By Tom Momberg
Capt. William McBride, commanding officer of the NYPD’s 111th Precinct, reviewed a summary of crime statistics in northeast Queens during the first community council meeting since the spring.
The primary concern of those at the meeting was whether the shooter responsible for two injuries at a large house party on 28th Avenue in Bayside between Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 has been identified and arrested.
Both victims have been released from the hospital, and a still from a short video of the shooting suspect has been released.
McBride said no arrests have been made, but that his precinct is closing in on the case, hoping to conclude the investigation soon.
Neighbors had described the scene of the house, rented out from the owner on Airbnb, as a riot.
“They rented out the basement for about 20 to 30 people for a birthday party. They paid $1,000 and rented it out on Airbnb for the night,” McBride said. “Needless to say, before long over 300 people showed up to the party.”
For overall crime in the precinct, which covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, Auburndale, Hollis Hills and Fresh Meadows, McBride said his officers have been making the necessary arrests.
“We’re generally in good shape. We have a 14 percent reduction in our crime index, year-to-date,” he said.
Robberies in the precinct are up 26 percent this year over the average annual rate, according to McBride.
“Most of that was from earlier on in the year,” he said. “Recently it has been flat, and we have had arrests in most of our cases.”
Assault and batteries have seen an 11 percent reduction this year, burglaries are down by 16 percent and grand larcenies are also down by 16 percent, McBride said.
The precinct captain said his officers are anticipating a spike in burglaries, which data have shown to be higher in the winter months. He is encouraging residents to keep lights on in their homes as often as possible or to install automated timers, because as it gets darker earlier, it is apparent to criminals when someone is not home.
Also, grand larcenies are down for the year, but McBride said there have recently been a number of credit-card skimming devices found on gas station pumps and ATMs in the area. His suggestion to both business owners and area residents: to look out for and report anything suspicious, such as a bulkier keypad or credit card slot, and to cover keypads with a hand when entering a Personal Identification Number, in case a camera has been installed to record it.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomb
