By Sadef Ali Kully
Two police officers from the 113th Precinct, near Rochdale Village, caught a man in an alleged lie and ended up arresting him last week in connection with an accident in Cambria Heights, according to the NYPD
Officers Jose Suriel and Angel Ramos responded to a 911 call around 7 a.m. July 27about a stolen vehicle at 120-31 Nashville Blvd. in Cambria Heights, police said.
Gary Joseph, 31, told both officers that he left his vehicle running with the keys inside and when he returned several minutes later, the car was missing.
The officers used their department-issued smartphone to run the “stolen” vehicle license plates and discovered it had been involved in an accident July 27 around 3:45 a.m., just a few blocks away at 198th Street and 122nd Avenue, police said.
Police said they were able to contact a witness to the accident who gave a description which matched Joseph’s appearance. He was taken to the police station where he ended up admitting to police that he was driving the vehicle when, in an attempt to avoid striking a cat in the road, he struck three parked vehicles and left the scene of the accident, police said.
Joseph, from Wyandanch on Long Island, was charged with falsely reporting an incident and leaving the scene of an accident, according to police officials.
Both officers credited their smartphone for allowing them to access information and quickly conduct an investigation that resulted in an arrest.
“Instead of going back to the station house, we could do the work right on scene,” Suriel said.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
