Violent Mugger Sought for Forest Hills Attacks

Forest Hills On Edge After Third Woman Knocked Out & Robbed By Man With 'Really Scary Eyes'

New Photo of Suspect in Local Fires

The police have released this new photo of a suspect in the local fires. Another fire occurred at a home under construction last night...

Video of Suspected Forest Hills Arsonist Released

A video of the suspected arsonist in the several fires that have occurred in Forest Hills over the past several weeks has been tweeted by @NYCityAlerts

Queens: this man is wanted in connection with (4) arsons that occurred on construction sites @NYPD112Pct @FDNY pic.twitter.com/Iylwa0ry6S

— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) November 27, 2015

Rash of Fires Under Investigation

From DNAInfo.com:

Six of the seven recent fires that have ravaged Forest Hills buildings in recent weeks have been deemed suspicious, according to the 112th Precinct — prompting the local police to enlist the help of the NYPD's arson unit. 

Read more about it here: Arson Unit Investigating Forest Hills Fires, Police Say

MTA Worker Charged with Forest Hills Hit-and-Run Murder

Breaking news:

From The Daily News:

MTA worker facing murder charges in Queens hit and run that killed 'jeweler to the stars'

 Charles Jordan, 46, of Valley Stream, L.I., is facing murder charges in the July 19 hit and run that began with an argument outside Aranbayev’s home in Forest Hills, Queens.

Aranbayev was killed when he was run over by a car in front of his home

Hit and Run Case Getting International Attention

The hit-and-run case involving Forest Hills resident Aron Aranbayev has now gone global, as various media outlets point out that Aranbayev's Manhattan jewelry store serviced quite a few major celebrities.

Aranbayev was killed while being dropped off in front of his home on Sunday night.

From Britain's Daily Mail: New York jeweler to the stars and father-of-four run down and killed in front of his home 'in dispute over a parking space'

• Aron Aranbayev, 40, run down in front of Queens home 11pm Sunday
• Store Rafaello & Co served celebrities such as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
• Father of four remembered as family man and had child born six month ago
• Police ruled case a homicide and are looking for driver of Dodge Magnum

Film About Murder of Kitty Genovese Filming in Forest Hills Tonight

I'm told the movie being filmed on Austin Street tonight is an independent film about the murder of Kitty Genovese, the landmark case that happened in Kew Gardens the night of March 13, 1964. The crime was made famous by news reports that some 38 people heard Kitty's cries for help, but did nothing, information that has since been shown to be erroneous and based on sensationalistic coverage created by a New York Times editor at the time. In actuality, according to the most recent information, several residents of Kew Gardens came to Kitty's help when hearing her screams.

I've heard this movie's title is "37 Witnesses," but I haven't been able to confirm that. The only confirmed information I have is what I've written above.

Here are some pics from tonight's shoot on Austin:

New Police Captain

One of the blog's readers informed me that the 112th precinct has a new Captain, Judith Harrison, transferred from Jackson Heights.

Captain Thomas Conforti was transferred back to Flushing after two years here in Forest Hills, which was his second tour of duty at the 112th.

And that, my friends, is I think my very first post ever about our local police. A long time in coming!

NPR's Coverage of the Kitty Genovese Story

Picking up on my previous post....

This report focuses on how the crime helped create the 911 emergency system and also discusses how the multiple inaccuracies in The NY Times articles about the murder led to a widely believed account that was extremely different from what really happened. The Times coverage wrongly described the neighbors as apathetic to a horrific murder taking place right outside their doors, when, in fact, many of these neighbors did respond to the victim's pleas for help and did what they could to help her.

An Iconic Murder Helped Create the 911 System

What Really Happened to Kitty Genovese That Night In Kew Gardens

I have been wanting to post about the recent story in The New Yorker, A Call for Help, for quite some time. I remember learning about the "Kitty Genovese story" as a kid growing up in suburbia and it had a great impact on me—it really colored my view for quite some time about what it is like to live in the "Big City," where people don't care about each other, where they even turn a deaf ear to the pleas for help from their neighbors in the dark of night when they are fighting for their lives.

Except, it was all a lie. The New York Times got the story completely wrong. According to new accounts of what happened that night, as detailed in The New Yorker article:

The Times story was inaccurate in a number of significant ways. There were two attacks, not three. Only a handful of people saw the first clearly and only one saw the second, because it took place indoors, within the vestibule. The reason there were two attacks was that Robert Mozer, far from being a “silent witness,” yelled at Moseley when he heard Genovese’s screams and drove him away. Two people called the police. When the ambulance arrived at the scene—precisely because neighbors had called for help—Genovese, still alive, lay in the arms of a neighbor named Sophia Farrar, who had courageously left her apartment to go to the crime scene, even though she had no way of knowing that the murderer had fled.

