Police Blotter: Fourth Ave Bodega Employee Steals $25,000 in Cash and Checks

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

Smile Crook, You’re on Camera!  

An employee-turned-crook of a Fourth Avenue bodega stole a total of $25,000 in cash and checks from his employer during a four-day spree April 8 through April 12.  

The 49-year-old victim, who owns 4th Avenue Fine Foods at the corner of 13th Street, told police that he caught his employee on surveillance video stealing cash from the register and checks from store’s checkbook. The crook, a 41-year-old employee described as a 5-foot-5 man weighing about 180 lbs. with short black hair, olive skin tone with a clear complexion, is seen on video stealing cash from the register everyday from April 8 through April 12 for a total of $21,000. He also stole a few checks from the company checkbook, forged the owner’s signature and cashed them at a bank nearby for a total of $4,000.

Another Smash ‘N Grab  

A thief broke into a car parked on Fourth Avenue and stole a laptop sitting inside on April 10.  

The 36-year-old victim told police that he parked his gray GM sedan between Baltic and Butler streets at around 7 a.m., locked all the doors and went to work. When he returned to get his car at around 2:15 p.m. that same day, he found that someone had smashed open his passenger-side window and stole his Dell laptop and computer case. He crook got away with the victim’s laptop, worth $1,500.