Crime Watch 08.10.23

Shoplifter Bites Toy Store Employee’s Hand

A 48-year-old female employee of the Learning Express Toys store at 1071 Third Ave. at East 63rd St. said that at 2:25 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, a 35-year-old man entered the location and selected a B4 Adventure Jumbo game set. The man then headed toward the store’s exit, attempting to leave without paying for the merchandise. A 24-year-old female employee tried to retrieve the item from the suspect when he bit her in the hand. The suspect then fled the location with the game valued at $99.99, heading northbound on Third Ave. and westbound on East 64th St. The 24-year-old employee sustained a minor laceration to her left hand.

Senior Loses $81,000 in Phone Scam

A 70-year-old man living on East 64th St. told police that during the period between 2:07 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, and 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, August 2, he received multiple phone calls from someone at the number 512-680-8601. The caller claimed that he worked for American Express and instructed the senior to “buy me gift cards to pay off your bank card.” Unfortunately, the senior complied and wound up giving the suspect 81 gift cards totaling $81,000 before he discovered that he had been scammed.

Italian Restaurant Broken Into

According to police, at 3:10 a.m. on Friday, July 28, officers responded to a report, arriving on scene at the L’Osteria restaurant at 1219 Lexington Ave. between East 82nd St and East 83rd St. There they discovered that security bars on a window had been bent and the window opened, showing signs of entry. Inside the officers found that the establishment’s cash register had been pulled out of a wall and opened. A 29-year-old male L’Osteria employee confirmed that $200 cash was missing from the register.

Youth Busted on Weapons Charge

Police stated that at 6:54 p.m. on Friday, July 28, an officer observed a 19-year-old man at the southwest corner of Third Ave. and East 96th St. holding an open container of alcohol in his left hand. The suspect then revealed that he was concealing a blade on his person “to get from Point A to Point B because I don’t want anyone stealing my chain.” The suspect was arrested, and knives were recovered from his front hoodie pocket and right pants pocket. Jamir Bryant was charged with criminal possession of a weapon.

Police Nab Mailbox Fishing Gang

At 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25, a police officer monitoring security cameras saw a gray 2005 Honda Odyssey van with New Jersey commercial platesXJWL30 parked next to two USPS mailboxes at the southeast corner of Madison Ave. and East 68th St. Three men then got out of the van, placed magnetic devices on top of the mailboxes and inserted a long device into one of the boxes to remove mail. A fourth suspect remained inside the van. Police arrived on the scene and stopped the van as it was heading eastbound on East 68th St. The officers saw mailbox fishing tools inside the van and arrested Jonathan Carbuccia, Juan Carbuccia, Manual Perez and Joadin Espinal, charging them with grand larceny.