Last month, police arrested and charged a suspect who they believed was the "well-dressed groper" accused of attacking at least four women in Manhattan this year. Friends and family couldn't believe that 26-year-old Park Slope resident Karl Vanderwoude could be the perp—and now that his alibi has checked out, the DA is expected to drop all charges against him on Monday. “A lot of people say they didn’t do it. This is the real case,” said lawyer Douglas Burns. more ›

Just over a week ago, police arrested and charged a suspect who they believe is the "well-dressed groper" accused of attacking at up to four women in Manhattan this year. Friends and family couldn't believe that 26-year-old Park Slope resident Karl Vanderwoude could be the perp—and today, Vanderwoude told the Post in an interview this was all a big mix-up: “I didn’t do it. I wasn’t even in the vicinity of these incidents,” he said. “It’s a case of mistaken identity.” more ›

The knife-wielding woman accused of chasing a 20-year-old woman and causing her to fall 14 stories to her death was arraigned in court yesterday on murder and manslaughter charges. Sienna Edwards was trying to deliver birthday presents to her boyfriend's cousin's child on Thursday night when 23-year-old Kenya Edmonds (the mother of that child) allegedly attacked her. Edwards was able to call 911, the boy's father Carl Purcell, and her boyfriend as she was being chased: “She sounded really frantic and afraid,” boyfriend Timothy Smith told The Post. “She was saying: ‘They have knives to my neck’...I heard one of the girls say: ‘You’re leaving here in a body bag.’ ” more ›

The prosecution and the defense have rested their cases in the murder trial of Joel Herrera, the Lower East Side man accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright, 20, because he allegedly mistook Wright for someone else. Most of Wednesday was spent on a criminalist with the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, who testified that no blood had been found on a sample from the blade of a knife recovered near the scene of the crime. But both Herrera and Wright's DNA were found on blue jeans, a sneaker and a black t-shirt belonging to Herrera, who claims that he was running home because of a nosebleed when police stopped him that fateful evening back in September 2009. more ›

The young man on trial for fatally stabbing a stranger whom he mistook for someone else was splattered in blood when police apprehended him shortly after the murder, an officer testified yesterday. Joel Herrera, who is accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright because he thought Wright had stolen from his cousin, is currently on trial for murder in the second degree. Yesterday the officers who arrested him testified that Herrara claimed he just had a bloody nose when they caught him. more ›

We can empathize with a man who possesses an infamous name, but at least were never forced to carry a copy of The House at Pooh Corner to prove our identity. 50-year-old Deli worker Jose Delacruz has been arrested four times—and nearly deported by the FBI—because he bears the same name and date of birth as Jose "El Toro" Delacruz, a Dominican drug dealer who was recently extradited to his home country. The non-drug dealing Delacruz now carries a certified document stating that he is in fact not the '80s gangster El Toro. "No matter what I do, they always think I'm him," Delacruz tells the Daily News. "It's a terrible way to live. I'm scared all the time." more ›

Police believe that a nurse who was fatally shot in Flushing, Queens on Saturday night was killed because the shooters were out for revenge—but they got very mixed up. Christina Coleman, 39, was killed by gunmen who, the NY Post reports, were "aiming for her teenage son -- and he wasn't even the right target either. In the fatal case of mistaken identity, the armed thugs thought they were shooting at the mom's other son, Mark Coleman, 22, who is suspected of being involved in gunplay earlier in the day, the sources said." more ›

Lanell "Country" Downing probably values his cell phone more than any high-powered executive in Midtown. He might even like his phone more than people who insist on using them as a DJ booth while on the bus. Downing loves his phone because his cell records were the deciding factor for police dropping robbery charges against the 26-year-old Brooklyn resident. more ›

An aspiring police officer was fatally shot in Brooklyn yesterday morning, and his family and friends believe he was murdered by gang members in a case of mistaken identity. Former John Jay student Terrence Mahabir, 22, was shot twice in the chest and police say they have yet to determine a motive. But his friends say Mahabir was mistaken for friend Rolan Angaroo, who tried to pin a gun rap on a member of a Brooklyn gang known as the Outlaws. "My brother's afraid for his life. He never leaves the house anymore. These guys don't care about killing people. If they want you dead, you're dead. They must have got them confused. But they were targeting my brother," said Cadian McDonald, Angaroo's 35-year-old brother. more ›

