By: Fern Sidman
As election season has come to a close, chief among the issues that concerned New Yorkers was the dramatic escalation in violent crime that has gripped the city since the emergence of the Covid pandemic.
The New York Post recently reported that since 2020, murders in the city’s subway system have skyrocketed to the highest annual levels in 25 years, even amid plummeting ridership numbers, according to data supplied by the New York Police Department.
The earliest data that the Post gained access to was back in 1997 and it appears that there had never been more than five subway murders in a single year until the pandemic struck in the early part of 2020. As such, it raised that number for the first time in decades.
The next year, murders shot up to eight, the Post reported. So far in 2022, there have been eight killings in the transit system.
Together with 2020’s toll, that’s 21 slayings — which is more murders than the transit system saw between 2008 and 2019 combined, the Post reported.
The crime wave in the Big Apple, however is not limited to ubiquitous subway violence. It appears that the incidents of home break-ins, gang violence and grand larceny are significantly escalating.
According to a Brooklyn community crime analyst who spoke to the Jewish Voice on the condition of anonymity, the Gravesend section of the borough has witnessed an alarming upsurge in gang related home invasions and robberies.
The source told the Jewish Voice that on Monday evening four males carrying firearms and wearing black ski masks perpetrated a robbery at gun point at a home on East 1st Street near Avenue W. The crime took place at approximately 7:20 pm and the assailants escaped on motorcycles and mopeds.
At approximately 9:39 pm on Monday evening, the source reported that yet another violent robbery took place at 8016 New Utrecht Avenue. The assailant was dressed in a black mask and black jacket. The NYPD is pursuing leads in the case in order that an apprehension can be made.
“For the last few weeks, these kind of frightening crimes have increased, “ said the source. He referred specifically to the Gravesend section of Brooklyn; an area that is inhabited predominantly by Sephardic Jews . The neighborhood mainly encompasses the grid of streets between Ocean Parkway and McDonald Avenue, yet due to population growth it stretches towards Coney Island Avenue and as far as Bedford Avenue in the easterly direction.
The source also told the Jewish Voice that what makes these criminals so dangerous is their use of mopeds as their proverbial get away conveyance. “Mopeds are easy to maneuver and these guys who are terrorizing the neighborhood can get in and out at blinding speed without being noticed, “ the source observed. He added that many of these mopeds do not have license plates and if cars are used as their vehicle of choice, a great many of them bear “ghost plates” which unlike traditional metal license plates are made of paper and are used on a temporary basis. They are therefore, untraceable.
Moreover, the source told the Jewish Voice that was has served to spur the uptick in crime is the highly controversial bail reform laws in New York which allow seasoned criminals to escape the long arm of the law. He explained that these criminals are highly cognizant of the fact that if they should be apprehended by police, that a judge will release them on their own recognizance and without requiring any bail. The source said, “this catch and release modality that is used by law enforcement and the judicial system has proved to be an abysmal failure in every respect. Not only does it not deter criminals but it clearly encourages them to flout the law as they know full well that they will get away with it.”
As a veteran community activist, the source also offered some tips for deterring crime. “The main thing that we have to remember is that we must be a state of diligence at all times. That means that we must be alert to our surroundings. If we see, hear or smell anything strange or suspicious we must immediately report it to law enforcement or the local Shomrim society, “ he said.
The Shomrim are an auxiliary volunteer force that works in conjunction with local police precincts to ensure the safety of the residents of Flatbush and neighboring areas.
Founded in 1991 by former New York City councilman Chaim Deutsch, the Flatbush Shomrim Safety patrol (FSSP) originally began as a volunteer anti-crime patrol, but has since evolved into a multi-faceted organization, assisting the community in both crime and non-crime related matters.
Their well trained, highly motivated and dedicated members, respond both day and night to a 24/7 emergency hotline which fields approximately 4000 calls per year. In addition, the Shomrim are comprised of team of volunteers that patrol the neighborhood in their private vehicles throughout the night. Flatbush Shomrim is directly responsible for approximately 300 arrests per year. Their patrol spans parts of the 61st, 63rd, 66th and 70th precincts. Some of the arrests that they have made include, but are not limited to, car break-ins, burglaries, assaults and package theft. Additionally, with the help of their state of the art command center, they are often called upon to provide assistance in locating missing persons.
Acknowledging the latest wave of home break-ins and vehicular thefts is Bob Moskovitz, the head of the Flatbush Shomrim society. In an interview with the Jewish Voice, Moskovitz said that the uptick in neighborhood burglaries is a cause for concern but that residents can take action to prevent the frequency of such occurrences.
“As it pertains to home break-ins, it appears that perpetrators are gaining access to people’s homes through open or unlocked windows. If a window is open that is an invitation to a burglar to come right in. We have taken note of the fact that these perpetrators are coming in through first floor or ground floor windows. They are not going upstairs or down stairs once they enter but are taking whatever is of value to them from the floor they arrive on, “ Moskovitz said.
