By Ivan Pereira
Several police officers who patrol the streets of southeast Queens helped to catch several burglary suspects charged with breaking into residents’ homes and received top accolades last week for their heroics.
The commanding officers of the 102nd, 103rd, 106th and 113th precincts gathered at Villa Russo’s in South Richmond Hill Sept. 28 for the monthly Queens South Cop of the Month luncheon. Each precinct presented an award to an officer who had apprehended men suspected of having just committed a robbery or were believed to be in the process of robbing or burglarizing someone.
Joe Iaboni, president of the Jamaica Rotary Club, which hosts the event, commended the men for their actions.
“Really, these men deserve a great hand,” he said.
Deputy Inspector Charles McEvoy, of the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, was the first to award his members with the Edward Byrne Award for Cop of the Month. On Aug. 18, a 911 call went out about a robbery of a deli on Liberty Avenue that involved three armed men.
Officers Jimmy Donovan and Paul Grub and Sgt. Hugh Blank were nearby and responded to the call. The officers chased the suspects to a nearby house and had them cornered inside. After calling for backup and ordering the suspects and other occupants of the building out, the officers were able apprehend the men and confiscate a gun, according to McEvoy.
“They really ended a serious situation before it snowballed out of control,” he said.
Deputy Inspector Milt Marmara, of the 113th Precinct in Jamaica, shared a similar story that took place Aug. 11 in Addisleigh Park. A girl who was living in one of the houses called the police after someone broke the back window of the home and was trying to burglarize it.
Officer Billy Clemens was in the area and was able to apprehend the suspect. Marmara said the arrest has made a big difference in the historically designated neighborhood.
“Ever since he was arrested, there have been no burglaries in the area,” the commanding officer said.
Deputy Inspector Armando DeLeon, of the 102nd Precinct, told the account of Officer Ryan Fais, who caught some suspected criminals in the Richmond Hill area Sept. 14. Fais, a U.S. Army veteran, spotted a group whom he said looked suspicious and immediately got a 911 call about a burglary where one of the suspects’ descriptions matched one of the men he saw.
“A foot pursuit then started and he chased down four individuals,” DeLeon said.
Fais was able to arrest two of the suspects, while his backup team was able to take care of the others, the commanding officer said.
Capt. Thomas Pascale, of the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park, awarded one of his officers for a quick-thinking arrest. On Sept. 5 around 3 a.m., Officer Dave Marconi noticed a man outside a garage holding a large air compressor.
“He knew it was quite strange for someone to be holding an air compressor at 3 in the morning,” Pascale said.
Marconi knocked on the door of the home as the man left. The homeowner confirmed that the air compressor was his and the suspect did not have permission to take it and Marconi arrested the suspect on the spot.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