The father of a 15-year-old boy who was fatally shot while sitting on a stoop in the Bronx believes that his son was a victim of mistaken identity, and said of the shooters, "they took away my son from me. And it hurts, it really hurts." Tashawn Bromfield had been visiting his dad, Basil, in the Bronx for the weekend, and was in the city for just a few hours when the shooting happened. His father had reportedly told him to stay indoors, but he and a friend decided to drink Slurpees on his front steps. "He came to New York City to spend a weekend with his dad," said Basil Bromfield. "It could happen to anybody's kid." more ›

A woman embroiled in a struggle for her life finally managed to convince the government that she is not dead. Carol Combes, an obituary writer in East Quogue, NY, discovered her name and social security number in the social security death index in June. Soon, all of her accounts were frozen. But now, the government confirms Combes is indeed alive! Phew, for a second we though the zombie apocalypse was here. more ›

Police have decided to drop charges against Chila Lati, a Brooklyn mom originally accused of running over a traffic agent's foot. Lati was able to provide witnesses and time-stamped photos proving she was elsewhere at the time, and said the real culprit was another one of the five Chila Latis in Brooklyn. She told the Daily News, "I am very, very happy. I was counting the days until this would be over." However, this means the real foot-assaulting Chila Lati is still on the loose! Stay on your toes, folks. more ›

A Long Island family suffered two shocks in an hour and a half last weekend when Pennsylvania cops told the Espositos that their son Freddy had been killed...and then that he was actually alive. After a fatal car crash in Pennsylvania killed two Stony Brook University students and injuring a third, a state trooper found Freddy's ID in the crash and informed his parents he had been killed. It turns out he was just asleep at his apartment, and had no idea he had been declared dead. more ›

A Brooklyn woman facing assault charges says they got the wrong woman. Chila Lati allegedly ran over a traffic agent's foot on Avenue U on January 8th, but Lati says the real culprit is a different Chila Lati who, unsurprisingly, doesn't want to come forward. She told the Daily News, "This is a case of mistaken identity. I know I didn't do anything wrong." more ›

According to CBS2, a woman with a similar sounding name had passed away earlier that morning, leading to the mix-up and the trauma that ensued. Goodwin says she’s still in shock from the incident and the family may file charges. "We looking at emotional duress, emotional stress - you know, that's basically what our issue is," said her mother, and Abrams’s granddaughter, Tracie Covington. The hospital is investigating and says it "deeply regrets" the incident. more ›

A man suspected of beating his girlfriend and assaulting a police officer escaped from a Bronx court yesterday when he pretended to be another prisoner facing lesser charges. Michael Bautista, 22, was mistakenly released after assuming the identity of man accused of driving with a suspended license and was allowed to walk out of the 44th Precinct on East 161st Street after his arraignment at around 10 am. more ›

48-year-old Calixta Guerrero was in her underwear in her Washington Heights apartment around 6 a.m. yesterday when police started pounding on the door. She told them she needed a moment to cover up, but cops shouted, "Open the f-----g door, right now!" So Guerrero complied, and was promptly forced to the floor and handcuffed. Good morning! more ›

A Brooklyn thug convicted of a violent crime spree last year almost caught a lucky break at Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday. Victor Hernandez, 17, was sitting in court (wearing his best Spider Man T-shirt) when a lawyer he'd never met, Joseph Santo, called him forward. Santo had mistaken Hernandez, a stocky Latino with curly hair, for his client Antoine Dick, a "clean-cut" black man who was due to get five years probation for purse-snatching. Instead, Hernandez was sentenced as Dick. He tells the Post, "I thought it was strange when I was given five years probation, but I didn't understand. All I knew was that I was happy." Santo—using the best 'that's what she said' defense ever—explains, "I've only met Mr. Dick half a dozen times. I thought he'd grown his hair out. I see as many as 40 clients in a week. I don't remember their faces all the time." Hernadez was ultimately apprehended in the probation office waiting room after his real lawyer arrived to clear up the mistake, helpfully sending his client to jail. He's expected to get at least seven years in prison for slashing two brothers with a machete in a Williamsburg restaurant, among other crimes. more ›

Yikes: A Massachusetts man whose identity was stolen two years ago was held in custody because a Bronx cab driver with the name, birthday and Social Security number jumped bail on a weapons possession charge. A judge finally decided to free him yesterday, saying, "The photo I have somewhat resembles you, but I'm satisfied it's not you"--the Post reports the suspect is "described as 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds" while the Holyoke, MA resident is "5-foot-8 and weighed less than 200.." Plus, his fingerprints didn't match the suspect's--and he had written proof his identity was stolen. more ›