Call to 9-1-1 nabs graffiti duo

Nearly everyone in Ozone Park knows Scott Jordan.
Not only is he active in his community and his church, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but he is also the father of Christopher Jordan, 11, selected as one of the two students who presented flowers to Pope Benedict XVI on his recent visit to New York.
Now, though, many know Scott simply as “hero.”
That’s because on in the early morning hours of Friday, August 29, he helped police to capture the notorious graffiti vandal whose “tag” - ubiquitous on walls, garage doors and store grates - reads “Sum Z.”
“He’s everywhere,” said Eric Ulrich, President of the Our Neighbors Civic Association of Ozone Park. “He’s like Ozone Park‘s most wanted. He’s targeted and hit 50 sites in Ozone Park alone. Ulrich estimates the property damage at the hands of “Sum” to be at least $10,000.
Jordan spoke with The Courier just hours after his good deed, and he explained that he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The serendipitous turn of events began last Monday, August 25, when Jordan, who has a legal service by day and a medical pick up business by night, switched shifts with his partner. Although he is supposed to work Monday nights, he wanted to take his son to Polish night at Shea Stadium, so he asked to work Thursday instead.
“It was by chance I was working at all on Thursday,” he said.
He began his second job at about 11 p.m. By exactly 4:38 a.m., he said, he was at the corner of Rockaway Boulevard and 87th Street. Parked on the street, Jordan said, was an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer, with the driver sleeping inside.
On the outside of the truck, unbeknownst to the driver, Jordan said, was “Sum” and a female, both doing graffiti.
“It [the graffiti] has been on my mind,” Jordan told The Courier. There are beautiful buildings in Ozone Park and Howard Beach that have been destroyed.”
Jordan said he observed the pair of vandals with stencils, spray paint cans and even a can of paint and a roller.
He immediately called 9-1-1, he said.
“I told the operator that there was a ‘well-known graffiti artist’ [in the act].”
Police officers showed up, and by 6:20 a.m., “Sum Z” and his female accomplice were arrested, on 88th Street and 103rd Avenue. The arresting officer was Anthony Scapicchio
Police, Jordan said, took photos of the scene and the evidence. He also gave his statement.
“You feel sorry for the ‘average Joe’ [whose property] was vandalized,” said Jordan, whose own home has been tagged. “Eleven years ago I made a home here - I truly believe we should all be involved, and if you see something, say something.”
It turns out that “Sum Z” is actually John Colasanti, 35, of Ozone Park.
He and Zolina Lindo, 22, have been charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments.
Court documents state that the defendants (Colasanti and Lindo) did “with intent to damage property of another person, and having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he or she has such right, he or she damaged property of another person.”
The damage to the tractor-trailer, according to the District Attorney’s office, “exceeds $250.”
“I think this is a major victory for Ozone Park,” said Ulrich. “Scott Jordan is a hometown hero. ‘Sum Z’ has cost the residents of Ozone Park hundreds of hours in volunteer clean-up time and thousands and thouands of dollars in damage. We hope he will be brought to justice.”
“Graffiti vandalism is a crime punishable by a jail term, monetary fine and/or community service,” according to the police. “Any person caught defacing property without the express permission of the owner will be arrested. Once considered a small problem caused by a handful of teenagers, graffiti has erupted into a nationwide epidemic costing billions of dollars each year,” the police said.
Residents with graffiti on their property should report it to 3-1-1, their local community board or civic group. Also, “Property owners or authorized representatives may submit a waiver to the city to allow authorized personnel to clean graffiti from first or second-story facades,” according to the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.
Colasanti’s next court date is scheduled for September 11. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
For his help in nabbing the notorious “Sum Z,” Jordan was honored on Tuesday, September 2, during a meeting of Our Neighborhoods Civic Association of Ozone Park.
Local civic leaders, politicians and police representatives took turns congratulating Jordan, calling him a hero. He received recognition certificates from Community Board 9, Senator Serphin Maltese and Councilmember Joseph Addabbo.
Despite the accolades, Jordan was humble about his success. “I live here too, I’m not a hero. We have to keep our houses nice,” he said.
“We are blessed to have an absolute jewel in the community like Scott [Jordan], said Addabbo.
“It’s very brave of him to do something like that,” said Grace D’Agostino, a resident of Ozone Park. “I don’t even think he knew there was a reward for him,” she said, referring to the fact that Jordan is going to receive an award, the amount of which is not known yet, for helping capture the vandals.