Police are asking the public’s help in identifying two people sought in connection with some seemingly unrelated, car-related crimes in which the drivers were targeted in both Spuyten Duyvil and Norwood.

 

According to the NYPD, the latest incident was reported inside a public parking garage located at 2600 Netherland Avenue in Spuyten Duyvil at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 18.

 

A police spokesperson told Norwood News, “A 30-year-old female was approached by an unknown individual as she was exiting her vehicle. The unidentified individual displayed a firearm and demanded the victim’s vehicle and purse. The individual fled the location in the victim’s vehicle with her purse.” The spokesperson added that the vehicle was recovered a short time later “unoccupied.”

 

Police released two photos and a surveillance video of the suspect, seemingly a tall, dark-skinned male wearing a ski mask and sunglasses. He was seen wearing blue jeans, a white, hooded sweatshirt with an image of a lobster on the front, and white sneakers.

 

During a visit to the Spuyten Duyvil garage on Sunday, May 25, two entrances to the garage were seen open and no attendant was seen at the entrance. A sign inside the garage advised patrons that it was under video surveillance 24 hours a day.

We asked a passing male resident if crime was a problem in the area. He replied, “It’s relatively safe, except maybe for the cars going too fast; that’s about it.”

 

Asked if police patrolled the area, the resident said, “I’ve never seen the police but it’s a relatively safe area. Jewish people are very kind and friendly and this is a predominantly Jewish area. I’m Christian, but I can say that about my Jewish brothers and sisters.”

 

The garage is operated by the Century Parking Corporation and charges drivers $375 plus tax each month to park a vehicle there. A call to Century Parking Corporation on Tuesday, May 27, rang for several minutes without anyone picking up.

 

Meanwhile, as reported, police in Norwood are looking for a man they say attempted to steal a female driver’s purse at 7.40 a.m. on Friday, May 2, opposite the Citgo Gas Station at 3290 Webster Avenue.

 

A police spokesperson said, “A 68-year-old female was parked… when she was approached by an unidentified individual. The individual threw a rock that broke the driver’s side window, then opened the car door, and removed her purse.”

 

The spokesperson added, “A physical altercation ensued, and the victim was able to retrieve her purse. No personal property was removed, and the individual fled the location on foot, traveling northbound on Webster Avenue. There were no injuries reported as a result of this incident.”

 

Police released a photo and a surveillance video of the suspect, who is described as a male with a dark complexion wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt and purple vest.

 

We later spoke to a man who was gassing up his vehicle at the Citgo Station who said, “Every day I see broken car windows along Webster Avenue.” Asked if police patrolled the area, he said, “The police don’t do anything. They come but by the time they do, it’s too late. They never catch them. They come but they never check the cameras.” We’ve asked the NYPD for comment and will share any updates we receive.

On May 8, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz was joined by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch as they announced that 20 people had been arrested in a citywide auto theft ring who stole at least 126 vehicles and netting the group $4.7 million, 44 of the vehicles were purchased by investigators during the Queens District Attorney’s 3-year investigation dubbed “Operation Hellcat.”

 

Katz said of the arrests. “This is one of the most prolific and organized auto theft rings we have ever uncovered in New York City.” Officials say ten of the vehicles were stolen from The Bronx.

 

Tisch added, “These criminals stole hundreds of vehicles, trafficking them across state lines and exploiting technology to bypass security.” She added, “The NYPD will not tolerate those who target our communities and will use every resource to hold them accountable.”

 

According to the Queens district attorney, three of the suspects: Jennifer Nunez-Jimenez, 26, of Macombs Road; Angel Castillo, 23, of Elliott Place and Kevin Ochoa, 25, of Benedict Avenue were all charged with enterprise corruption, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and conspiracy and face up to 25-years in prison.

 

At a prior Citizens Crime Commission of New York City breakfast forum held in Midtown Manhattan on April 15, seemingly in reference to the Office of the Bronx District Attorney, The NY Post had reported Tisch as saying about car theft, “Auto theft is a felony – so it needs to be charged as a felony. And when you don’t charge appropriately… you end up leading the city in stolen cars by a wide margin.”

 

We asked the Bronx district attorney for a comment on the commissioner’s remarks at the time and we received the following statement. “We have a productive partnership with NYPD Auto Crime to address auto crime and vehicle theft, which has resulted in several long-term investigations of car theft crews and organized theft rings. This approach allows us to interrupt the patterns of these crimes and prosecute vigorously.”

It continued, “There is a difference between what the police charge at arrest and what we can prove in court. Charging decisions are made with the utmost integrity and we do not charge unless we have the evidence. Given that The Bronx is a hub for the sale of cars stolen from other jurisdictions, we will continue our stepped-up efforts to address auto crimes and hold people accountable for them.”

 

As reported, the police launched the Apple AirTags pilot program in The Bronx in April 2023. We did not receive an immediate response but will share any feedback we receive.

 

As reported, AirTags are small, Bluetooth-enabled devices that can be attached to items, including vehicles, and tracked using the “Find My” app on Apple devices. The NYPD also uses global positioning [tracking] technology. A “Star Chase” vehicle mounted GPS launcher, for example, deploys a GPS tracking tag onto a suspect’s vehicle.

 

Once the GPS tag sticks to the vehicle, it communicates positional data to the CoreView mapping platform in real time. “Law enforcement can then plan and coordinate an informed tactical response to make a safe arrest while maintaining community and officer safety,” an extract from the company’s website reads.

 

Electronic tracking cards, once activated, can track the location of a stolen vehicle. Free airtags to help track stolen cars have been distributed by the NYPD at prior crime prevention events to help address car theft.

 

We recently asked Bronx residents for their thoughts on the recent rise in auto theft as part of our latest Inquiring Photographer series. Click here to read the opinions they shared on the topic.

 

As also reported, eight men, seven living in The Bronx, were charged last month with a $6.6 million-dollar, New Jersey car theft operation of luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce, a scam which involved storing the vehicles in The Bronx before shipping them to West Africa, New York and New Jersey officials announced Tuesday, April 29.

 

For more recent reporting on this topic, click here.

 

As reported, a car rolled off the roof of an upper level parking lot in Marble Hill in the early hours of  Sunday, June 16, 2024.

 

Anyone with any information on these two incidents is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1 (800) 577-TIPS, all calls remain confidential.