By Nathan Duke
Bell Boulevard business owners say they are very worried after a Rite Aid pharmacy chain store on the commercial strip was burglarized last weekend following the robbery of a neighborhood Radio Shack just two weeks before.
The burglars forced open the back door of the Rite Aid store, which is located on Bell Boulevard near Northern Boulevard, Sunday night and stole an estimated $20,000 from the safe, police sources said. No employees were in the store at the time of the robbery.
Business owners on Bell Boulevard are concerned that both a burglary and a robbery had taken place in Bayside’s commercial district within the past few weeks. The street typically is very low on crime.
On Oct. 26, a man robbed a Radio Shack on Bell Boulevard, making off with several hundred dollars worth of merchandise.
“This is two in a row in less than a month,” said Chris Axamidis, owner of Bell Boulevard’s Gold Star Diner. “That’s bad for Bayside. The Police Department will have to come up with more foot patrol to give residents in the area a sense of security. Bayside has been voted one of the 10 best neighborhoods in the country.”
Mike Kormusis, manager of Bell Bay Florist, said Rite Aid’s parking lot should be better lit.
“It’s definitely a concern,” he said of the recent crimes on the street. “Most parking lots have lights, but theirs is pitch black at night. A preventative measure should be to put some lights up.”
A Rite Aid spokeswoman said video surveillance tapes at the store had been handed over to police and that the company does not comment on robberies.
City Councilman-elect Dan Halloran, an attorney who previously worked for the police, said he was “alarmed” by the incidents.
“While I know the 111th Precinct does a top-notch job, I plan on meeting with the precinct commander this week,” he said. “It is important our police have the tools they need to keep us safe.”
No arrests have been made in the burglary and police are still searching for the suspect in the Radio Shack robbery, who has been described as a 6-foot-tall Hispanic male in his late 20s.
In that incident, the robber approached the store’s manager, displayed a gun and a box cutter and warned him not to call the police, a source familiar with the incident said. The suspect, who was caught on video camera, then placed an estimated $400 worth of Blue Tube headsets in a bag.
To report any information on the incidents, contact the precinct at 718-279-5200 or call the city’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
