Home improvement plans get derailed

White vans get a bad rap. It’s not uncommon to give them a wide berth in the street, or joke about someone with candy or a puppy inside. 

But on Oct. 12, a white van was the victim, not the culprit.

The 2016 Ford was parked outside an apartment building on the 3100 block of Kingsbridge Terrace for just about 30 minutes while the driver went inside his apartment, police said. But in that time, the catastrophic happened — someone shattered five of the van’s windows and stole $2,000 worth of tools and supplies from inside the car, including a drain snake, various door locks, and a Black & Decker angle grinder.

Cameras, but not in the right place

A driver returning to his vehicle that had been parked overnight found a nasty surprise waiting for him. While his van was still parked on the corner of West 237th Street and Independence Avenue, the window had been broken, police said, after someone spotted the contents of the van from the sidewalk.

They reached in and removed more than $300,000 worth of electronics, film and photography equipment, police said. The loot included multiple tripods, camera lights, headphones, cameras, and television screen, all plucked from the 2017 Dodge Caravan in the dead of night.

Not looking for a smoothie

It was early afternoon at the Delicious Delight Juice Bar on West 231st Street when someone walked in — not in search of a healthy pick-me-up, but instead a fight.

He entered the store and started waving a fake pistol and demanding money, police said. He then hit an employee on the head with the pistol, cutting him, before dropping the toy and running out of the store.

Cameras on the scene caught a man standing about 5-foot-7 and weighing 150 pounds. Police say he was wearing a black cap and surgical mask along with a black sweatshirt, sweatpants and black sneakers.

Luckily, the employee wasn’t seriously injured. Officers are investigating.