MORRISANIA, Bronx (WABC) -- A group of bodega owners has announced a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a thief police say has targeted the same deli at least three times since January.

Police say the suspect was armed each time he robbed the FM Deli Grocery on East 163rd Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx.

He has allegedly stolen more than a thousand dollars total from the cash register.

"The first time this bodega owner tried to defend himself and the same guy stabbed him twice," said Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the United Bodegas of America.

Surveillance video from the latest robbery shows the man hop up on the counter and slide his body through the opening with what looks like a knife in his hand, before reaching to grab cash from the register.

To avoid getting hurt again, the owner has been letting the crook take off with the money.

"He's scared this guy could kill him, that's in in the mind of everyone who works in a bodega, every time you see someone who comes into the store, you don't know what could happen," said UBA President Radhames Rodriguez.

NYPD data shows robbery in the 40th Precinct is up 14.6% compared to this time last year and burglary is up 28%.

The United Bodegas of America says vigilance, security cameras and arrests can only do so much when violent criminals are being released without bail.

They say the laws need to change.

"Criminals like this that come in and stab their victims, or rob their victims of their belongings, don't deserve to be out in the streets threatening everyone," Mateo said.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect in surveillance images released by the NYPD is asked to contact police.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/bodega-robberies-serial-robbery-bronx-thefts-united-bodegas-of-america/14549128/

CEDARHURST, Long Island (WABC) -- Nassau County police are searching for a trio wanted for attacking and attempting to steal a man's car in Cedarhurst.

The victim said he was walking on Bayview Avenue on Monday, March 11 around 7:05 p.m. when the three people approached him.

They demanded his car keys and said they would hurt him if he didn't hand them over.

When he refused, a woman in the group hit him in the back multiple times. He started screaming for help and the two men and a woman took off.

Fortunately, the man was not seriously injured in the attack.

This was apparently not the first time the three caused trouble in the neighborhood.

A couple that Eyewitness News spoke to said that they too were victimized.

One neighbor gave us video, allegedly showing the same three people opening doors and rummaging through their car just before 6 p.m. on Monday. They say nothing was stolen.

News spread quickly along Bayview Avenue about the two incidents.

"I have never heard of any incident like that happening around here. That's unfortunate," said Abraham Lichtman, who lives in the neighborhood.

One man who didn't want to be identified, says he also hasn't seen anything like this in the two decades he's lived on this street.

"The fact that they did it while it was still light outside," he said. "That's big. That's more than breaking into a car and taking the radio. This is a whole other level. It's violent crime, that's what it is. No fear of consequences."

Eyewitness News was told the suspects ran away on Monroe Street.

All three of the suspects are believed to be about 20 years old. The two men were wearing face masks at the time of the attempted robbery.

The woman was described as having a stocky build, about 5'2'', long black hair, and wearing red pants with a black jacket.

Detectives say they two men are about 5'6''.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/cedarhurst-nassau-county-attempted-robbery-attack/14520170/

HOLLIS HILLS, Queens (WABC) -- A suspected burglar accused of stealing $900 from a Queens church while posing as a visiting priest may be a prolific impersonator.

The suspect told a priest at the American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Queens on Sunday afternoon that he was also a man of the cloth visiting the church from Rome.

The priest invited him into the rectory, where he allegedly stole $900 in cash from his bedroom.

Father Peter Rayder said the man must have done his research because he knew their names, used vocabulary a priest would and knew where to go.

"He's a vulture, he's a vulture, gypsy, he knows what he's doing," Rayder said.

Rayder said when he confronted the so-called priest and asked him to show proof, he left. The NYPD said he drove a dark-colored sedan.

"It's very sad that someone is going to come on to any house of worship and just violate everybody," Rayder said.

The Diocese of Brooklyn said a man matching the suspect's description told similar stories at a church in Suffolk County and at Saint Thomas Aquinas in Brooklyn.

They held a meeting Tuesday and the photos were shown to the pastors. An alert went out Wednesday to all clergy regarding the incident with the photo.

Authorities believe the alleged conman's crime spree extends beyond New York.

Police and the dioceses in Houston and Dallas have sent out warnings about similar crimes by a man calling himself Father Martin or Father Guillermo.

He was even caught on camera wearing similar clothing that Father Rayder saw him wearing. Rayder says he's continuing to pray for justice, but also for the alleged crook to see the error of his ways.

Authorities also say the suspect could be the same person wanted in California and Pennsylvania.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/burglary-church-fake-priest-queens/14495835/

SOHO, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are searching for suspects in another high-end heist that happened earlier this week at a Rebag store in SoHo.

These thieves got away with everything from handbags to watches ranging from $3,000 - $27,000 per item.

The two suspects were last spotted near Fresh Pond Road and 60 Road in Queens before committing the alleged robbery.

"First protocol is to make sure your staff is safe, which is the most scary part about it all," said For All Mankind assistant store manager Tommie Torres.

Police say around 11:00 p.m. on Monday, the pair came through the basement door of 390 West Broadway. Once they got inside, they smashed display cases and grabbed the goods. Investigators say both suspects are in their 40s and got away with $225,000 in merchandise.

