Police Blotter: Burglar Steals $500 of Copper Piping from 10th St. Basement

The following information was supplied by the 78th Precinct of the NYPD. It does not indicate a conviction.

The Copper Thief

A burglar broke into a Tenth Street home through the floor hatch and stole $500 in copper piping sometime between Jan. 5 and 6.

The 47-year-old victim told police that she was away from her home, between Third and Fourth avenues, from Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. through Jan. 6 at 8:30 a.m. When she returned home, he realized a crook broke into her basement through the floor hatch and then kicked in a window secured with plywood and nails. The crook then stole 150 feet of copper piping, worth a total of about $500.

The Credit Card Crook from Tennessee

An identity thief opened two credit card accounts under a Park Slope man’s name and charged over $6,000 at Macy’s on Jan. 5.

The 36-year-old victim told police that the crook opened a Green Dot USA account, which is a prepaid card, and a Macy’s card and charged $6,265.35. The thief also attempted to open accounts at Best Buy, H&M and Sears, but was declined. The crook opened these accounts from Tennessee and the victim reported the crime to the Federal Trade Commission.

The Subway Pickpocket 

A subterranean crook robbed a man who fell asleep on the subway and woke up with his wallet, watch, and cellphone missing at the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street station on Jan. 6.

The 23-year-old victim told police that he boarded the N train in Astoria, Queens at around 1:20 a.m. but fell asleep quickly. When he woke up at around 10:45 a.m. while at the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street station, he found that someone had cut open his right front pants pocket. The crook got away with the man’s cellphone, $30 in cash, debit card and a $100 watch from his wrist. The victim did not see the crook.

iPhone Snatch on Sixth Street

A quick-handed crook snatched a woman’s cellphone from her hands while she was standing on Sixth Street on Jan. 6.

The victim told police that she was watching a video on her iPhone at around 5:10 p.m., while standing between Fourth and Fifth avenues, when a crook came up from behind, snatched the cellphone out of her hands, and ran. The woman described the crook as a 20-year-old black man standing about 5-foot-10 and weighing around 190 lbs. and was wearing all black.