Suspect Accused Of Smashing 42 LinkNYC Wi-Fi Kiosks Spotted In New Video
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police have released new images of the man they say has been damaging dozens of LinkNYC kiosks in Manhattan.
The kiosks replaced phone booths and provide free Wi-Fi and calling services, CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported Tuesday.
MORE: Vandal Smashes 30 LinkNYC Screens At Wi-Fi Kiosks Across City
NYPD officers took pictures of the shattered glass of a kiosk on West 14th Street near 7th Avenue. Caution tape covered another damaged one further down the street.
Late Tuesday night, authorities say the suspect seen throwing a rock at the terminals is now accused of attacking 42 Wi-Fi kiosks all throughout Manhattan.
Suspect accused of damaging dozens of LinkNYC kiosks. (Credit: NYPD)
“Why? Why would you do that? I mean, they’re spending a lot of money to put those out there and it’s kind of convenient,” said Sandra Brathwait, who works in the area.
Police say the suspect has out his vandalism across at least five NYPD precincts, including the 6th, 10th, 13th, Midtown South, and Midtown North Precincts.
“It seems like an unnecessary form of anger, so it bothers me, definitely,” West Village resident David Hutchings said.
On Friday, Mohammed Islam was at his fruit stand at the corner of 14th Street and 5th Avenue when he said he heard a loud crash at the kiosk just steps away. He said he saw the suspect, a man, throw a large stone at the screen in broad daylight.
“A lot of people see … he broke the other one and then go,” Islam said.
The kiosks have received backlash for being a place where the homeless camp out and where others use the Wi-Fi to watch pornography. Police have not linked those concerns to this string of vandalism, Cline-Thomas reported.
Anyone with information about this crime spree is asked to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
http://bit.ly/2W6Ok0g
April 24, 2019 at 10:05AM
No comments: