Two men were arrested early Tuesday morning after being spotted trying to steal the tires from a luxury car in Maspeth.
According to Captain Michael Cody, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, an unnamed witness spotted Cesar Cosme, 22 and Michael Rivera, 24, both of Brooklyn, before 2 a.m. Tuesday morning removing lug nuts from the wheels of a Cadillac Escalade in the vicinity of 58th Place and Maspeth Avenue.
After the witness allegedly confronted the two men, they allegedly fled the scene in a black 2004 Infiniti with a spoiler and tinted windows. Police are still investigating who the getaway car belonged to.
Shortly afterwards, two officers within the area pulled the car over at approximately 2:08 a.m. on 59th Street and Grand Avenue. After close inspection of the car, police found two lug wrenches and a screw driver in the back seat of the car. Police also found a floor jack, a concrete cinder block and sockets designed to remove stripped lug nuts and/or wheel locks in the trunk of the getaway car.
The witness later identified the two men as the individuals he spotted attempting to steal the rims and tires from the vehicle.
Both Cosme and Rivera were charged with attempted grand larceny upwards of $1,000; no arraignment date has been set yet, Captain Cody said.
From Maspeth to Middle Village and areas as far Lindenwood Queens communities have been hit by a string of car vandalism incidents over the summer, with more than a dozen incidents of cars being stripped of their tires and rims while parked as of July. Three similar incidents were reported in Maspeth as of August.
On whether the two suspects arrested Tuesday were connected to the string of tire and rim thefts in the area, Captain Cody said only that police were still investigating that possibility.
By Jean-Paul Salamanca