He added that if someone is home during such a robbery and comes downstairs or upstairs and confronts the perpetrator then that sparks a highly dangerous possibility of potential assault or even a worse case scenario.
“Tragically, we live in a world where if something is not nailed down to use a pun, then it can be swiped by a burglar. That is the sad reality that we live in. I would strongly encourage people to shut their windows and lock them securely to prevent break ins,” he said.
Moreover, Moskovitz said that the most effective tool in fighting crime are home video surveillance cameras that show the identity of the perpetrator. While home surveillance systems have become more commonplace, not every home is equipped with them. Moskovitz said that homeowners should be vigilant about ensuring that these video surveillance systems are in working order. “If you don’t have a video surveillance system, but a neighbor does, that can be helpful. They should be functioning on a 24/7 basis as they are the only tool that provides images of the perpetrators that can be given to police,” he said.
In terms of vehicle break-ins and thefts, Moskovitz noted that people should never, under any circumstances leave anything in their car when they are not in it. “To offer an example, if you leave a bag on the seat or floor of your car, even if it contains garbage, just the sight of that incentivizes criminals to break into your car, “ he said.
He also advised car owners to lock all doors and windows. “Cars are often stolen when we double park to run into a store to pick up an order and we think it will only take a few moments. We neglect to take the key out of the ignition and that’s what car thieves are carefully watching for. They jump in the car and just take off and that is the end of it, “ he said.
In terms of citywide crime and how it relates to the Gravesend robberies in Brooklyn by perpetrators on mopeds, it was reported on Monday that the NYPD is searching for two men linked to a string of robberies in Queens in the past few weeks.
News12 reported that new surveillance video released by police shows the moment a 12-year-old girl is dragged several feet by two men on a motorcycle while walking home from school on October 24. The men got away with the child’s necklace during the attack.
Police say the two suspects are connected to seven different robberies from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7 with four of them taking place on Oct. 26, as was reported by News12.
At least six of the seven victims were women, including a 70-year-old.
The 12-year-old girl who was dragged by the pair of moped-riding muggers told the New York Post on Monday that she is still “really traumatized” — while calling the heartless crooks “the worst human beings alive.
In other heartless crime, it was reported on Tuesday in the New York Post that an armless Manhattan panhandler was choked and robbed as he sat in his wheelchair outside the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
The Post reported that Frankie Martinez, 40, who has been panhandling outside the upscale store for five years has never experienced an issue until a thief attacked him and took his phone.
“This city is not what it used to be,” said Martinez, who is without arms and most of his legs, as was reported by the Post. “There are not enough police on the street. There should be more police patrolling the street so we can feel safe again, “ he said.
“I don’t see a good future for this country right now,” Martinez told the Post. “The American dream is over. Everyone in this country is just trying to make money however they can. It’s chaos.”
“The man came up to me, pointed his finger into my throat and start choking me,” he said. “He attacked me suddenly. A man buying a hot dog ran over to help. That’s when the attacker pulled out a knife. Then he ran away with my phone, “ Martinez told the paper.
In other New York City crime news, WINS1010 radio reported that armed robbers staged a brazen heist in the Diamond District on Monday night, robbing workers outside a jewelry store. The two masked bandits targeted three or four people, all believed to be employees or owners, as they left Avis Diamond on West 47th Street around 8:15 p.m.
The gun-wielding thieves stole at least $72,000 in jewelry and several Rolex watches, taking everything the victims had on them in one of the busiest areas of the city, as was reported by WINS1010 News. None of the victims was injured. Police are reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in the area as the investigation continues.
News12 also reported that a shooting in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn took place on Saturday night and two men are in the hospital. Police say on the corner of Bond and Warren streets, a 26-year-old was shot in the face and chest and a 23-year-old was shot in the chest.
Also on Sunday it was reported by News12 that police say a man was killed in a shooting Saturday night in East New York. Officers say it occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Hendrix Street and New Lots Avenue. News 12 was told responding officers discovered a 34-year-old man with a gunshot to his chest. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. No arrests have been made and there are no details yet on a suspect.
Police are also searching for a suspect connected to a store robbery on Church Avenue in Brooklyn that occurred Wednesday night, News 12 reported.
Authorities say the suspect entered the store, held a gun up to a 41-year-old employee and demanded money. When someone attempted to intervene, the suspect pushed them to the floor, ran to the register and stole $100 before fleeing to an unknown location.
On Saturday, News12 reported that police were searching for three suspects linked to a shooting that injured one person in Brooklyn. Police say the three suspects were walking on East 92nd St. when they began firing at an unknown individual multiple times before running down Avenue L. A bystander was struck by the gunfire and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
This shooting comes two days after the mayor held a discussion on public safety in Brooklyn, where residents weighed in on their concerns, News12 reported.
One neighbor told News 12 she thinks more must be done to get guns off the street.
