Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Community Board 6 Manager Stalked Ex After Hacking Into Uber Account: DA

By  Ben Fractenberg and Leslie Albrecht | April 10, 2017 3:11pm 

 Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman was charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend, according to prosecutors.
Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman was charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend, according to prosecutors.
View Full Caption
Facebook/Brooklyn Community Board 6

PARK SLOPE — A Brooklyn Community Board manager stalked his ex-girlfriend by hacking into her Uber account and tracking her down at a Bed-Stuy hotel earlier this month, Brooklyn prosecutors charge.

And after getting arrested for the incident, CB 6 manager Craig Hammerman violated a restraining order by trailing his ex to a Fifth Avenue bar, where he told her he was following her "for her safety," according to a complaint filed by the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.

In the first episode, Hammerman logged into his ex’s Uber account to find out where she was staying then stood outside Hotel RL at 1080 Broadway on March 27 to spy on his former squeeze while she ate breakfast on the ground floor, according to the complaint.

Hammerman, who has worked for the board since 1990 and earns $112,000 a year, first called the hotel pretending to be his ex’s relative and asked for her room number and then said she could “come home anytime,” according to court documents.

The district manager then called back claiming to be an Uber driver and said he wanted to drop off property a guest had left in his vehicle.

He then stood outside the hotel and peered through a window, before fleeing after his ex noticed him.

Hammerman, who considers himself a big "Star Trek" fan, next texted the victim and told her he had found her by logging into her Uber account and admitted he called the hotel pretending to be a driver, prosecutors added.

He texted again to say that he wanted them to attend couples therapy.

The woman texted back that a “bunny does not go with a mountain lion,” according to court papers.

Hammerman, who was inducted into the New York City Hall of Fame for his civic service, then replied with a video clip from the movie "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" of a killer rabbit being blown up by a grenade.

He was arrested April 2 and charged with stalking and harassment.  

Hammerman then followed the woman five days later into Park Slope bar The Gate on Fifth Avenue, sat down next to her and said he was following her for her own safety, according to prosecutors. He was arrested again and charged with criminal contempt.

It was not immediately clear whether Hammerman had been disciplined by CB6.

The chair of Community Board 6, Sayar Lonial, said Monday that he was unaware of the arrest until a reporter told him. He declined to comment further, saying he didn't yet know enough about the situation. 

Hammerman sent an email from his CB 6 account to district residents on Monday, but a worker who answered the phone at his extension said he was not in the office. 

Hammerman also posted lyrics to his Facebook page on Sunday. 

"I found out a long time ago what a woman can do to your soul," he wrote, apparently quoting from the Eagles song "Peaceful Easy Feeling." 

Hammerman did not immediately respond to calls or emails.

His lawyer, Joyce David, said her client was the victim in the case and that he went to the hotel after becoming concerned for his ex's safety. 

“These allegations are 100 percent false. The complainant has an axe to grind," David said. "She has a history of erratic behavior.”

The lawyer added that the woman continued to text Hammerman after his initial arrest and said she wanted to see him. 

He is due back in court on May 2.