Tag: safety

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Dumbo Residents
02/14/11 9:02am

PSA: Approached by Strangers

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Front and Washington St

Sent from a concerned parent:

Our babysitter was approached Friday afternoon by a strange man claiming to be a FBI agent (he had no ID, and fumbled w/ his wallet when she asked). I am curious if anyone else has or knows someone who has had a similar experience with this man. The things he said to her made it clear he had been following her for some time (while she had my children).

Please be aware, and pass on any information that you may have. This happened on Front St. at about 5:30pm Friday.

He pulled up in an older model gray Honda (or Honda type car).

Caucasian man. Tall, very skinny, with a mustache.

He asked if he could speak with her from his car, then got out of his car and approached her. He knew exactly where she had been and described who he had seen with her…. and then some more bizarre talk. When two men approached, he took off and sped away.

I am not being an alarmist – just think it is so important to spread the word. Again, please share any other information that you may have, or if you have a similar situation call 911 immediately. Unfortunately she did not, so there is not much we can do at this point.

Please notify and encourage your family/caregivers/nannys to call 311 (as long as it’s not an emergency situation) if someone approaches them so our precinct is on alert. The 84th Precinct number is 718-875-6811.

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Dumbo Retail and Businesses
01/17/11 2:12pm

Recent Thefts at 68 Jay Street

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Occassionally, we read about a string of burglaries in some of the office buildings in the area. The 55 Washington Street building was hit with thefts in 2006, until cops found DNA evidence that nabbed the criminal. In June, 2009, there was a string of six burglaries again at 55 Washington St, in two weekends (Brooklyn Eagle story). Using video footage, the officers of the 84th Precinct were able to arrest the man for several counts of burglary, petit larceny, trespassing and other charges.

Now, we’ve received a few tips from tenants at 68 Jay Street about increased thefts. Courier Life reported that at 68 Jay St, “Some thug stole a laptop and camera from the Blue Barn Pictures shop on Jay Street on Dec. 20 (2010) while the manager was in the bathroom.” And the below is an anonymous email of an incident that occurred last night.

The perp was able to simply dislodge the door frame from the wall and enter the office. it is not known at this time what was stolen. this took place probably last night or this am. police were at the scene this afternoon and took prints.

in the last few months there have been a number of previous robberies at 68 jay. all of these followed the same pattern: the perp enters an office in the middle of the work day, asks whoever is present in the office some questions (like “is joe here?”) while looking around, then leaves the office. later, the perp quietly returns to the office and grabs an item or two (e.g. laptops, cameras) and runs. police reports have been filed for all of these robberies.

when questioned by tenants the landlord, Chatov / Gutman, has indicated that they do not feel that they are responsible for providing additional security in the building (like cameras or security guards). we’ll see if this more recent and brazen robbery — knocking a door right off the wall — might help them to change their mind.

If you’re leasing office space around Dumbo, please be mindful of unauthorized people in office areas. Report suspicious activity to the 84th Precinct ((718) 875-6811).

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Dumbo in Media
11/19/10 9:56am

Another Mugging in Dumbo

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Water Street between Washington and Main Streets

Last month, there were a few muggings in Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights that raised concerns about safety in the area. There was another mugging on Wednesday evening at 10:30pm on Water Street near Main Street (near photo above). The victim was a 1 Main St resident. The 1 Main security cameras captured the incident and police are revewing the tapes. A notice was sent out by the building management:

Please be advised that a female resident of the building was mugged last night around 10:30pm on Water Street near the service entrance of the building. She was attacked by two men and had her purse stolen. Fortunately images of the incident were recorded on the building’s security cameras and the footage is being reviewed by the Police.

In response to last month’s muggings, reporter Jennifer Hamblett penned the below article. Given the most recent incident, we think this is still relevant. Please be aware of your surroundings when walking alone in the dark.

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