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AAA Driver Almost Runs Over Customer Mad About Long Wait, Police Say

By Mathew Katz | August 7, 2014 5:02pm
 Police said a AAA driver nearly ran over a woman after the two got into an argument. 
Police said a AAA driver nearly ran over a woman after the two got into an argument. 
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CHELSEA — A AAA driver cursed out a woman who complained about the long wait to have her car battery jumped — and then he nearly hit her as he sped away in his pickup truck, police said.

The woman, 35, was waiting by her stalled car in front of 418 W. 17th St. at about 7:20 p.m. on July 1, after she had called the motor club for help, police said.

When the unidentified AAA driver arrived, the woman asked him why he had taken so long, and he immediately began insulting her, police said.

The woman told police that as she approached the AAA driver's pickup, he yelled "F--- you!" and then drove off, nearly sideswiping her.

Police said the driver is wanted for harassment. He is described as 40 years old, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, with a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt.

A spokesman for AAA did not respond to a request for comment.

Other recent crimes in the 10th Precinct include:

► A woman's $3,000 laptop was stolen when she left it charging in the hallway of her luxe apartment building, police said. 

The 28-year-old woman, who lives at the Caledonia, a luxury rental building at 450 W. 17th St., put her MacBook Pro laptop in the hallway at about 11:30 a.m. on July 31 because her apartment had no power, police said.

She left the computer to charge for about 15 minutes, but when she returned it was gone, according to police.

A spokeswoman for Related, which owns the building, said there was no power outage or other building issue at that time. 

► A $6,000 painting was stolen from Winston Watcher Fine Art in West Chelsea, police said.

According to police, gallery staff were doing an inventory of their paintings at about 10 a.m. on July 31 when they discovered a work by Peter Dayton missing from the gallery's walls. The painting had last been seen the week before, on July 24, the NYPD said. 

Police do not have a suspect in the case.

► A man's car was stolen after he stopped at a deli to buy eggs and coffee on July 30, police said.

The man, 66, parked his red 1998 Grand Caravan outside of Am & Am Deli at 374 Eighth Ave. at about 5:10 a.m., leaving the car unlocked but taking his keys with him, according to police. 

When the man left the store five minutes later, the $1,200 car was gone, police said.

► A would-be good Samaritan helped an Arabic-speaking man withdraw money from a deli ATM, and then followed him outside to steal the $2,000 in cash, police said.

According to police, the Arabic-speaking man, 47, was trying to withdraw cash from the ATM at Alaska Food Market at 108 Ninth Ave. at 3 a.m. on Sunday.

A second man helped him navigate the ATM's English menu, then followed him outside and took his wallet, with $2,000 cash in it. The thief also took a $40 cellphone.

The NYPD is looking for the thief, described as 6-foot-10, 200 pounds, with brown eyes and short black hair. He was last seen wearing black slacks, black sneakers and a black T-shirt.

Staff at the deli confirmed the incident, but could not provide any additional details.