And the story goes on and on. Excellent reading and by God a long time in coming. What a travesty to disparage the reputation of an entire neighborhood—our neighbor to the east, Kew Gardens—and our entire City, and just because of the incompetence of one newspaper editor.

Purse Snatcher and Fire Escape Break-Ins

Once again it seems a couple of criminals have set their eyes on Forest Hills. The first apparently has been breaking into apartments through open windows, and the second, a purse snatcher, has been targeting women late at night.

Here are some links with further information:

Police seek Forest Hills, Kew Gardens purse snatcher who threatens to cut victims

Cops are looking for a Queens purse snatcher who grabs his victims using a bear hug and threatens to cut them, according to police. Update. 9:49 a.m. Monday: A suspect has reportedly been caught in this case.

Burglaries Spike in 112th Precinct Amid Rash of Fire Escape Break-Ins

A brazen burglar targeting buildings along Queens Boulevard in Rego Park and Forest Hills has broken into at least two dozen apartments during the past six months using fire escapes, authorities said.

Jewelry Store Theft

A reader sent in this photo this afternoon of what he says was a smashed window at Lorilil Jewelers on 71st/Continental Ave. today. The reader says a large hammer was used to smash the window as the thieves attempted to steal some merchandise.
"It was a smash and grab based on the folks there," he writes. "When I saw it there was the hammer/sledgehammer lying on the floor and a few jewelery boxes on the floor outside on the street. The Rolex display is still behind the glass but it fell down....might be able to see in the pic. The police used the yellow tape to cart off the area and took the hammer-like item with them."

More on Overnight Ruckus

Based on this report on DNAinfo it appears that all of the commotion that awoke residents early Thursday morning near Metropolitan Avenue, with police helicopters, etc. was probably about the burglaries of these two businesses and not about a robbery at the Chase Bank as some readers had suspected:  Two Forest Hills Restaurants Burglarized on the Same Night Still a mystery is what caused the overturned car nearby that night as well.

In any case, these break-ins on Metropolitan Ave. reveal a crime wave in the portion of Forest Hills between Austin Street and Metropolitan Ave. that unfortunately continues...

Overnight Action: Crash and Bank Robbery

I'm hearing from different folks that the overnight hours were particularly busy locally, especially in the area around the Gardens and Metropolitan Ave.

Some residents report being awoken around 4 a.m. by police helicopters and I'm hearing that the Chase Bank on Metropolitan Ave. at the corner of 70th Ave. may have been robbed around that time.

Also overnight, a car overturned on Juno St., near 69th. But remarkably everyone was reportedly ok. I have no idea at this time if the two incidents are connected in any way.

The photo below was tweeted by @tarakinkead

More on Neighborhood Watch Program

A reader alerted me to this article which has more information on the local neighborhood watch program: Forest Hills Residents Start Online Neighborhood Watch Group

I do have to say that in all my years living in Forest Hills, I think the crime sprees that have been going on for the past few months are the worst I have ever seen in this area. Between the car break-ins, street muggings, house burglaries in the Gardens, and violent attacks/rapes, this is by far the worst I have ever seen it here. I don't know what is going on, but something is not right. It could have something to do with all the new attention the neighborhood has been getting thanks to the great new pubs and restaurants that have opened. That's the only new ingredient in the mix that I can see from my vantage point.

Street Crime in Forest Hills

A reader passed along a letter to me about a neighborhood watch being started in Forest Hills Gardens after a chilling robbery there late on Saturday, June 29th. Some of the language in the letter is a bit, how should I say, ahem, dated, as you'll see—I felt like it was written by someone circa 1970 and found it personally offensive at points—but anyway, here are some excerpts:

