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Ridgewood Man Charged With Operating Motorcycle Chop Shop

Philip Dietrich, 43, allegedly ran a motorcycle chop shop from his home in Ridgewood.
Philip Dietrich, 43, allegedly ran a motorcycle chop shop from his home in Ridgewood.
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Flickr/s_falkow

RIDGEWOOD — A Ridgewood man ran a motorcycle chop shop out of his basement, complete with more than a dozen bike frames and hundreds of parts, Queens prosecutors said Thursday.

When cops searched Philip Dietrich’s home on Putnam Avenue, near Fresh Pond Road, on April 25, they found six motorcycle frames that had been reported stolen in Queens between 2007 and 2010, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.

Police also discovered seven motorcycle frames with defaced vehicle identification numbers, and hundreds of additional motorcycle parts including rims, gas tanks, front-end forks, fenders, and mirrors as well as high-end dismantling tools, prosecutors said.

Cops also found 15 methadone pills, prosecutors said.

"Auto theft and related crimes are at historic lows and we must be vigilant in keeping them from rising," District Attorney Richard A. Brown said.

"At least six of the motorcycles allegedly found in the defendant’s basement had been reported stolen — leaving the rightful owners deprived of their property."

Dietrich, 43, was arraigned Wednesday night on charges of first-degree auto stripping, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, illegal possession of a vehicle identification number, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

He was ordered held on $1,000 bail and to return to court on June 13. Dietrich faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.