Captain Thomas Conforti addressed more than 400 residents who filled a church basement back in April in response to the emergence of a burglary pattern in Forest Hills. Now, after five months, and a crucial arrest, residents can breathe a little easier. File Photo
The arrest of carrier criminal Mario Girau, nearly two weeks ago, has brought a halt to a spree of residential burglaries that plagued the Forest Hills community and the 112th precinct for months.
In an update about the burglaries posted on the Facebook page of the 112th Precinct Community Council, Captain Thomas Conforti reiterated his belief that his cops “caught their burglar,” when they caught Girau red handed after following him to the confines of the 106th precinct.
Upon executing a search warrant for Girau’s Brooklyn home, police found electronics and jewelry from at least four of the burglaries that occurred in the 112, covering Forest Hills and Rego Park, and four additional burglaries that took place in the 106, which covers Ozone Park and Howard Beach.
Since the arrest there have been no residential burglaries in the area.
Conforti said he anticipates the perpetrator in this case to be in jail for what he termed a “decent” amount of time.
News of the arrest of the burglar was extremely well received by residents who continued to offer their support and gratitude for the implementation of the Facebook page that many in the community are following.
Organizers of the page are currently planning to expand their social media reach by inviting the online public to attend virtual town hall meetings. Details will be released in The Forum as soon as they are available.
Conforti also informed residents via the 112th Community Council’s Facebook page that his officers have been reminding pedestrians along Queens Boulevard of the dangers of jaywalking. The effort comes in light of a fatal accident on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 21, when a 58-year-old Elmhurst woman was struck and killed as she crossed Queens Boulevard. Conforti stressed that pedestrians need to use the enhanced safety designs implemented on the boulevard in recent years, including extra wide crosswalks and countdown clocks.
Nisath Hossain, an immigrant from Bangladesh, was reportedly walking home from her job at McDonald’s around 10:15 p.m. when a silver minivan traveling westbound struck her and then sped off, according to the NYPD. She was transported to North Shore University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
By Patricia Adams