"We were walking each other home from having dinner on Austin Street. We all live within a 10 block radius or less from Austin Street, and have lived in the neighborhood for more than 17 years. Our children have grown up together. We get together three or four times a year to catch up and spend time together. We had dinner at the new restaurant, the Flying Pig.
"At about 11:20pm we left the restaurant. We walked another friend home to Yellowstone, and the three of us walked back via Austin Street, got onto 71st Continental and walked across Station Square, up Greenway Terrace and then turned onto the street, where one of the three of us lives. We were saying goodbye to each other, and out of nowhere, like magic…two Afro-American six foot males appeared on either side of the three of us! They each were pointing semiautomatic guns at us, and instructed us not to say a word and to turn over our bags. They took all our bags, my wedding band, my anniversary band and a necklace with a miraculous metal that I have been wearing since I was fifteen years old. One of the men just ripped it off my chest. As soon as we had handed everything over to them, the men disappeared in the same way they had first appeared….without a sign or warning. We were all in shocked and terrified. We went to a neighbor’s house and called the police.
"Our lives have never been the same since that night and never will again. I will never walk home again in the dark those 10 blocks from Austin Street. It doesn’t matter whether you are with a group of women or men. When faced with a gun….all opportunities to protect yourself fall by the wayside.
"We learned later that week that two more robberies had taken place after ours. On Wednesday, July 3rd at about midnight on 70th Avenue and Fleet Street a second gun-point robbery took place this time of a man. On July 2nd another man was robbed on 63rd Avenue and Alderton in Rego Park by two Afro-American women brandishing a knife.
"It is important for me to share all this with you because what these men took from the three of us….that was so valuable, more valuable than even my childhood miraculous metal, was our sense of Safety and Peace in our neighborhood. WE NOW, ALL HAVE LOST THAT. We need to be vigilant, more cautious. We need to watch out for each other and be alert to any strangers in our neighborhood. We need to share this information with each other and share it with the police. We need to add more street lights from Burns to Manse. We need more patrol cars in the area-especially at night. We need to consider placing video cameras outside our homes facing the streets. So that the criminals who are targeting our neighborhood know we are ALL watching.
"If you agree, please email me at foresthillswatch2013@gmail.com and let’s come together as community to protect our neighborhood, our homes, our families... and our right to walk home in the dark without fear our lives are in danger."

Personally, I don't know how in New York City you can be alert to "any strangers in our neighborhood," since just about every other person is a stranger. That's what's so great about living in New York City! But, whatever. I feel for this person. I've had my share of run-ins with nutjobs on the streets—nothing as bad as this thankfully—and experiences like these can leave you very shaken. So I can only imagine the suffering this caused this person. I hope they catch the perpetrators very soon, and in the meantime, be a little extra careful out there....

Rumors and Happenings

Just a few tidbits people have either commented about, or I've seen. Various rumors and possibilities and stuff still to be sorted out:

1) Very surprised to hear that Moca Asian Bistro on Restaurant Row was shut down by the health department recently. I have been leaning towards Jade recently for my Asian fusion fare, but this was always a close second. I especially liked their boneless bbq spare ribs. They even made it onto my Recommended Restaurants list. Hopefully, they'll reopen.

2) And while I'm on Restaurant Row, hard to believe that someone hasn't snatched up the former Liang's space there. I mean if you are anyone who wants to own a restaurant, it's one of the best locations in Forest Hills, possibly all of Queens. Thousands of people come to that street every weekend to eat from all over the Borough, Long Island, and the rest of the City. Hard to see how a good restaurant wouldn't thrive big-time in that location.

3) A couple of things from comments here: a) Apple store is the rumor that refuses to die. The latest had it going into the Men's Warehouse location on Austin, and b) Lucille Roberts will be closing. Can't vouch for either of those, just telling you what others have commented about here in the past couple of months. By the way, how much longer do you think Barnes & Noble has? I used to love browsing in there, but have to admit I haven't done so in months since I've gotten my Kindle. I now browse electronically, virtually, whatever.

4) Crimes in The Gardens. A friend sent me some photos this morning of a beautiful new car stripped apparently overnight of all its tires. I'm not posting the pics because I don't want to invade the victim's privacy. But what chutzpah these thieves have, so brazen. The car in the photo is clumsily lifted up off the street by pieces of wood, quite precariously by the way.

Suspect Arrested in Forest Hills Burglary, May Be Linked to Others: Police

From NBC News: Suspect Arrested in Forest Hills Burglary, May Be Linked to Others: Police
By the way, what ever happened in the Forest Park attack case from a couple of months ago? Here's a story from the (holding my nose) NY Post about it: Rapists stalk in Qns. park

Car Break-Ins in Forest Hills

A reader contacted me today about what she says is a string of car break-ins in the Forest Hills area. Yesterday she found her car parked on Kew Forest Lane with the passenger window broken. She says only the ash tray was taken and and that they went through the glove compartment and left everything on the seat. And then last night she saw another car parked around the block (on 77 Ave.) with the driver's window broken. And then this morning a neighbor told her that one day last week the car parked in front of her's on Queens Blvd. also had the passenger window broken into overnight. She wanted to publicize this string of car break-ins in the hopes that her neighbors don't leave any valuables in their cars.

I'm sure many of you have noticed the Police Command Center parked on 71st/Continental (pictured). Not sure if it is because of these break-ins. But I've seen some reports of burglaries down near Metropolitan Ave. and then there of course was the attempted rape in Forest Park (they have not yet caught the perpetrator in that case.)

Arrest in Forest Park Attack

In case you missed my tweets about this last night:

Suspect In Forest Park Sexual Assault Murdered His Aunt In 1990