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Thief Steals Cash-Filled Laundry Card Machine From Co-Op, Police Say

By Leslie Albrecht | October 30, 2014 2:50pm
 A thief struck a basement laundry room in a six-story co-op building and made off with a laundry card vending machine and an unknown quantity of cash, according to a police report.
A thief struck a basement laundry room in a six-story co-op building and made off with a laundry card vending machine and an unknown quantity of cash, according to a police report.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

PARK SLOPE — A thief struck the basement laundry room in a six-story co-op building and made off with a laundry card vending machine and an unknown amount of cash, according to a police report.

The building's superintendent told police the theft happened about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. The crook pried a laundry card vending machine off the wall and then took it out of a window on Plaza Street East between Vanderbilt and Flatbush avenues. The machine contained cash but the superintendent didn't know how much, according to police.

Other notable crimes in this week's blotter at the 78th Precinct include the following, with details drawn from police reports:

► A man was arrested after allegedly trying to break into Miriam restaurant on Fifth Avenue and Prospect Place on Oct. 26 at 5:50 a.m. A witness spotted the suspected burglar using a metal rod to try to pry open a side door. The witness then saw the suspect use a piece of broken concrete to break a window and throw a brick through another window.

Police arrested Alexander Martinez, 45. He was charged with attempted burglary, possession of burglars' tools, criminal mischief and attempted trespassing. His bail was set at $5,000 cash, $7,500 bond and his next court date is Oct. 31. His defense attorney could not be reached immediately for comment.

► A thief stole $200 after breaking into the candy store Bit O' Sweet on Fourth Avenue between Second and Third streets. The burglar broke in through the store's front window sometime between 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 22 and 1 p.m. on Oct. 23.

► A 20-year-old woman was eating at Los Pollitos II on Fifth Avenue at Douglass Street when her wallet was stolen out of her purse, which was hanging on the back of her chair. The theft happened Oct. 24 at 11:30 p.m. The thief racked up several fraudulent charges on the victim's debit card.

► A 32-year-old woman was sitting on the steps of the Brooklyn Museum on Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. when a man grabbed her cell phone and ran away. The victim told police she saw the thief run into an apartment building on Lincoln Place.

► A Cannondale bike and a Giant Escape bike were stolen out of the basement of an apartment building on 12th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues on Oct. 5.

► A 20-year-old man had his Gucci wallet and $83 in cash stolen out of his back pocket as he walked through the Atlantic Terminal mall on Oct. 26. The victim felt someone tugging on his back pocket, then saw a man running away from him toward a McDonald's.

Major crimes in the 78th Precinct have dropped 6.5 percent in 2014, compared with the same period last year, according to the most recent statistics from the NYPD.