By Evan Barton
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The cars parked at the north end of Willow Street, where it curves along to the wall of the BQE, have a history of vandalism and theft. The area is less frequented by pedestrians than other parts of the neighborhood, and the BQE wall adds to the secluded, if ominous, tone of the area at night.

At least one resident said he has had enough. Frank Santos, the soon-to-be 80 year old resident of 30 Hicks St., has lived on this block of Brooklyn Heights for more than fifty years.

“I’ve had three cars stolen here,� Santos said, citing a 1966 Chevy stolen in the late 1960s, a 1980 Volkswagen Beetle stolen in the early ’80s, and a 1989 Volvo stolen in the mid-90s. His cars have also been broken into several times over the years, and his current car — a 2005 Town and Country — had its windows broken last weekend.

Santos decided to do something about it, and Monday, he phoned the 84th Precinct to tell them he was going to keep watch over the area that night. He put a dark bag over his shirt — to cover a more attention-drawing plaid shirt, he said — and went and stood outside in a small garden close to the corner of Willow and Poplar, to see if anything would happen.

At 10 minutes after 8 o’clock he saw a vandal throw something, “probably a rock,� into one of the nearby cars. He didn’t break into the car then and there, he said, but kept walking down the street. Santos, witnessing the crime, called the 84th Police Precinct and told them what he saw. The precinct did not send anyone right away, Santos said, so when he saw the vandal come back onto the street and get into the car, he called the police again.

After calling the police again upon seeing the vandal leave the car and start walking back down the street, Santos finally spotted a police car heading toward Willow on Middagh Street. He stopped the car and described the suspect, who he says was wearing a black shirt and pants, and cream-colored shoes.

A suspect was caught at Prospect Street and Adams, and Mr. Santos identified him for the police at the time of arrest. He spent the night in jail, but as of press time, however, it seemed likely that he would not stay there.

“The DA spoke to the arresting officer, and said they wouldn’t be able to do anything until the owner reports it. They can’t hold him for more than 24 hours,� Santos said. The owner of the vandalized vehicle would have had to come forward by 9 p.m. Tuesday to confirm that the vehicle was not supposed to have been entered. The car, however, was not there anymore, and the owner has an unregistered phone number, preventing the police from getting in contact with him.

“This is all politics,� Santos complained. The police took pictures of the scene, he said, photographing the broken window and the glass surrounding the car. Santos, who worked as a hardwood finisher and a tow truck driver before retiring, is a sort of amateur detective by hobby, and says he has caught several vandals breaking into cars in the area over the last few years. The suspect, police said, was released from prison just last week, after serving a sentence for burglary.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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