Unidentified Man Beaten to Death on Kingston

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — A man was beaten to death on Kingston Avenue earlier tonight, Tuesday. The incident took place in front of, then inside 451 Kingston Ave. at around 9:00pm.

Witnesses told CrownHeights.info that they saw one Black man knock down another Black man then drag him into the building located on the corner of Kingston and Lefferts where he proceeded to beat the man until he died.

The victim was described as in his 50’s or 60’s and at this time was not identified.

According to police sources the man was not robbed, he was just beaten for no apparent reason.

Police called a level one mobilization. Scores of detectives and uniformed police officers responded to the scene to investigate the incident.

Since the new inspector Peter Simonetti took over in the 71st Precinct there has been a noticeable increase in major crime in Crown Heights. Murder, Rape and Grand Larceny has more than double in the last month alone.

Under the command of inspector Frank Vega we had a significant increase in police officers serving in the 71st, and in the last months of his command arrests and crimes being solved was up, this increased the community’s faith in Mr. Vega.

At the scene Mr. Simonetti threw a bewildering fit, shouting at photographers and curious onlookers then shouting at the Sergeant on scene to seal off the whole block “to keep all of them out” gesturing at people across the street. And in a more bizarre display Mr. Simonetti pulled out his cell phone and began photographing the photographers.

His behavior at the scene had one resident, who wished not to be named, question Mr. Simonetti’s competence. “We have all these extra cops on the street but crime is still up”, he then added, “well, if he is concerned about people watching rather than solving the incident then I guess that explains it.”

25 Comments

  • Horrified

    This is horrific! Instead of giving tickets & leaning on walls & windows on Kingston the police should be patrolling! Do they have ANY leads on this?? Any more details of WHY??

  • Devorah Kroll

    I don’t understand why this is considered appropriate news for your website. I check your site from out of town to see what’s “new” in crown heights and there is way too much crime reporting. It makes Crown Heights sound like a war zone, which we ALL know it is not!

  • hi

    fir you dont want vega, practically kick him out then realize how stupid you were… jews!!!lol

  • CHER

    What a baby,
    this guy is cammanding a murder seen
    and he’s wooried about pictuers being taken.
    what a nut.
    we hardly got to know this guy and I already don’t like him.

  • he-s out

    I heard in 770 today that he’s already on his way out.

    I sure hope that’s true.
    this guy was not even in Crown Heights for 3 weeks and he already made a mess of things.

    I have to admit we made a mistake by pushing Vaga out.

    The upper ups must send a good honorable man, who can talk and act like a Mentch (using proper communication skills).

  • ????????????

    Mrs. Kroll, this is CROWNHEIGHTS.info, not Monsey.info. We have to be warned of things happening in our area. With respect, last I heard you live in a nice, safe, suburban neighborhood. This is OUR neighborhood, & we need to know what’s going on. If this is such a wonderful place, not a war zone, move back. We need you! Meantime, we’re still fighting for survival in our war zone.

  • HI, Vega was no prize either, remember

    B“H

    Dear ”HI“ —

    If you will recall (or do you have amnesia from being mugged and beaten too many times??), there were also BIG problems with Officer Vega.

    It was under HIS ”leadership“ that the teenager was attacked at Empire and Albany (not exactly a secluded spot), severely beaten, and left for dead (Baruch Hashem, he was saved, even though NO ONE responded for a half hour!)

    And what about the hate crime beatings of bochurim, the STILL UNSOLVED murder of Rabbi Klein, and the ”police dog-and-pony-show“ upstaging character of those once-a-month ”community input“ meetings at the school diagonally across from the precinct? And these few examples don’t even begin to do justice to the INjustice of the problems with the police in Crown Heights.

    I’m not saying that this new guy is good (he’s awful!), don’t get me wrong, but to act like losing Vega is like losing our ”knight on a white horse“ is living in ”la la land“!

    I think Commish Kelly sent us this new guy as a punishment for daring to complain about Vega: so they want a new guy, I’ll show them a new guy; and they’ll wish they had the old one back!

    But do you think Williamsburgh and Boro Park got better police cooperation than we have, just by luck???

    We don’t like Vega’s replacement, so we have to push to get HIM replaced. And we have to do this as many times as it takes, to have our community taken seriously, as a community that cares enough to make sure we get the best.

    The answer is for our community to keep on pushing for IMPROVEMENT, pressing the ISSUES:

    *Report crimes when they happen.

    *Don’t give up — keep going back and insisting on getting the written police report, as many times as it takes — when the precinct ”loses“ or claims to have ”never seen“ your police report. (They’re just banking on your giving up, and thereby keeping their ”crime stats“ low!).

    *Keep bringing complaints of mistreatment/incompetency by police to the CCRB (call 311 for how-to). Don’t settle for ”mediation“ from the CCRB, either; hold out for a complete investigation.

    *Make sure that every time you have to call the police (may we all never need to do so, please Hashem!), you write down the names and badge numbers of the officers sent to you, and note how long it took for the police to come.

