By Joe Anuta
Civic activists from the borderland between Maspeth and Elmhurst warned the community last week about a string of burglaries and robberies that occurred in the area.
Rosemary Daraio, president of Citizens of Elmhurst and Maspeth Together, a watchdog civic organization, sent out a list via e-mail of four robberies that occurred across two police precincts.
“The community needs to know,” she said. “I can’t afford to have people in my community mugged.”
The first three incidents took place in the 108th Precinct, according to Daraio, who got the information from the NYPD.
On July 7, Two men entered a business near Queens Boulevard and 65th Place at around 4 a.m., she said. The men punched the worker in the face and stole $4,000, according to Daraio.
Less than a week later a similar burglary occurred about five blocks away.
Two men entered another business near intersection of Maurice and Tyler avenue sat around 6:50 p.m. and socked a worker in the face, then fled with an unknown amount of cash, according to Daraio.
On July 16, two men hit a 16-year-old in the face near the corner of 69th Place and Calamus Avenue around 10 p.m. and then stole his iPhone.
In the 104th Precinct July 25, two men struck a man in the face near the corner of 86th Street and 60th Avenue at 11 p.m. and stole his iPhone.
Daraio believes the robberies are connected, since in each case the suspects, who were described as two black men, punched the victims in the face before taking valuables.
In the last case, the two men were seen getting into a blue Honda Civic.
“We had similar robberies going on,” she said. “It was a similar [modus operandi].”
But the NYPD did not release a robbery pattern notice nor comment on Daraio’s assessment.
Daraio lives on the border of three precincts — the 104th, the 108th and the 110th — which she said forces her civic to be extra vigilant about crime since the different factions of the NYPD might not always communicate with each other.
Daraio keeps a close watch on crime and often receives information about crimes that the NYPD is hesitant to give to other organizations.
“I have three precincts working for us instead of one,” she said. “We just have to work a little harder to have a rapport with all three.”
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
