One of 14 cars by and under the LIRR overpass spotted with shattered windows. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
Oct. 18, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
More than a dozen vehicles on 43rd Street had their windows smashed and interior rummaged through seemingly overnight, the Sunnyside Post has learned.
At least 14 vehicles, parked under the LIRR overpass on 43rd Street between 37th and Barnett Avenues, were found this morning with their front passenger side windows broken in. The bulk of the cars were on the west side of the street, with three cars observed on the east side.
The vehicles appear to have been foraged through, with papers and other common glove box items seen thrown around.
An opened glove box and strewn materials in one of the affected cars. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
It is unclear when the break-ins happened and if it was committed by a single person or a group.
While the sheer number of cars with broken windows have alarmed many, it’s not the first time such an incident has happened under the overpass.
Margot Garnick, a Sunnyside resident for the past five and a half years, noticed the smashed-in cars at around 8 a.m. while walking her dog, and shared a list of the vandalized cars and their descriptions on social media.
Garnick has seen cars along this strip broken into in the past, but never in such numbers.
Garnick said she’s tried calling police about it in the past, which hasn’t resulted in much, since there was no crime actively being committed by the time the shattered windows were spotted.
Zubin Soleimany, who has lived in the neighborhood for nine years, was walking down 43rd Street when he stopped—stunned—to see yet another window-smashing had taken place.
“It’s not uncommon that you’re here or on Barnett [Avenue] that you might see broken glass,” he said.
He said it happened to his sister-in-law’s car, too, in the past.
It is unclear if police are aware of the current round of car window-smashing at the spot. An NYPD spokesperson could not immediately confirm if calls were put in recently about window breaking or theft, and noted that it depends on whether the victims filed police reports.
Garnick said police should take more action to secure the relatively remote underpass section.
“I wish that the police put security cameras or something,” she said. “I report it in the past and it never seems to be taken seriously. Clearly, it’s a problem.”
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46 Comments
And wait until the city builds the new middle school in sunnyside on 48th St, when you’ll have all these teenaged thugs coming into the cozy enclave of the sunnyside gardens running wild and going into the new park which JVB secure $3 million to purchase, running through the alleyways, peaking into our homes while we are at work, bring gang graffiti, and more thugs into the neighborhood… anyone remember the term Wilding?. So happy to see all this progress coming to Sunnyside Gardens.
OMG. You sound as if you’ve really gone off the deep end. Are you really so afraid of children? I taught at a high school in LIC and a middle school in Harlem and the kids there in no way behaved as you describe. Fortunately, your opinion isn’t shared by most of us who live in Sunnyside- you should consider moving to an adults-only community where kids aren’t allowed. although I imagine you’d find plenty there to fear and/or complain about.
i am embarrassed to live in the same neighborhood as you.
Nobody who lives in the Gardens refers to it as a “cosy enclave” my CONCERNED friend. Doubt you even own a home. But nice try troll. Got nothing better to do than to be a sh*t stirrer?
Amazing. I thought it was bad when people blamed bike lanes for an illegally parked car blocking a fire truck. Now we’ve got people blaming bike lanes for criminals smashing windows.
Does it ever become the fault of the person who broke the law?
It has been a reoccruing problem and for sure some security measures should be put in place. However it’s an excellent opportunity to point out that having a car is an expensive dirty dangerous liability. Car drivers stink up every place they go with foul smelling emissions. So gross. Not to mention expensive and deadly. Get a clue. You would have been retired already if you weren’t so foolish. Worth noting that daily exercise is necessary. Doesn’t make sense to spend an hour a day in your car and come home to fo jogging in circles while you wear a face mask in an effort to filter the nasty pollution coming from foolish car operators everywhere.
You really are an unrepentant asshole.
The daily moral from Immoral.
Reoccurring you gentrified imbecile. Let me see you jog to long island. Its people like you who are ruining queens. Who invited you dweebs anyway. Go to amsterdam where your hippy type is welcome.
If we are talking about the same bus, it’s a bus used for returnable bottles/cans operations. I’ve had to park really late there several times and I’ve witnessed (jobless?) folks with shopping carts loading cans and bottles onto the bus. No whores soliciting. I bet they witnessed something that night though and the 108th hasn’t bothered to question them. Fake/owl cameras and bright lights would put an end to it. Then just when you think problem is gone, some drunk sidewipes your car!
The grocery stores have bottle recycling machines, so no need to have a mobile bus for that purpose.
That strip has been like that since I was a child in the 60’s. Amtrak and the city need to step up already.
You still are.
