Jackson Heights Life

Just want to alert everyone that there were a couple of burglaries (1 burglary and 1 thwarted burglary) in the past week around 78/79 Street between 37th and 35th Avenues. There may be others.  They accessed via a window and existed through the front door taking small items.

Yikes. Do folks in the historic district, particularly on the first floor, put bars on their windows? I don't recall seeing any (i'm apt hunting in the area and am considering a first floor unit near where this incident happened).

Fake-beard fugitive wanted for attempted murder on two Queens cops

Police are hunting for an armed and extremely dangerous fugitive wanted for opening fire - at point-blank range — on two Queens cops.
 
Antonio Olmeda, 53, dressed in a black trench coat, glasses and a fake beard, refused to remove his hands from his pockets as officers confronted him in Jackson Heights on Dec. 2.
 
Instead of complying, he pulled a black pistol from his pocket and fired two shots at close range, narrowly missing the officers, then took off running - shedding his disguise, said police.
 
When investigators matched the DNA found on the bridge his glasses DNA from a state database they discovered a lengthy and bizarre criminal history going back to 1994, said a police source.
 
Olmeda was arrested in October of that year in the Bronx, after he offered an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute $10 for sex, said a police source.
 
Inside his van, cops found an arsenal of weapons including a flame-thrower, 18 pipe bombs, a shotgun with a laser sight, assorted swords, machetes, handcuffs, a bullet proof vest and a gas mask along with 12 clips of ammunition for Uzi sub machine guns and 1,000 rounds of illegal Black Tallon bullets, said the source.
 
Olmeda has three other arrests for drug possession in New York City, the source said.
 
He served about four years in prison for the weapons charge and he was paroled in October 1998.
 
He was arrested again in June 2002, after he was caught with more than 200 rounds of ammunition and a book about snipers inside a Greyhound bus station in Fayetteville, N.C.
 
A man called police after Olmeda had asked him about security at the nearby Fort Bragg military base, according to published reports.
 
“This guy is a bad, bad guy” said a police source.
 
His last known address was in Shirley, L.I., said a police source.
 
The organization COP SHOT is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Olmeda.
 
“Money on the street talks. There’s always someone willing to provide information to collect $10,000 cash reward and in this economy, who couldn’t use an extra $10,000 in cash?” said John Provetto, the organization’s director.
 
Anyone with information is asked to call the confidential tipline 1-800-COP-SHOT of the NYPD TIPS hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

picture on website - http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fake-beard-fugitive-wanted-shooting-queens-cops-article-1.992968ss

I did go to the community meeting the other evening as did 100 other residents.  The police said although 2 were captured, 2 still remained "at large".  They promised more temporary patrolmen on the streets.  We also expressed concerns that the community is not informed enough.  I would call Dromm's office for more information.

We had two burglaries in our building a couple of weeks ago.  In the first incident the person had left for vacation a couple of days earlier but in the second case the burglar tried entering an apartment and the tenant was in the apartment. He was chased but not caught.

Our apartment was burglarized this past weekend on 74th street near 35th Avenue.

On Friday there were three men, one tall and skinny, and two short and large, who were knocking on doors saying they were from Con Ed or Avon (selling makeup products).

They stole our computer which had photos of our baby and are irreplaceable. They also stole some my my wife's jewelry which isn't worth much but was from her grandmother and had been in the family for many generations. Also irreplaceable.

Thank God we weren't home.

If anyone has any info please let me know!

aram, I'm sorry to hear about your burglary.  I live on 73rd & 35th and we had fake Con Ed guys in our building last Friday as well- I wonder if they were the same ones. 

We do seem to have fewer ground floor window bars in this neighborhood.  And there has been a rash of burglaries where the thieves push in the a/c unit to gain access.  Even on higher floors if they can reach it by a fire escape.  They don't seem to have hit our area hard yet,  but it's good to be aware of it.  I never open my fire escape window, even in good weather.  I keep it shut and locked, that way I'm less likely to forget and leave it wide open when I go away for a weekend (because I do stuff like that - I left the window by my tv open by mistake and went on vacation a couple of days before Irene).