By Alex Davidson
Police arrested an ex-convict from Ozone Park last Thursday who allegedly impersonated a New York City Transit Authority worker in Far Rockaway and then broke into employees’ lockers from which he stole personal items and keys to subway cars, the Queens district attorney said.
Edward Brown, 21, of 120-46 132nd St., was arrested and charged by police with grand larceny, criminal possession, petit larceny, criminal impersonation and criminal trespass, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. The defendant faces up to four years in prison if convicted, the district attorney said.
He was arraigned Friday night in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Stephen Knopf, who set bail at $150,000 and told Brown to return to court Jan. 10.
“The defendant is alleged to have posed as a subway employee by wearing an NYC Transit Authority uniform and badge and to have broken into employee lockers in three separate incidents at the Mott Avenue station in Far Rockaway,” the district attorney said of the arrest, which was made by the Police Department’s Queens Robbery Squad Transit Module.
The district attorney said Brown dressed as a transit authority employee on Dec. 8, Dec. 20, and Dec. 21 at the Mott Avenue station. He said the defendant, dressed in the employee uniform with a badge, allegedly took radios, several sets of subway car keys from employees’ lockers and other work-related property.
The DA said Brown had four similar convictions for transit system-related crimes, including petit larceny on Sept. 8, 1999 in the Bronx, criminal impersonation on Aug. 25, 2000 and Dec. 12, 2000 in Queens and attempted burglary on Jan. 18, 2002 in Queens.
Police said the most recent crimes Brown is accused of carrying out took place within the confines of the 101st Precinct.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 156.
