Flashed Gun To Steal Devices In Ridgewood
Detectives slapped the cuffs on a Ridgewood teenager last Wednesday, May 14, who allegedly pretended to be a police officer while stealing cell phones from a neighborhood man at gunpoint, police reported.
Law enforcement sources identified the perpetrator as 18-yearold Daniel J. Hernandez of Forest Avenue.
According to information provided by the Queens District Attorney’s office, the armed robbery occurred at about 11:40 p.m. on May 2 in front of a location on Putnam Avenue near Fairview Avenue.
Hernandez reportedly went to meet with the victim, whom he contacted previously about purchasing three cell phones.
Upon arriving at the location, authorities stated, the victim handed the phones to Hernandez, who then identified himself as a police officer.
When the victim demanded to see his badge, police noted, the suspect allegedly lifted his shirt and displayed a black firearm in his waistband.
Hernandez reportedly fled from the scene with the phones. The theft was later reported to the 104th Precinct.
Following an investigation by the NYPD Internal Affairs Division, Hernandez was picked up last Wednesday on charges of seconddegree armed robbery, first- and third-degree robbery and first- and second degree criminal impersonation.
According to court records, he was arraigned last Thursday, May 15, in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Ernest Hart, who ordered Hernandez held on $25,000 bail. The suspect is scheduled to return to court on May 29.
