Deputy Inspector Kevin Coleman, the commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, encouraged the public to remain vigilant as felony assaults and car thefts are on the rise within the precinct’s coverage area spanning Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village.
During the final 104th Precinct Community Council meeting before the summer break, membership and attendees met inside Martin Luther School, on 60-02 Maspeth Ave. in Maspeth on Tuesday, June 20.
Coleman first handed the precinct’s Civilian Recognition Award to the Knockdown Center’s Executive Director Tyler Myers. The art and performance space allegedly helped the 104th Precinct in the arrest of a group of repeat pickpockets, according to Coleman.
Coleman also recognized Police Officer Sean Brophy as Cop of the Month for his diligence in addressing quality-of-life issues and seizing illegal motorbikes.
As the meeting progressed, the deputy inspector noted an increase in felony assaults (25%) and grand larceny auto incidents (36%) recorded over a 28-day period. The precinct saw five more assaults and seven more grand larceny auto crimes when compared to the same time period as last year.
NYPD crime stats in June also reveal an increase in both categories between the beginning of the year and June 18, 2023.
Coleman says the precinct is “headed in the right direction” when it comes to addressing these crime increases, but he also stressed that residents should not engage or interfere with criminal activity.
“Whenever this happens — and it does happen — that person that goes to engage the perpetrator either gets assaulted, punched or something else happens and obviously it’s not worth risking it,” said Coleman. “If someone’s stealing something and you try and stop them, more than likely they’re not going to listen to you or stop. They’re going to fight back with you and so we want to avoid that.”
Coleman said there were two incidents where catalytic converter thefts almost turned deadly as one victim was held at gunpoint after confronting the group of thieves. Another resident was punched after approaching the attacker for being illegally parked at a fire hydrant, Coleman said.
Another example of retaliation by perpetrators was regarding a Facebook post showing a group of teenagers who were testing car door handles along 60th Lane and 59th Avenue, in Maspeth. The teens allegedly vandalized cars along the neighborhood after a resident yelled at the trio, all captured on a Ring camera.
Police also told residents to first file a police report instead of going to social media platforms. Lieutenant George Hellmer, special operations lieutenant for the 104th Precinct, said many incidents go unreported but make their way on social media.
“We need somebody to come and make that police report. When we do get the police reports, we follow up on every single one of them. So it’s important that 911 is called and a report is generated because we can know all these things, but we can’t charge the person unless we have a complainant saying ‘that’s my property, they’re not allowed to have it,’” said Hellmer, in response to package thefts concerns.
Toward the end of the meeting, Coleman updated the community regarding a 65-year-old woman who was hit by a driver at Metropolitan Avenue and Cooper Avenue in Middle Village on Monday, June 19. He said the elderly woman lost her leg due to the incident. An investigation remains ongoing.
As the meeting came to an end, Jon Kablack, president of the 104th Precinct Community Council, reminded attendees of the National Night Out Against Crime, in August. The next community council meeting will be held in September.
The 104th Precinct serves the neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth.
