One Week, Two Incidents and No Suspects

Sydney, Australia — In just one week, Sydney Jews have had to face the brutal reality of a grisly murder and an alleged assault – with both victims in the heart of the bagel belt. Although there is no proof yet that either was racially motivated, Jewish officials are nonetheless concerned.

Wednesday afternoon, December 27, 2006: An elderly lady feels unwell, calls her doctor at around 3.30pm, and returns to bed.

That evening, at around 7.15pm, Katherine Schweitzer, an 81-year-old Holocaust survivor, is found dead, murdered, strangled to death.

Her body is dumped in a wheelie bin and left on the fifth floor of her Bellevue Hill apartment block.

New evidence casts doubt over allegations of Yeshiva student’s alcoholism

This article is in regards to the recent posting requsting readers say Tehilim

New evidence has cast serious doubt over police allegations that an Israeli yeshiva student’s brain haemorrhage was due to a “drunken accident”.

Nitzan Zerach, 21, a student at Sydney’s Yeshiva Centre, was hospitalised last Thursday with a brain haemorrhage and facial injuries.

A police spokesperson told the AJN late on Monday: “New facts have come to light and we are keeping an open mind.

Accident or assault? Dispute over Yeshiva student’s injury

This article is in regards to the recent posting requsting readers say Tehilim

Sydney, Australia — Was it an assault or an accident? That’s the contested question regarding Nitzan Zerach, an Israeli-born student at Sydney’s Yeshiva Centre who was hospitalised last Thursday with a brain haemorrhage and facial injuries.

Chassidic teens injured in attack

Police are investigating an alleged attack on two ultra-Orthodox teenagers, including one who was already on crutches, which may have been motivated by antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiment.

The boys, aged 16 and dressed in traditional black-and-white Orthodox garb, were waiting for a tram in Melbourne’s Chapel Street on Tuesday night when a car pulled up and one of its passengers allegedly shouted, “You killed our cousins in Lebanon”, in what is believed to be a reference to Israel’s war against Hezbollah last July.

Another Daytime Burglary in Crown Heights

The incident took place this past Wednesday at around 3:30 in the afternoon, one of the residents of the house on Carroll St between Schenectady and Utica entered the house and encountered the thief who pulled a knife on him and fled out the back door through the kitchen.

He described the perp as a Male Black around the age of 15 or 16 with a medium build. He had already been through the house and had stuffed various items in his backpack. The items ranged from silver candlesticks that were on the dining room table, wallets and some jewelry. The perp knew what he was looking for avoiding the things that weren’t of significant value, such as a knockoff watch and some real looking jewelry.

Police Search For Gunman In Brooklyn Roller Rink Shooting

Click Here for a newscast of this incident (NY1)
Click Here for a newscast of this incident (ABC7)

Detectives are searching for a man who shot four people at a Brooklyn roller skating rink in Crown Heights early Wednesday morning.

It happened outside the Empire Roller Skating Center in Crown Heights shortly before 1 a.m.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

Police ‘Rough-Up Victim’ Was Cuffed

The off-duty sergeant and two cops charged with assaulting a suspect in Brooklyn knocked their prisoner to the ground and kicked him while he was handcuffed and down, police sources revealed yesterday.

The trio, assigned to the 71st Precinct in Crown Heights, allegedly roughed up the man after uniformed police had arrested him for breaking into the personal car of the off-duty sergeant.

Not content with having the suspect, Gaspar Alcade, in shackles, Sgt. Gregory Abrahams allegedly punched him in the face.

Murders Up City Wide

Harlem is bleeding – the murder rate doubled there this year.

Slayings spiked at least 100 percent in each of the neighborhood’s three police precincts, jumping to 40 this year from a total of 19 last year.

The increase in Harlem – the biggest among any adjoining precincts in the city – fueled this year’s 35 percent surge in homicides in Manhattan above 59th Street, police statistics through last Sunday show.

Cop Denies Beating Thug After Car Theft Try

An NYPD sergeant charged with pummeling a suspected car thief in Brooklyn while off-duty defended himself yesterday, telling the Daily News the assault charges against him are baseless.

“The truth will come out,” Sgt. Greg Abrahams said after being held for 15 hours in the alleged beating of an ex-con who police say was trying to steal the sergeant’s Ford Mustang. “This is so bogus. It’s really just being blown out of proportion.”

Abrahams was agitated outside his Nassau County home yesterday as he removed parts of the dashboard, allegedly damaged by Gaspar Alcalde, 48.

3 Off-Duty Officers Accused of Assault

Three off-duty police officers were arrested and charged with assault yesterday after they attacked a man who had broken into a car belonging to one of them, officials said.

The man accused of breaking into the car, Alcado Gasper, 47, of Park Slope, Brooklyn, suffered minor injuries in the attack, which took place in Park Slope, and received medical treatment after he was arrested and taken to the 78th Precinct station house, officials said.

Officers Greg Abrahams, 33; Mark Zajac, 25; and Chris Kirch, 27, were all charged with third-degree assault and are under investigation by the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the police said.

B’klyn House ‘Theft’

Brooklyn, NY — A devious cabal that included a pedophile rabbi stole a half-million-dollar home from a cancer-stricken woman, using a forged power of attorney to sell it and pocket the profits, Brooklyn prosecutors charged yesterday.

According to investigators, Margaret Franklin’s Crown Heights home was stolen in August 2004 after Nathen Farkas, 31, forged a power of attorney, signing Franklin’s name, that effectively handed control of her assets to co-defendant Russell Pitt.

Another House Burglarized on Union Street

Some time between 11:00am and 2:00pm on Wednesday a basement on Union between Troy and Schenectady where a few Bochurim stay was broken into and robbed.

Similar to the incident that took place on Friday night the point of entry was not immediately clear, the thief possibly picked the lock, and went for small items of value in this case it included an expensive camera and laptop, cash and other electronics.

House Robbed Friday Night

This past Shabbos on Friday night a house on President St. between Albany and Troy was broken into and robbed. The incident took place sometime Between Licht Bentchen and 8:30pm when the family came home from where they had their Shabbos meal that night.

The family came home to notice some things out of place and missing, that someone had been in the house and robbed them. Immediately after Shabbos they called the police who responded right away filled out a report with what was stolen, the house was ‘dusted’ for finger prints though none were found. Soon after Detectives arrived on scene and notified the family that they will be taking this incident very seriously.

Bochur Assaulted on Union St

A Bochur walking to 770 around 2 hours after Shabbos was assaulted on Union St between Kingston and Albany. The Bochur told CrownHeights.info that his assailant came at him from the street and punched him in the face, he then asked ‘why did you hit me?’ the perp answered him ‘if you give me your money you will be ok’ the Bochur who didn’t have any money on him began yelling for help and the perp fled.

This incident was reported a half hour after it took place. If you C”V are a victim of any crime do not hesitate to contact Shomrim and 911, the sooner you call the more chances there are at catching the perp. Keep the numbers handy, the Shomrim hotline is available 24/7 at (718) 774-3333 and Hatzalah at (718) 387-1750.

10 Car Break-ins Over Shabbos & Motzoai Shabbos!

Auto Larceny at new highs? Just when we think it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Over Shabbos a total of 10 cars were broken into, 5 out of which the airbags were stolen.

The airbag incidents had taken place at the following locations to the following cars:

• Honda Civic – Montgomery St. between Brooklyn and Kingston
• Honda Pilot – Carroll St. between New York and Brooklyn
• Honda Civic – Carroll St. between Brooklyn and Kingston
• Honda Accord – Montgomery St. between Brooklyn and Kingston
• Honda Accord – President St. between Nostrand and New York

Much more in the Extended Article.

Car Break in Blitz Once Again, Or It Never Stopped?

Since Shabbos three cars were broken into, the incidents scatter across Shabbos and Motzoai Shabbos where cars were broken into on President and New York, Crown and New York and Crown and Kingston, all the break ins share the same characteristics, the thief broke the small window on each of the cars using a screwdriver.

This Method of Operation (or Modus Operandi (Latin for mode of operating) [MO] is known to the community as Derrik (Terrence) Nelson, that guy that we showed you pictures of him inside a car, that same guy who Shomrim Apprehended over 6 times, 2 of which led to convictions (of 90 days). Again drivers are urged to not leave anything visible in the car, no loose change not even nickels and dimes, it’s not worth the cost of replacing a $200 window!