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Upper Manhattan Sees Spike in Major Crime Incidents, Police Say

 Police say that the rise is largely due to an increase in grand larcenies.
Police say that the rise is largely due to an increase in grand larcenies.
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Flickr/Nick_Allen

UPPER MANHATTAN — Inwood's first homicide of the year and a spate of grand larcenies have contributed to a surge in crime uptown — with major incidents up by 42 percent this month compared to the same period last year, police said.

In addition to the fatal shooting of a 42-year-old man on West 193rd Street earlier this month, the 34th Precinct has seen a sharp increase in grand larcenies, or thefts of property worth more than $1,000, said precinct Deputy Inspector Chris Morello. 

There were 42 grand larcenies for the 28-day period from Sept. 29 to Oct. 26, compared to just 23 during the same time last year, he told residents at a meeting of the precinct's community council Wednesday.

Most of the cases involved thefts of credit cards from unattended belongings, Morello said. Overall, there were 95 crimes committed during the time period, compared to 67 last year.

The deputy inspector pointed out that 67 crimes was an unusually low number for the precinct, which covers Manhattan north of 179th Street.

“Last year there was a real lull,” he said. “Most 28-day periods average about 90 crimes, and this period we had 95”

The 34th Precinct also faced a difficult month for violent crime.

Two shootings occurred on October 2, with one resulting in the death of Orlando Rivera, 42, who was killed when gunfire erupted on St. Nicholas Avenue near 193rd Street about 6:30 p.m., police said.

In a separate incident that same day, a man was shot while walking to his car near 182nd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue about 4:30 a.m., police said.

Arrests have been made in both cases, Morello said.

Robberies also rose slightly, with 22 for the 28-day period compared to 21 for the same time last year. This included an armed robbery at a St. Nicholas Avenue liquor store on October 11.

Morello said the precinct has adjusted to the rise in crime by deploying officers to areas that have been more negatively affected, such as St. Nicholas Avenue.

“As a result arrests are up 13 percent, from 448 arrests versus 396 for this period last year,” he said.

Overall, crime in the precinct is still down by 1.2 percent compared to last year, Morello noted.