Eyed In Traffic A Day After Theft
A day and a half after his van was stolen, a Ridgewood man spotted the perps taking a joy ride.
When the victim came to an apartment he owns on 60th street, Jan. 5., he expected to find a green construction van. Instead he found an open window and an empty space where the van was, police records show.
Minutes later, while driving his own vehicle, the victim saw the missing van at the intersection of Metropolitan and Forest avenues, according to police.
He then followed the van to the intersection of 58th Street and Maspeth Avenue, where the van stopped, it was noted.
Police arrived to cuff Christopher Hartung, 28, of Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood and Hubert Winnicki, 23, of Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park.
The pair was charged with thirdand fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle at an arraignment last Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Upon the duo’s arrest, the responding officer recovered what he believed to be a crack pipe from Hartung’s pocket, according to a criminal complaint.
Hartung was also charged with seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance.
During the arraignment, Judge Gia Morris ordered each suspect held on $10,000 bail. Both are scheduled to appear in Queens Criminal Court on Jan. 24.
