St. Albans was recently arrested following an incident at pawn shop on Greenpoint Ave. in Sunnyside.
Darryl Williams allegedly brought a watch to Pawn Shop, located at 46-19 Greenpoint Ave., and told an employee it was a genuine Rolex watch worth $4,000 to $5,000, the complaint said.
The shop paid $1,200 for the watch, believing it to be a real Rolex, but was later informed by a Rolex employee that the watch was a counterfeit.
Photo: QueensPost
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40 Comments
Krissi,
Thanks for the heads up 🙂
Nice to see people fighting back.
drbey2003
“VK….Sorry to read you were robbed. I live in your building and the super told me the same thing when I moved in several years ago. I never listened and locked my window…he’s a sheisty dude. Management totally needs to get rid of him. When a police officer came to my door to ask if I had heard anything, he told me not to give my keys to super and to make sure my windows were locked. He also told me he’s been to the building three times in the month of June and all the burglaries were similar; no obvious forced signs of entry. So lesson learned…I changed my locks after the last burglary…and if J the super needs to do work (which he never does) he can do it when I’m home because he’s not getting my keys.”
Be sure to check your lease regarding keys. Admittedly, I work on high end rental buildings but in my leases tenants are not allowed to change locks as we have a master key and need access to all units in case of emergency.
But at least we dont ask people to unlock windows!!!
Just letting you know 🙂
Good response from Krissi! I was also told that, one would have to prove that security cameras “would have prevented the crime”. Of course, you can’t prove a negative.
VK –
I work in building management (in Manhattan) and can help you out:
– They did not alert tenants regarding the burglary that took place earlier and people like me who listened to the Super (who represented the management) couldn’t take precautions like locking my window and thus got robbed because of that.
Although I personally do it when I have problems in my buildings, there is no legal reason for a building to inform other units of burglaries or criminal problems in buildings. The fact that the super asked you to keep your window unlocked however is ridiculous, and you might have a case based on that.
– The day I entered the apartment after work I noticed the main door was open and somebody had taped it to the floor so that it couldn’t close.
Unless it was like that for more than a few hours, it is unlikely that management can be held accountable for that.
– Unauthorized people deliver restaurant flyers to our houses. They clearly should not be allowed to reach the front doors of our apartments.
Even doormen buildings have this problem. You can’t hold them accountable for this legally, because this is trespassing on the owner’s property. And if a door is left ajar and the person walks in, that is fault of the tenants and not of the management. The person is trespassing, and you can’t hold management responsible for that someone is trespassing on their (well, the owner’s) land. I had this problem in one of my buildings, and I had to send out letters to my tenants reinstating how unsafe it is to hold doors open for people they dont know and allow them in and to make sure the main door is closed as they enter and leave. We can bug the tenants to act safely, but unfortunately your neighbors are a better indicator of building safety than building management is. There’s only so much we can do.
-I asked the same questions to the building management and they haven’t answered any of these questions yet and only seem to be avoiding me now. Is there anything I could do to teach these guys a lesson?
They are probably in touch with their lawyers. That being said, I don’t see how you really have a case here on most of these points. The only concern I would have would be with the super. I would expect management to fire him. I can’t believe he doesn’t have copies of keys or a master key for the building and instead asks ppl to “leave windows open”. It honestly sounds like an inside job to me. If one of my supers asked that, his butt would be on the street so quick!
You might have to prove that “if certain precautions had been taken, you would not have been robbed . . or had you know of prior robberies, you would have done certain things” you might have a case against the managing agents/owners. You could also start a tenants’ association.
Get legal counsel.
All,
I have a few questions to ask. I feel the management is responsible for the burglary in my house. And honestly I feel like they need to be taught a lesson. And here are a few reasons why:
– They did not alert tenants regarding the burglary that took place earlier and people like me who listened to the Super (who represented the management) couldn’t take precautions like locking my window and thus got robbed because of that.
– The day I entered the apartment after work I noticed the main door was open and somebody had taped it to the floor so that it couldn’t close.
– Unauthorized people deliver restaurant flyers to our houses. They clearly should not be allowed to reach the front doors of our apartments.
I asked the same questions to the building management and they haven’t answered any of these questions yet and only seem to be avoiding me now. Is there anything I could do to teach these guys a lesson?
Holier than thou, there is nothing funny about being a crime victim. Ask any of the people here who have been robbed. It is disgusting to realize that people have been in your house, gone through your drawers and tracked their DNA through your house. Nothing to laugh about. It is up there with being violated. For months my children slept with baseball bats in their beds after we had been robbed.
Racquel, you so RIGHTEOUS! You’re not into levity I see.
The building right next to the post office has bunch of cameras covering all angles. But the one across from it does not. I was planning to put one in front of my house which is attached. Does anyone know what is the law on putting cameras on the building? Since it is a private property (and almost all houses in Sunnyside have private entry or a tiny patio) I assume it would be OK to record what is going on there.
The people I hate to see inside my property are the menu & circular distributors (they may be there checking if the door is unlocked, etc, you never know) and the recycle bottle collectors. Having a camera would also allow you to detect if anyone is staking out the place or just standing and looking at your place trying to spot an entry location.
The best way is to get those fire exit gates. Easy to install and super effective.
Hi Raquel,
The Sunnyside Post was the first to report on the death of Edison Vera and posted a number of stories about the incident. The guy who did it tried to kill witnesses that saw the murder…etc. it was quite a saga.
Go to the search function and type in:
Edison Vera
I also started researching The Queens Crapper (yes, that is a great name) and they mention the murder of one Edison Vera on 48th Street in 2009. I have the impression (and I am reading the post very quickly) that he was dealing drugs. The building with the four murders is the big yellowish looking building next to the Post Office. If the super is from way back then, he should remember it.