"If there's guns involved, that's absolutely scary and sad," added For All Mankind sales supervisor Maddie Giolito. "Losing profit is one thing, but then you have to think about, like, the safety of you and your employees, as well."

The same Rebag store was hit nearly two years ago with $25,000 worth of goods stolen.

The incident at Rebag was the second burglary to happen in days, the other being an armed-gang robbery of a Gucci store in the Meatpacking District. Those looters made off with bags and other items after forcing employees and customers to the floor.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/rebag-burglary-robbery-soho-manhattan/14460010/

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- A man who burglarized a home in Southern California took a plunge instead of a prize, and the incident was all caught on video.

David Verdun, 36, broke into the home in Beverly Hills last month. While climbing a ladder to escape, he fell and landed right in the home's pool.

The home's security system alerted police to the break-in. They flew a drone over the property and caught the whole thing on camera.

After climbing out of the pool, Verdun tried to hide in the yard, but police found him and took him into custody.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/david-verdun-beverly-hills-ca-caught-on-camera-residential-burglary/14409758/

HILLBURN, New York (WABC) -- One person was killed after a police-involved shooting in Hillburn, New York.

Suffern Mayor Mike Curley confirmed the fatal shooting, which occurred after a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon near Exit 15B on the New York State Thruway.

According to officials, two New York State Troopers stopped a white Mercedes that they say was identified as a 'Be On the Lookout' on I-87 in the town of Ramapo.

The vehicle was wanted for fleeing a drive-by shooting earlier in the day in Albany that left one person hospitalized.

During the traffic stop by State Police, officials say the driver opened fire on troopers, who returned fire.

The driver was confirmed dead on the scene.

One trooper sustained minor injuries, and the other was unharmed.

Due to the ongoing police investigation, the southbound lanes on the I-87 are closed.

Source = https://abc7ny.com/hillburn-ny-police-involved-shooting-one-person-shot-custody/14267455/

YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- A bold porch pirate was caught on camera and is accused of stealing not one, but two packages from a home in Yonkers.

Police say the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jose Eder Mateo, took the packages and stuffed them into his bookbag.

A homeowner says he saw the theft in progress on his Ring camera and called 911.

Officers spotted him and said Mateo led them on a brief foot pursuit. A Yonkers public works employee also saw him running and helped stop Mateo by pushing him to the ground.

Mateo has been arraigned and released on his own recognizance. He is charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, both felonies, in addition to other misdemeanors.

Source = https://abc7ny.com/porch-pirate-jose-eder-mateo-yonkers-home-ring-camera-grand-larceny/14301278/

LINDENHURST, Suffolk County (WABC) -- Three people are facing charges following a wild brawl that occurred after a two-vehicle crash on Long Island last week.

Patrick O'Connor, Sr., James O'Connor, and Patrick O'Connor, Jr. are facing assault charges for the Dec. 20th road rage attack in North Lindenhurst.

The minutes-long brawl ensued after two trucks crashed on Sunrise Highway near North Green Avenue, causing one of the two to flip on its side.

Witnesses say as many as ten people broke out into a physical confrontation on the road.

"Saw a bunch of guys, probably five on five, swinging baseball bats and two-by-fours," Spiffy Car Wash Express owner Todd Christman recalled. "My understanding is nobody was seriously hurt, but some people were in the hospital."

Police say everyone involved in the fight seemed to have known each other.

Source  = https://abc7ny.com/lindenhurst-sunrise-highway-brawl-3-people-facing-charges/14226138/

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two teenagers were rushed to the hospital after being shot in Newark on Thursday, according to authorities.

It happened just before 3 p.m. near the Golden Pizza shop on South Orange Avenue, where police say they found the victims, a 15-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl, wounded.

Witnesses told Eyewitness News that the shooting stemmed from some sort of dispute inside the small pizzeria with another customer.

One was shot in the arm, and the other was shot in the torso.

Source = https://abc7ny.com/newark-shooting-new-jersey-2-teens-shot-nj-crime/14311848/

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The 45-year-old Brooklyn man fatally shot on a subway train Sunday night is believed to have been killed after intervening in a dispute over loud music, fellow passengers told detectives.

Officials say Richard Henderson was shot in the back and shoulder on Sunday just before 8:30 p.m. He was riding a Manhattan-bound No. 3 train approaching the Franklin Ave-Medgar Evers College station.

Detectives are being told that Henderson was attempting to break up the argument between two fellow passengers over loud music.

One of the men involved fired at Henderson as the subway train arrived at the Franklin Ave.-Medgar Evers College station. The gunman then fled into the station.

The victim was found inside a subway car at the station and was taken to Kings County Hospital where he died.

"Everywhere you go some random terrible thing. We just have to learn to live with it, Would be nice if we had better gun control but that's going to take big shift in politics and that's not about to happen," said Professor Jeff Spinner-Halevim.

The southbound No. 3 train was temporarily held Sunday night at the Franklin Avenue station.

Source = https://abc7ny.com/nyc-subway-shooting-brooklyn-crime/14325753/