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Cops Nab Thief Trying to Steal Generator in Gowanus

By Leslie Albrecht | November 13, 2012 2:01pm | Updated on November 13, 2012 2:53pm

GOWANUS — Cops nabbed a thief who was hoping to make a quick buck off power-starved Hurricane Sandy victims.

Police arrested Earl Kristensen, 43, after he was caught trying to steal a generator from beneath the F line subway tracks on Third Avenue at Ninth Street.

A cop from the 78th Precinct spotted Kristensen just after midnight on Nov. 11 trying to drag the generator through a locked gate at an MTA storage lot marked with several "no trespassing" signs, according to the criminal complaint and police report.

The thwarted thief told cops, "I could have gotten like $200 for that thing," according to the police report.

Kristensen was charged with attempted petit larceny, possession of stolen property, trespassing and criminal mischief.

Generators have been hot property since Hurricane Sandy robbed thousands of New Yorkers of power, many of whom are still waiting for their electricity to be restored.