By Joe Anuta
Two Glendale men accused of committing a long string of graffiti vandalism over several years were arrested earlier this month by officers at the 104th Precinct, police said.
Matthew Young, 23, of 71-07 65th Place, was charged with 54 counts of criminal mischief and Thomas Rank, 19, of 79-33 Myrtle Ave., faces 24 counts in incidents that one officer estimated cost residents “tens of thousands of dollars,” police said. They have also been charged in the surrounding 108th and 112th precincts, according to police.
Young was arrested Jan. 4, the same day he allegedly tagged a police vehicle, after officers said that they caught him in the act on Cooper Avenue. He was arraigned Jan. 6 and required to post $10,000 bail.
Rank was arrested Jan. 7 after officers said they responded to a domestic dispute he was involved in. The suspect allegedly crawled out the back window of his house and fled on foot before officers made the arrest, police said. He was arraigned Jan. 6 with bail set at $9,000.
According to Alison Potokin, the graffiti officer at the 104th Precinct, the two suspects have a long history. She contended Young has been tagging the area for up to eight years and Rank for five.
Young allegedly vandalized train overpasses and telephone poles, while Rank is accused of mainly tagging the walls of businesses, according to Potokin.
“They want the notoriety, the so-called fame,” Potokin said. “They just like to vandalize.”
This particular brand of vandalizing is popular with kids in the Ridgewood area, Potokin said. In 2010, the 104th Precinct had the second-highest graffiti-related arrest numbers in all of New York City with 174. And even though 2011 has barely begun, Potokin said the precinct has already racked up 74 arrests.
“I’ve been busy,” she said.
Potokin’s sole job is to catch the vandals, either by spotting them in the act, using surveillance videos, or relying on witnesses.
She said the graffiti is an eyesore for residents.
“It makes the community look bad,” she said.
Potokin said the community can help by calling in graffiti to the police.
“If you see it in the act, get a description of what they look like,” she said.
In 2010, the department received just 29 calls to 911 and 11 to 311. But residents have been helping in other ways.
“We got the community involved,” Potokin said.
And they were serious.
About 800 graffiti cleanups were held in the 104th Precinct in 2010 by the Police Department and volunteers throughout the neighborhood.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
