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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell are alerting Staten Islanders to the potential dangers of buying and selling cars over the internet, especially on social-media platforms.
“Since the beginning of this year, seven incidents have taken place across the borough where Staten Islanders who arranged through Facebook Marketplace to either buy or sell a vehicle have been threatened with violence, had their vehicle stolen, or bought a vehicle with a fraudulent title,” according to a statement from McMahon and Sewell.
In an effort to deter such crimes, Patrol Borough Staten Island has offered each of its four precinct stationhouses as safe locations for people to buy and sell vehicles.
“As Staten Island’s top law-enforcement official, it is my obligation to keep residents informed of the latest schemes that criminals from outside our borough are using to victimize and take advantage of Staten Islanders,” McMahon said. “While each of these terrifying incidents remains under active investigation by my office and the NYPD, we are sounding the alarm to warn anyone considering buying or selling their vehicle to think twice before agreeing to meet a stranger or unverified business without law enforcement present to oversee the transaction.”
“The women and men of the NYPD are stepping forward to protect our city from the criminals who would prey upon people seeking to buy and sell their cars,” Sewell said. “Our efforts on Staten Island are an important part of that ongoing work and reflect the public safety mission we are carrying out in close collaboration with our partners in the Office of the Staten Island District Attorney and alongside all the people we serve.”
No prior notice to the NYPD is necessary to arrange a transaction at one of the precinct stationhouses. For any questions or for more information, email info@rcda.nyc.gov.
CARJACKING IN WESTERLEIGH
The brazen heist of a 2015 Mercedes-Benz CL2 occurred around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday on the 500 block of College Avenue between Crystal Avenue and Marianne Street, according to a spokesman for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
A 29-year-old woman told police that she listed the vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
The suspect asked to buy the sedan and then arrived on foot on College Avenue. He took the Mercedes-Benz for a test drive with the victim inside the vehicle. At the end of the test drive, the suspect allegedly reached into his black backpack, displayed a black firearm and pointed it toward the victim. He told her to leave the car and she complied, the source said.
The suspect fled the scene by driving westbound on College Avenue.
No injuries were reported, the police spokesman said.
The value of the Mercedes-Benz, described as white in emergency radio transmissions, was valued at about $16,500, according to police.
The investigation continues and no arrests have been made, the police spokesman said.
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