STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island saw a drastic spike in certain crimes this past month compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD data.
On Staten Island, there were 18 robberies from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, compared to 10 over the same time frame last year, according to NYPD data.
Grand Larceny Auto crimes also increased from 11 cases to 14, the data shows.
There also was four rapes reported from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2 compared to three during that period last year, according to the data.
Burglaries, however, decreased from 26 to 22, the data shows.
RECENT SPATE OF INCIDENTS AT STATEN ISLAND BANKS
In the last two weeks, Staten Island recorded six bank robberies and related incidents.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, an individual entered the drive-through of a Santander bank branch located at 1850 Victory Blvd. at around 1:30 p.m. and passed two notes demanding money through a chute at the drive-up teller window, according to a statement from the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
There was no money passed or removed and the individual fled the scene on Victory Boulevard in a red Ford truck, according to the statement.
The notes included an unfounded bomb threat, a police spokesman said.
The next day, police asked the public’s help in identifying the driver of a red truck who is sought for questioning in connection with the attempted robbery.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, police responded just after 1:30 p.m. to Santander Bank at 1320 Hylan Blvd., where a white man reportedly approached a teller and passed a note demanding cash, according to a written statement from the office of Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The man fled with $600, according to the statement.
On Monday, police arrested Ivo Bogdamovic, 49, of 1st Place in Brooklyn and charged him with robbery in connection with the incident, an NYPD spokesman told the Advance.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, police received a call for a robbery at around 11:30 a.m. at a Northfield Bank located at 1481 Forest Ave., police said.
A man entered the branch and passed a note demanding cash, according to very preliminary information supplied to a spokeswoman for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
He was given an unknown amount that did not include a dye pack.
He fled the location in a light-colored sedan, police said.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, possibly in his 40s, who was wearing a black hat and black jacket, the police spokeswoman said.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, a man with a cast entered a Northfield Bank branch at 519 Forest Ave. at around 1:30 p.m. and announced it was a bank robbery, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
The man was later identified as Augustin Nadreau, 25, who was arrested in connection with the incident, police said.
Only eight minutes later, Nadreau entered Victory State Bank located at 755 Forest Ave. and, after a brief flirtatious talk with a female employee, shouted, “It’s a mother f-----g robbery.”
“I just want y’all to know it’s a mother f-----g robbery,” he shouted in a video later posted on social media. “Everybody put your hands on the floor. Get your hands on the f-----g ground right now.”
Nobody reacted to the man, who walked out of the bank without actually taking any money, according to police.
Nadreau was arrested in connection with that incident as well, and charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct in both incidents, an NYPD spokesman said.
Following the incidents, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon upgraded charges to include attempted robbery.
The new charges affected the status of a case in which Nadreau allegedly threatened to bomb a bank in 2018 if he didn’t receive $1 million in cash.
CRIME CITYWIDE INCREASES AS WELL
Staten Island’s recent spike in crime parallels a trend across the city.
From Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, New York City saw a 16.9% increase in crime compared to the same period last year, according to data from the NYPD.
Robberies citywide went from 943 in 2019 to 1,290 in 2020, the data shows.
Burglaries went from 932 to 1,124, according to the data.
Shootings incidents increased as well, from 52 to 67.
“Every single member of the NYPD understands that behind each crime statistic is a victim who deserves justice,” said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. “The men and women of this department are second to none and they will continue to be relentless to address upticks in crime.”
On Jan. 24, Shea said during a press conference that the recent increase in crime is connected to the implementation of new bail reform laws.
“Now as you see in the first three weeks of this year, we are seeing significant spikes in crime,” he said. “So either we forgot how to police New York City or there is a correlation.”
OPPOSING VIEWS
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch partially agreed with the NYPD’s top brass, adding bail reform is not the only problem the city faces.
“The double-digit increases in shootings, robberies, burglary and thefts aren’t the product of any single law or policy. They are the result of failed leadership and a political culture that denigrates and devalues the work police officers do,” Lynch said in a statement Tuesday.
Lynch added that Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials “have sent a single, clear message about their lack of support for law enforcement.”
"This is what happens when our city leaders sit silent or issue weak, belated statements when the mob in the street chants for ‘dead cops.’ And these terrible statistics show that the criminals of New York have heard that message, loud and clear,” Lynch said.
The Legal Aid Society defined the data the NYPD released Tuesday as “irresponsible misinformation.”
“As any serious person knows, one month of data cannot tell us anything meaningful about crime trends. This is just more irresponsible misinformation from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and other opponents of bail reform happy to ignore reality when it doesn’t serve their agenda,” said Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. "The fact remains that crime is at all-time historic lows, and has been consistently low even as release rates from pre-trial detention have steadily risen.”