A senior citizen residing at 447 East 14th Street in Stuyvesant Town was violently mugged in his lobby around 10am Memorial Day morning after returning from a trip to a newsstand. The tenant, who gets around with the aid of a cane, went to the newsstand on 16th Street and First Avenue to purchase a copy of Newsday. The tenant was followed back to his building by a dark skinned man after seeing money in the resident's wallet at the time of purchase. The resident, unaware at the time he was being followed, used his ID keycard to gain access to his building when the mugger shoved him into the lobby, thrashed him against the wall repeatedly screaming "Wallet! Wallet!" in what sounded like a Jamaican accent The incident was caught by security cameras in the lobby and the mugger could be seen on another camera following the victim into the building. The newsstand, located across the street from Beth Israel Hospital, is being renovated and their security camera is not currently working.
447 East 14th Street houses both the Community Center and the model apartments shown by Stuy Town's leasing agents to prospective tenants. The building has a history of criminal activity including bikes being stolen from the storage room and packages being taken from residents' doors.
That is really horrible. I hope the victim is going to be ok. There used to be mirrors in the vestibules so that you could see if anyone was following you. When they "renovated" the lobbies they removed the mirrors and never put them back.
Hopefully MGMT will distribute photos of the mugger ASAP.
We have mirrors in PCV, and they are useful for seeing if anyone is coming in behind. Of course if you don't take the trouble to make sure the security door shuts, there's lots of time, unfortunately, for someone to come dashing in before you get to the elevator. This isn't a blame-the-victim comment, just an observation.
That corner of 16th and 1st is disgusting. You have the drug addicts and homeless kicked out of the parks by the cops and the mentally unstable coming out of the hospital. They are always bothering the guy in the liquor store and that cool little Korean family that runs the deli next to him.
Recently one of the park dwellers tried to bum a smoke off of me and went APE SHIT when I told him I don't smoke. Faggot this, white devil that. I'm 6ft, 190 and even I felt a little unsafe because when someone is that lit on god knows what, the drug has totally taken over their body and they are less than rational.
There was a story on here a few weeks ago about security cameras deterring crime. They certainly didn't prevent this crime and if there was a doorman in the building it's unlikely the attack would have happened right in front of him. Not ST's fault, but the cameras don't prevent crime, they just provide a grainy photo after the fact.
I presume security was too busy watching Spongebob or checking Craigslist for listing in Dyker Heights to notice anything.
They should send a copy of the tape to the local news so this guy can be identified and caught.
But knowing TS they'll probably burn the tape and Bud Perrone will say it wasn't a mugging, just some unicorns have a friendly tussle.
Tishman-Speyer should beef up it's security presence in that area. There is a security guard posted only sporadically at the loop road and 16th St, and if there had been someone on post, perhaps this incident would never have happened.
Since the security cutbacks, it's probably difficult to assign fixed post positions, there just aren't enough guards, but this is a prime example of the decline of the quality of life in our community.
This makes me sick. Ugh.
Security is really scarce around our building at night. The riff raff from the hospital wander into the complex all dazed and confused. A real life security officer would be able to spot them a mile a way and boot them.
It's too bad they can't rig the broken doors and mailboxes to fall on muggers.
Crime is up, and cameras don't deter crime.
Seems to me much of the crime activity reported recently is around 14th st. Thoughts as to why that may be?
Gives me great comfort considering that is where I live.. and at 10:00AM??
Tell me about it. It's no wonder the police horses are always hanging around over there.
I think you're seeing the NYPD Mounted Division on 14th between A & 1st Ave. That's where they've been staging every day around 11AM as part of this crackdown on the school dismissal/gang violence initiative that's been taking place in the 9th Precinct. While Beth Israel adjoins some of the problem area (the old Stuyvesant High School building), the criminal element that's to be found around BI is different. 447Hell detailed that in their post above.
Well, personally, I know that I am seeing the, erm, "traces" of the NYPD's horses when I get off the L at 1st. No, but really, I'm glad at least the NYPD is doing SOMEthing... unlike PCVST security (who once sat, idling, on the Oval by 14th St. loop just staring at all the residents... creepy).
I always check to see who is coming in behind me. If I don't know them, I apologize, and firmly close the door in their face. If they're legit, they understand; if not, they scream and rant and call me a bitch (and wonder why I didn't let them in??)
Admittedly, this behavior would be difficult for someone who is walking w. the aid of a cane.
Just another indirect way TS is trying to get rid of RS tenants.
They should all be (TS) drawn and quartered!
They should be hanged, drawn, quartered and boiled in oil. They deserve no less. Filthy, skanky, totally amoral Rob, Jerry, Bud, Heartless Hatzmann, et al. are predators of the worst kind.
This incident is beyond horrible. They better stay the f**k out of my way because I'll shit beat them for both the victim and myself!
>It's too bad they can't rig the broken doorsand mailboxes to fall on muggers.
Those ass clowns can't even rig them to work, let alone do tricks!
I notice this incident got scant mention in T&V. Just a brief blurb in the Police Watch segment. Some "community newspaper" that is.