Results tagged “crimestoppers”

In what has to be a new contender for the most contemporary crime story, a young man was arrested for making graffiti and three other charges after another rider on the N train in Astoria snapped shots of him on her cellphone scratching a window on the train and sending them into Crime Stoppers via text. The vandalism task force was able to connect the cellphone pics to 18-year-old Andrew Morello, who had previously been arrested this summer for tagging "Shelly" on a commercial vehicle in Queens. The NYPD delegated a Crime Stoppers line over the summer specifically for text messages and had previously arrested a driver whose license plate was captured after he hit a cyclist and left the scene of the accident.

Police say a man suspected of a recent Brooklyn rape is connected to three other rapes in the past four years. Two weeks ago, a couple was in a parked car in Prospect Park when a man looked in their car with a flashlight. The boyfriend (an off-duty cop) got out to confront the attacker, a scuffle ensued and somehow, the couple got separated. The attacker caught up with the woman and raped her. Now, police say DNA evidence has linked the attacker to three other rapes.

The family and friends of the Brooklyn resident killed early Saturday morning by a hit-and-run driver hope that someone will step forward with information. Matthew Hopkins was crossing Park Avenue South at 22nd Street when a speeding car traveling south hit him near 4AM. The car didn't stop and Hopkins was later pronounced dead at Bellevue.

Early yesterday morning, a 26-year-old Brooklynite was killed when crossing Park Avenue South. Matthew Hopkins had been walking west on East 22nd Street when a car traveling south struck him at around 4:09AM; witnesses say the car didn't even slow down. Hopkins was pronounced dead at Bellevue at 4:30AM.

The Daily News has been regularly reminding readers about the murder of 16 year old Chanel Petro-Nixon in order to hopefully reach someone who knows what happened. Petro-Nixon disappeared one afternoon, on her way to apply for a job at Applebee's, only for her body to be discovered days later in a garbage bag on the street. Petro-Nixon's father Gavin Nixon said, during his first visit to where her body was found, "We need to come together with the Police Department and speak up so justice can be done. It's about time the community comes together and realizes that it's all of our concern." A number of organizations (including the Daily News) have donated money to the reward program, and the reward money is now close to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer; to call Crime Stoppers, (800) 577-TIPS.

Police believe one man is responsible for seven sexual assaults in NYC and NJ over the past year. This past Friday, he grabbed a woman who was leaving the club Cain in Chelsea, and then dropped her off in Elizabeth, NJ, after raping her. This incident occured at 4AM, at West 24th Street and Tenth Avenue; Cain is on West 27th near Tenth. This MO is similar to an incident last Halloween, when a woman leaving Crobar was grabbed into a car and raped. Another woman was attacked last September, when she was walking to work at 5:55AM on West 28th Street. The description of the attacker has been similar in all incidents, as well as NJ attacks: A white or light-skinned Hispanic man in his mid-20s, about 5-feet-6 with a thin build. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers, (800) 577-TIPS.

There's a heartbreaking article about Franklin Chimbo dealing with arranging funerals for his wife and 3 year old son, who were killed on Monday by a hit-and-run driver. Chibo's wife, Carman Lata, their son Alex, and her brother were brossing Northern Boulevard at 102nd Street in Queens to buy a Metrocard when a van hit Lata and Alex, dragging Lata along. Lata was pronounced dead at the hospital, while Alex died after complications from his collapsed lung, broken bones, and punctured liver. The police are still looking for the driver of a green van with gold stripes and gold rims; the van apparently didn't have its lights on. Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-577-TIPS, the Crime Stoppers Hotline.