By Nathan Duke
Criminal activity in the precinct, which covers Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village, fell nearly 12 percent from the previous year with dramatic drops in all seven crime categories Ð murder, rape, robbery, felonious assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto. The number of murders in the precinct dipped from nine in 2004 to two in 2005.But the precinct reported three murders in 2006, a slight increase from the previous year, and the number of rapes rose in the region from 17 incidents in 2005 to 28 incidents in 2006, police said.The precinct's first 2006 murder was also the first homicide reported citywide, police said. Carlos Cintron, 17, of Glendale, was stabbed to death around 1:38 a.m. near the corner of Cooper Avenue and 64th Place in Glendale Jan. 1 after he attempted to break up a fight between two friends, police said. John Montanez, 20, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, murder, criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence Dec. 6 in the stabbing, a spokesman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.Cintron, Montanez and others had been drinking moments before the stabbing, police said. Montanez was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Jan. 8, a DA spokesman said. The precinct's second murder of the year took place on Aug. 9 when Ridgewood correction officer Norberto Irizarry, 37, is believed to have fatally shot his wife, Marilyn Zeh, 32, and then himself during an argument in their home at 5-59 Fairview Ave. in Ridgewood, police said. The couple's children, ages 5 and 10, were found unharmed in the building, police said. Christopher James, 32, of Brooklyn, was killed on Dec. 29 in the precinct's third murder, police said. James entered Ridgewood's Western Beef supermarket on Metropolitan Avenue just before 9:30 a.m. and told employees that he had been shot in the torso by a person whom he did not recognize outside the store. The died later that evening, police said.No arrests have been made in the shooting, which was still under investigation, police said.The number of burglaries in the precinct also rose to 524 incidents in 2006 from 517 incidents in 2005 and grand larceny auto increased to 457 during the past year from 440 incidents in 2005, police said.But the number of robberies in the precinct declined during 2006, dropping to 310 incidents from 311 incidents in 2005, police said. The number of felonious assaults in the precinct also declined from 169 incidents in 2005 to 142 incidents in 2006, while grand larceny incidents fell from 551 in 2005 to 515 in 2006, police said.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
