July 2, 2014 By Christian Murray
The number of residential burglaries in Sunnyside and Woodside has come right down as thieves are now targeting commercial establishments and apartment buildings more toward Jackson Heights, according to Captain Brian Hennessy, commanding officer of the 108 Police Precinct.
The majority of burglaries—or attempted burglaries– in Sunnyside and Woodside have involved retail businesses in the past month. The number of residential burglaries in Sunnyside—which spiked toward the end of last year— has plummeted.
Two stores on Woodside Avenue (btw. 57th and 58th Streets) were broken into on two separate occasions, with one incident occurring on June 22 and the other on June 29, Hennessy said. The perpetrators in both incidents broke through glass to get into the stores and then stole cash. The incidents both happened at night.
There was one attempted break in at Key Food on Skillman Avenue, where a man tried to cut a hole in the roof to gain access without success.
Meanwhile, a food vendor on 46th Street and Greenpoint Avenue was the victim of a “deception burglary” on June 19, Hennessy said. The perpetrator pretended to be a health inspector and started riffling through the victim’s items, before taking off with his cash.
However, in terms of residential burglaries there were few.
There was one incident on June 27 when a burglar got into an apartment via a fire escape on 43rd Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets before stealing items.
There was one “domestic burglary” in Sunnyside—where a man broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and stole some of her belongs.
The only other incident was on 44 Street, between 47th and 48th Avenues—where a perpetrator broke in through the front door during the day on June 12.
Throughout the precinct—which also covers Long Island City and the edges of Jackson Heights and Maspeth, there were 26 burglaries for the past 28 days ending June 29, compared to 29 for the same time period a year earlier.
In other items, Hennessy said that the case involving Roberto Martires, who died as a result of being punched in the face on June 21 on Roosevelt Avenue, is still ongoing, although he said the police had leads. The incident was the first murder in the precinct this year.
Hennessy also debunked a published report that said that were street walkers/prostitutes working on Greenpoint Avenue between 43rd and 46th Streets.
“I have never seen a streetwalker on Greenpoint Avenue,” Hennessy said. Furthermore, he said, the only complaint about streetwalkers on Greenpoint Avenue he has heard of was made at a community precinct meeting earlier this year, which was picked up by a reporter.
He said that while the precinct monitors the Greenpoint Avenue area, “We haven’t had any undercover officers working there,” he said. “It’s not a trouble spot.”
The police tends to focus on Roosevelt Avenue by 69th Street when it comes to streetwalkers. In fact, six johns and one prostitute were arrested there last Thursday, Hennessy said.