It was about 19 years ago and it was in the big building right next to the Post Office. I think it was in 1992. One of the victims managed to stagger onto Queens Boulevard. I don’t think he survived. When I heard the address on the radio, I almost fell over.
The moral of this thread: See something, say something!
@Raquel Wow I didn’t know four people were murdered in Sunnyside years ago — do you have a link to a news story about this, details, date, etc?
i dont get how no one sees someone climbing a fire escape… are they located on the back-side of the building?
my fire escape somewhat faces greenpoint and i would hope that, someone would be able to spot this happening.
thats maad suspect
I would be wary of the crew that lives on 46th Street between Skillman and 39th Avenue.
I had no idea kids in Sunnyside Gardens were known for burglarizing their neighbors. Hmm. Phipps has also had at least one robbery lately. And it sounds as if they entered by the window. Does anyone know if any of the victims had a dog? I have a dog and hope he would frighten off anyone. But, then, they would only get practice by robbing me. All my stuff is old.
The building near the Sunnyside Post office has a history of incidents – many years ago four people – I believe they were all from Vietnam – were shot to death and the police found traces of heroine in the apartment. Obviously, the landlord did not do a “background” check on the renters. As for Second Amendment Rights, we don’t have them in Bloomberg’s NYC.
Pity that very few law-abiding citizens in this town are able to exercise their second amendment rights. If every now and then a burglar got blown away by someone defending their home, property and family, the dirtbags might think twice.
Watch out for people fencing stolen items.
Even if you have security cameras, the miscreants know to wear ski masks.
VK, I agree with you. As a courtesy, the building should have alerted the tenants of the burglary. I mean, how hard is it to slip a note underneath everyone’s door? It’s not like you’re asking them to install barbed wire and lasers.
@Everybody – I have lived for the past few years in upstate NY and I never had a problem with such things in the places that I have lived. And from this burglary I do realize that I can’t trust people like Mr. J in our building and need to be more careful from now on.
Raquel – I have learned my lesson, I make sure everything is locked before I leave my place from now on.
Lily – It’s not managed by Vantage, Its mismanaged by PinnacleNY; at least they are whom I signed the lease with. I feel they are responsible for the burglary by not alerting the tenants regarding the previous burglary and it shows how much they care about the safety of tenants and their belongings.
Thanks, drbey2003. Not that it’s relevant, but I was just curious.
Lily,
It’s not a Vantage building. It’s a Pinnacle properties building.
Just curious, VK, was it a Vantage building?
VK – do not leave a window open even if you are on a high floor. It used to be believed that only people on the ground floor were robbed – not true. One year, my apartment and a neighbor’s on the same floor were robbed at the same time and the fire escape faced the street where people could see.
Holier than Thou – you are such a jerk! Why don’t you go to the 108th Police Precinct meetings and clean the junk out of you ears, park your big ass down and listen? The 108th knows all about the well to do Sunnyside Gardens kids who are pulling robberies. They are big on robbing their friends and neighbors, giving new meaning to the words “inside job”. I guess they need bigger allowances. The 108th knows exactly about whom I write. Enough said. Being a crime victim is tantamount to being violated. I guess Holier than Thou, you are down with that! Now go do some propaganda for your pal, Crowley! But then again, since he does not live here, why would he care about the rash of burglaries?
VK….Sorry to read you were robbed. I live in your building and the super told me the same thing when I moved in several years ago. I never listened and locked my window…he’s a sheisty dude. Management totally needs to get rid of him. When a police officer came to my door to ask if I had heard anything, he told me not to give my keys to super and to make sure my windows were locked. He also told me he’s been to the building three times in the month of June and all the burglaries were similar; no obvious forced signs of entry. So lesson learned…I changed my locks after the last burglary…and if J the super needs to do work (which he never does) he can do it when I’m home because he’s not getting my keys.
Dear vk years ago when a super needed to do work in your apt when you were not home. you left a key for him to get in not an open window for anyone to get in.
sorry for annoying you. just my opinion.
At my building we’ve had two burglaries this year with that same MO – they come in through an unlocked or open window on the fire escape.
The super telling you to leave the window unlocked is suspicious – don’t they have keys to the apartments? Even then I don’t trust them – too many times they just enter your apartment without ever notifying you in advance or after – which should be illegal. I changed one of the locks on my door because of this.
Sorry to hear you were robbed.
Raquel’s version of the Post’s Just Asking…or is it a Jeopardy answer? Who are the Crowleys? No, wait. He lives in Virginia.
Yikes, VK. Almost sounds like an inside job.
Doing what for kicks?
I was one of the victims of those burglaries. I live in an apartment near the 44th street near the USPS office. I believe the burglars entered through my window which was not locked and stole two laptops and a cellphone from my apartment.
And what pissed me off more was the fact that I was not informed by the building management a burglary that took place in the apartment a week back. The reason I left my window unlocked was because the super had instructed me to do so when I started living in the apartment as it would be easy for him to enter the apartment in case of emergencies.
Well said, HY1.
Raquel, you may want to elaborate on that a bit more, especially when you say “trust me on this”. If you know anything why don’t you report it.
A little bit more information would be great. What kind of burglaries where day? Commercial or Residential, also how were they performed? Armed or at night, via doors, windows, break-in etc? It would help sunnyside residents and business owners prepare better and watch out for potential problems that may result in getting broken-in.
About the Pawn Shop incident, I say good riddance, I hope they close shop and move away from our neighborhood. I guess the owner/worker was really an idiot to assume a Rolex was fake. If they cannot confirm, why buy it in the first place? He probably thought he was ripping off an unsuspecting pawner but got “pwned” himself..
Trust me on this: some of our locals are involved in this and they have families that have money. They are doing this for kicks.