By Tom Tracy By Tom Tracy
New traffic studies have been authorized for a neighborhood “crack-up corner” where five teenagers on their way to school were injured Friday. Officials from the city’s Department of Transpor-tation confirmed this week that they will be conducting another study at the corner of Narrows Avenue and 71st Street, where eight accidents have occurred over the last five years. It is unclear, however, if their findings would be different than previous determinations – that the trickle of cars that goes through the intersection does not meet the standards necessary to get a traffic light. That sobering fact does little to calm the parents of the five children who suffered minor injuries as their school bus fell onto its side after being struck by a minivan at the corner. Officials said that the passengers on the bus, students from Xaverian High School, were just a block away from their classrooms when the accident took place. Witnesses told responding cops that the bus driver was traveling westbound on 71st Street at 8:30 a.m. on January 12, broke for a stop sign and was rolling into the intersection when it was hit by a Chrysler minivan. Although the bus was knocked to its side, the students were able to crawl out of the vehicle, suffering only cuts, scrapes and other minor injuries. Paramedics rushed both drivers to Maimonides Hospital for treatment, officials said. As of this writing, everyone involved in the accident has been treated and released. Residents living near the intersection said that accidents along Narrows Avenue are common. A fatal car accident is just a question of time, they said. Resident Susan Piller, who lives just two homes from the corner, told reporters that cars constantly speed down Narrows Avenue. Just this past Thursday, she sent an e-mail about her traffic concerns to the Mayor’s office. She was waiting for a response when the bus accident occurred, she said. “At night it’s like a drag strip,” she explained during an impromptu press conference at the corner. “On the Narrows they drive like 50, 60 miles an hour.” “Something’s got to be done,” she said. City officials said that eight accidents have been documented near the corner of Narrows Avenue and 71st Street in the last five years. A study of the site was made two years ago, but it was determined that a traffic light wasn’t warranted. Con artists sought Cops are looking for two women who conned their way into a senior’s home, making off with $350 in cash and $500 in jewelry. The 83-year-old victim told police that the two unidentified women came to her apartment door on the 200 block of Ovington Avenue at 10:30 a.m. on January 6, asking to be let in so they could leave a note for a relative who lives down the hall. As one of the women sat down to write the note, the other reportedly wandered around the apartment, spending some time in the senior’s bathroom. The woman did not realize that she had been robbed until after the two women left, officials said. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this theft to call the 68th Precinct at (718) 439-4211. All calls will be kept confidential. Robbed at drop-off A 17-year-old was attacked and robbed of his wallet as he made a delivery to a building on the 200 block of Ovington Avenue, cops from the 68th Precinct were told. Police said that the victim entered the building at 7:30 p.m. on January 9 when he was jumped by a group of 15 males. The teens took the victim’s wallet and $75 in cash before fleeing, officials said. The teen was not seriously harmed, officials said. Two nabbed Two teenagers were arrested for robbing another youth at the corner of 79th Street and Colonial Road recently. Police said that the 16-year-old victim was passing the corner at 4 p.m. on January 9 when the two suspects grabbed him from behind. The thieves went through the victim’s pockets and ran off with his cell phone, officials said. Responding officers rounded up the two teens, identified as a 15-year-old male and 17-year-old Norris Roberts, without incident, charging them with robbery. Hospital woes A 75-year-old woman told police recently that someone stole her wallet from her room at Victory Memorial Hospital, using the credit cards to go on a shopping spree at a nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The woman said that she was being treated at the hospital, located at 699 92nd Street, on December 20 when someone stole her wallet as she was being x-rayed. She did not realize that her wallet had been taken until the next day, officials said. About a week later, she was told that someone had used her credit cards to make several purchases at the Lowe’s on 2nd Avenue, officials said. Wedgie wacko sought Cops are looking for a 23-year-old man who robbed a woman of her gold chain and MP3 player after giving her a wedgie in front of her home on the 2000 block of 64th Street, officials said. The victim said that the thief, who she knows, approached the woman at about 4:20 p.m. on January 14, placed his hand down the back of her pants and pulled up her underwear. He then ripped the chain off her neck and grabbed the MP3 player from her hands before running off. The thief was still at large as this paper went to press. Home raided Thieves forced their way into a home on the 400 block of 101st Street, taking over $2100 in property last week, officials said. Police were told that the break-in took place sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on January 4. The thieves forced their way through the front door, officials said. Items taken included a $2500 40” LCD television, a Dell laptop computer, an iPod Nano, Rolex and other expensive jewelry, officials said. Police are investigating. Five bills taken A 31-year-old man has a deep cut above his eye as a reminder of a recent Bensonhurst mugging where two thugs robbed him of $500. Police said that the victim was passing the corner of 86th Street and 20th Avenue at 3 a.m. on January 13 when two unidentified males approached, demanding his coat. The victim refused, prompting a fight, officials said. But the odds weren’t in the victim’s favor. He was knocked to the ground, punched and was left with a cut over his eye, officials said. The suspects rifled through his pockets, taking his cash, officials said. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the 62nd Precinct at (718) 236-2611. All calls will be kept confidential. Help wipe out graffiti As the ongoing war against graffiti vandals continues, cops are now offering up to $500 in reward money to anyone who can offer them information that can lead them to anyone who commits graffiti vandalism. The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti vandals. Graffiti is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police. Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners. According to police there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution. Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism is urged to contact either 311 or 911. Store raided Cops arrested two men wanted for holding up a cell phone store in Bath Beach. Police said that Rafael Matiasq and Freddy Rios were taken into custody a short time after the raid at 9 p.m. on January 13. The female victim, an employee for Bensonhurst High Mobile, Inc., located at the corner of Bay 35th Street and Cropsey Avenue, told police that the suspects allegedly pulled a gun and demanded the money from the register. The suspects ushered the employee into a back closet, officials alleged. When the victim opened the closet door while the suspects were still on the premises, the thieves pointed their guns at her, claiming that they would kill her if she bothered them, police alleged. The woman exited the closet after they left and ran to a neighboring store to call 911. Responding officers searched the area and apprehended Matiasq and Rios without incident, officials said. Ring rob A Sheepshead Bay woman was robbed of a $2,000 engagement ring Friday as she walked to her apartment building on the 2400 block of East 11th Street, officials said. The woman told police that she had just entered her building when an unidentified black male approached her from behind and put the business end of a gun to her head. The suspect robbed the woman of her handbag and ring before running off. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential. Five bills taken A 31-year-old man has a deep cut above his eye as a reminder of a recent Bensonhurst mugging where two thugs robbed him of $500. Police said that the victim was passing the corner of 86th Street and 20th Avenue at 3 a.m. on January 13 when two unidentified males approached, demanding his coat. The victim refused, prompting a fight, officials said. But the odds weren’t in the victim’s favor. He was knocked to the ground, punched and was left with a cut over his eye, officials said. The suspects rifled through his pockets, taking his cash, officials said. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the 62nd Precinct at (718) 236-2611. All calls will be kept confidential. Pole slam A simple ride through Manhattan Beach ended in a crash Thursday, cops from the 61st Precinct said. Witnesses told cops that the driver of a black sedan was traveling westbound along Oriental Boulevard near Beaumont Street at 3 p.m. on January 11 when an unidentified automobile cut him off. The motorist lost control and hit the pole, officials said. No serious injuries were reported. Mobile mavens Three men are being sought for robbing a Sheepshead Bay store. Police were told that the suspects entered the store, located at 2200 East 15th Street, just as a worker was preparing to close at 8:40 p.m. on January 10. The worker said that the suspect pulled a gun on him, forced him to the ground and robbed the place of $300 in cash and 10 cell phones. The victim was not injured. The three suspects were still at large as this paper went to press. Kung Fu caper A deliveryman for the Kung Fu Kitchen was jumped as he tried to drop off an order at a Bensonhurst apartment building last week, officials said. Police were told that the 54-year-old deliveryman had entered the lobby of the building just after 10 p.m. on January 10 when a white male between 14 and 16 years old put him in a choke hold and demanded his money. The thief went through the deliveryman’s pockets, took $200 in cash and ran off, officials said. Cops are currently looking for the thief. Thrown through window Two young teens suffered injuries after being through a window during a scuffle at an area restaurant. The teens, age 15 and 13, were arguing with another teen inside the Peking Kitchen, 7106 Bay Parkway, at 2:40 p.m. on January 12 when their opponent shoved them toward the window. The window broke and both victims suffered cuts to their face and neck. Both were taken to Lutheran Medical Center for treatment, officials said. The teen they were quarreling with ran off, officials said. Subway steal Thieves broke into the Subway restaurant, 6413 Bay Parkway Thursday night, cops from the 62nd Precinct were told. Officials said that the break-in took place sometime after the store closed at 10 p.m. on January 11. Investigators were told that thieves clipped the locks to the roll-down security gate and shattered the front glass door to get inside. The burglars ran off with the store’s cash register, which had an untold number of receipts inside when it was taken, officials said. Bad fit A woman told police this week that someone made off with her credit card as she tried on clothes at Kohl’s, 8973 Bay Parkway. The victim said that someone snaked their hand into her purse as she tested out her fashion sense inside the store at 5:10 p.m. on January 14. She didn’t realize that the card had been taken until after she had left the dressing room, officials said.
