INWOOD — Police nabbed a man with a lengthy arrest record for breaking into a car near the MTA yards on 10th Avenue and are eyeing him for other car break-ins in the area, sources said.
Officers from the 34th Precinct arrested Richard Vasquez, 36, at about 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, according to court records, and charged him with auto stripping, which can be for damaging a car, criminal mischief and possession of burglar’s tools.
According to the criminal complaint, the officers saw Vasquez trying to break into the glove box of a car with a broken passenger side window.
At the time of his arrest, near West 213th Street, Vasquez had two screwdrivers and a pair of wire clippers on him, the criminal complaint said.
Police said that the area, along with Indian Road, Payson Avenue and Cabrini Boulevard — which was the site of a rash of about 35 break-ins on Dec. 31 — has recently been targeted for car vandalism and break-ins.
A source said that police believe Vasquez, an Inwood resident, is connected to other car break-ins in the area, although he has not been connected to the Cabrini case.
According to the source, Vasquez has more than 30 prior arrests for incidents including car theft and car break-ins.
Vasquez, who served time in 2006 for drug sale and in 2007 for parole violation, has open cases from October 2014 for criminal possession of marijuana and unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of stolen property.
He is set to appear in court on Jan. 6 for all three recent incidents.