    *Call Shomrim also, when you call the police.

    *When you make non-emergency calls (for things like a parked car blocking your driveway) to the police (using 311), take down the complaint number you are given at the end of the call. Call 311 back the next day to inquire on outcome of your complaint, citing your complaint number. If the results are not satisfactory (i.e., not accurate), tell the 311 operator that you wish to file a complaint about this.

    If we give up and lay down in apathy (and only vent on the blogs), nothing will be accomplished. Crown Heights is filled with good people, but:

    ”The only way for evil to triumph is when good people do nothing.”

  • CH resident

    Simonetti may not be any good, but we don’t really know that, he hasn’t been here very long. What we DO know is that Vega was a disaster. Let’s give Simonetti a chance, OK?

  • who you kidding

    lets not rewrite history,

    I dont know about this newbie but Vega was as incompatent as they come.

  • i-d rather not say

    my friend saw it happin first hand the man he said beat up the old man and ruffed him up then dragged him into a building and ran

  • Dovid

    shame on the popack family. yossi and shmuel Isaac shame! shame! shame! that’s the worst building in crown heights who owns it the popack say what you want dovid fisher has Jews in his buildings and he does every thing in his power to get more in what’s with you yossi right in the heart of crown heights you know what goes on there this is change we really need people are scared to walk down that block

  • schuna

    ask your self the question, a guy is beat up to his death… just emagine how much he was screaming ect. ….and not one of the many patroling cops heared!!! our tax money isnt going for trees in uniform!!!! something got to be done. .. .

  • Boruch

    Last night I saw a whole crime scene at albany and crown st. also at approximately 9 PM. Is this the same thing? There were about 10 police vehicles, with dozens of police milling around.

  • Joe Berliner

    how do we know that it’s not just a matter of getting honest crime stats for a change?

  • sickened by people

    Why didn’t anyone standing around do anything to stop the beating?

    “Witnesses told CrownHeights.info that they saw one Black man knock down another Black man then drag him into the building located on the corner of Kingston and Lefferts where he proceeded to beat the man until he died.”

  • BMW

    During the Finally of cleaning my apartment, an NYPD Detective Knocked on my Door, to inquire about if I Heard anything or Seen anything about the assault that occurred in front the building. Unfortunately, I did not hear anything or see anything I told him. Today there were anterage of polices all about the area, I was wondering just how serious the situation was; tonight while watching the CW 11 News at Ten, I was informed about the Rigidity and Horrified Calamity of the Situation. My Prayers goes out to this unfortunate senior citizen or resident, don’t really matter,”I really hope the Police find the assailants. God Bless the victim and his family and friend.

  • dsd

    instead of always complaining just work with what you have and vega no one needs him he didnt care less about our comunuty

  • JJ

    About 2 months ago they installed about 30 closed circuit cameras in and around all the buildings on that block.This horrible crime should not be too hard to solve.

    I dont think the community will ever be satisfied with any commanding officer in the 71st. Everyone cried until they ousted Vega, now they want to oust Simonetti before he even has a chance to show us if he can do a good job.

    Perhaps we need to make a golem !

  • zmin

    What a bunch of crybabies! Did you ever think to yourselves that there isn’t a CO in the entire police department who wants to command your community. The second a CO farts the wrong way you shoot him down. Why don’t you back your men and woman in blue before theres no one left but yourselves and its obvious that none of you fit the bill.

  • Too much Dan L-kaf zchus: oust him now!

    B“H

    Simonetti has already been here long enough to have wreaked plenty of havoc here, unfortunately.

    ”zmin“ and ”jj“ (and others) mean well (by saying,dan l’kaf zchus) for Simonetti.

    BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW THE HALF of the trouble the Simonetti has already wrought.

    Under Simonetti:

    1) The police are now told that, if a Jew calls the Police to report being physically threatened, hate speeched, or similar crimes, if the Police make an arrest of the ”African American“, they are also to find some reason to arrest the Jew too! So the Jew gets DOUBLE victimized!!!

    There are currently several unfortunate Yidden in our community who are fighting Police charges made against them, when all they had done was report crimes done to them!

    ‘Sure keeps the stats down; who’d call the police if they have to worry that THEY’D be arrested (as if they were a perpetrator!!!)????

    2) The situation concerning written police reports has gotten worse than ever: Now, when a person makes a police report at the precinct, it is the RULE rather than the exception that when the person tries to obtain the written report, they are told by the precinct that the report was ”never made“ or ”can’t be located”.

    ‘Sure keeps the stats down, eh?????

    I’m sorry, but Bloomberg and Kelly can do MUCH better than Vega OR Simonetti.

    I’d Dan l’kaf zchus, if Simonetti had not already done the above. But Simonetti has already proven himself unworthy of the job, and downright dangerous for this community.

    Oust him NOW! (I hope that 770 rumor was right . . . .)