Gerry-atric is so old everyone looks like a child to them
This is what happens when a ton of homeless hotels open up in the neighborhood. Vagrants attract crime. Before you know it this neighborhood will turn into a homeless tent city. Some locals need to stop wasting their energy on non-issues like “gentrification” or bike lanes. I’d rather have some hipsters in the area than crackheads.
I’ve been voicing these same concerns fore the past two years for us on the South Side of Queens Blvd in LIC this is daily – we are inundated with undesirables — thanks to Jimmy Van Barmer who did not stand up for us on this side of the Blvd – several hotels housing homeless and more to come with the newest a 14 story hotel next to the YMCA on Northern Blvd on 33rd Street.
Betcha parts of the Sunnyside Yard development will become a homeless tent city, and the Queensbridge area will be leveled and relocated to the Yard to make way for luxury high risers.
Gardens Watcher – you are probably correct, they will build new housing in the Yards, transfer the NYCHA tenants to the new housing and teardown the projects which are beyond repair, lead paint, rusty lead pipes, leaking roofs, urine stenched hallways and staircases, broken doors, broken elevators roach and rodent infested and replace them with highrise luxury apartments along the East River. Either they will be moved or displaced. Drainage already in place in the yards
I’m not advocating this idea, but sounds like something the Mayor and his developers would dream up. Of course he’ll be long gone so it will fall on the next administration to implement . And the next generation to pay for it and to live through the endless construction. So much for fresh air Immoral Society.
Did you see the guy occupying the space under 7 train by 48th street.
How is that tolerated?
The same way your presence is tolerated.
Get Off my Lawn!!!!!
This area is on the border of 108th precinct and 114th precinct. Neither one feels any sense of responsibility for it. My window was smashed and it took 4 hours for the 114th to arrive to take the report. When they did, they promptly did their best to say it was in the 108th. I pulled my phone out and showed them the map.
the 108th is a joke. a group of teens have been vandalizing, walking/jumping on cars for months and they have done nothing.
It’s becoming lawless along this street. As well as the smashed up cars, there is a converted school bus with people living in it (generator running outside on the street) and several vehicles without registration plates.
So that’s what’s up with that bus! Should have realized.
I have seen hookers working in the the parked cars along 39th Avenue near 43rd Street at various times day and night for years. Wonder if the bus is a mobile hotel room?
contact Mr. JVB about this — he should be aware of what is going on –
That must be the joke of the day.
Fake News . I’ve lived in Sunnyside for over 30 years not once have I ever seen a hooker on 43rd st . As far as the windows drunk kids would be my guess .
I said on 39th Ave. near 43rd St. and up to 44th St., across from the garages. They are in parked cars not standing on the street corners.
You must be the #1 Costumer . That’s the only way you would know that they are hookers
are the thieves are trying to steal car stereos and cassette players? or just smashing anything?
They were looking for chaaaange
Amtrak should do more to keep that area well lit and keep that area more secure with security cameras. Not only for the safety of the neighborhood but for the security of their own train tracks.
If they are taking their orders from city hall, the cops may have moved auto crimes into the “deal with it yourself carbon addict” category. Anything to help the war on cars, excuse me “road diet.”
Police are questioning the pigeons who witnessed the smashing
No police presence even when I 311 to complain about all the sunnyside yard workers using vests to park on the sidewalk. Will they do anything about this? Prob not, but JVB does live around there…
Collateral damage from the grand redesign of Skillman and 43rd Avenues. With fewer parking spaces, folks have to take risks to park in areas with histories of break-ins.
Agreed, bike lanes obviously forced criminals to smash car windows.
You make a great point: these unsafe parking spots should be replaced with bike lanes.
You missed the point. That area always has been risky, and is the spot of last resort, especially dangerous late at night.
Maybe if it was your bike that was vandalized you might have some empathy and havesomething less snarky to say.
Eliminate on the street parking and establish parking lots that are monitored and that pay taxes. More bike lanes and fewer cars on our streets equals less crime and additional tax revenue. Remember it’s a minority of people who own cars and they take up way too much room in our community. Take back our streets!
Not so SuperWitty: you’ve just become suspect #1 for the break ins
You’re early. The next anti-bike lane article isn’t going to published until next week, right around the time of the CB2 full board meeting.
Are you saying people didn’t park there before the bike lanes went in? Because I’ve been walking through there at night a couple of times a week for years, and that hasn’t been my experience.
This is a BIGGER problem than most people think. I have had guests have their car broken into, as well as mine, on this strip. Something needs to be done, it’s just not right. But don’t worry, we have bike lanes now, so maybe that will fix problems like this…