Whether you’re an unruly youngster or intoxicated adult, it’s never okay to throw things out of your window. And it’s even less okay if the thing you’re tossing has bodily fluids in it.
“Today, walking on the west side of Broadway between 98th-99th streets, two urine filled plastic bottles came crashing down, missing me by inches,” an ILTUWS reader recently told us by email. “It came from 244 West 99th Street in front of Health Nuts and the flower vendor says it happens all the time. I called the police who came to my apartment & they listened patiently but since I didn’t know the apartment # there was nothing they could do. They said they’re going to go talk to someone but an inch more and I’d be in the hospital.”
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We contacted Health Nuts (which has an entrance address of 2611 Broadway but is part of the same building) and spoke to the store manager, Nima, hoping we could help uncover the number one offender.
He confirmed that his outdoor flower vendor, Manuel, had seen the urine-filled bottles drop multiple times.
We went to the store to chat with Manuel, who pointed to a window two floors above the store with several plastic bottles on its ledge. Then he pointed out a bottle inside a bush in front of the store with liquid still in it.
We went into the store and spoke to Nima further. He had apparently contacted the building super, Carlos, about the situation. He pointed us to his office just around the corner and we walked in.
We greeted Carlos and spoke to him about the situation. He said the person of interest was either in apartment # 327 or 326, and that one of the bottles had almost struck an elderly woman. (We’re not sure if he was referring to a separate incident or if he was describing the same person who had contacted us).
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Carlos invited us to investigate with him.
We went to apt # 327 and knocked on the door. The resident said it wasn’t him. Also, he had an air conditioner in his window, and couldn’t actually open it. He was clear.
Then, Carlos knocked on apt # 326 several times. No one answered.
He didn’t have the key, so he called building management and someone brought one to him.
Carlos opened the door a crack, announced himself as the super, and a few minutes later, a man who appeared to be in his mid-20s to early 30s gave himself up.
He admitted he was the pee-bottle-dropper, but that “he wasn’t trying to hurt anybody.”
Carlos told him he needed to stop this behavior, and the man opened his window and began pulling the existing bottles off the ledge.
The super told us he’d be writing a letter to building management about the man in apartment # 326, and Nima from Health Nuts was very happy the problem was resolved. Let’s hope it was.
Just amazing that the police basically shrugged and said “gosh, we can’t find the guy who did it” when it was this easy to do so.
Ridiculous laziness and dereliction of duty by the NYPD (and reminiscent of how cops a few months ago claimed they were powerless to stop someone who was launching eggs from a building at 72nd & Broadway).
Thankfully, it sounds like ILTUWS stepped into the void, nice reporting!
I agree with Jeff. It feels like the cops would rather have this type of behavior continue so they can bemoan the decline of the city without doing anything to nip this type of thing in the bud. Thanks for going the extra mile, Joshua!
Great reporting.
Great work by Joshua Dudley.
The cops should be given this information. I’m sure they won’t do anything, but still, this person should be on their radar.
A big thanks to Joshua Dudley!!! Just wondering if there was any explanation because I can’t think of one good one!
I’m guessing the dude was clearly too lazy to leave his intense game of Grand Theft Auto (or something of the sort.)
Great job, Joshua Dudley!
Good investigative work! Three cheers for Joshua Dudley and ILTUWS!
Well done, for your excellent sleuthing, and (hopefully) stopping this guy! Now that he’s been identified, surely he can be arrested for this behavior?!!
Journalists always go the extra mile. Thanks for the good work, Sir!! Impressive.
Who is the New York City Council Member for that address?
That’s who should be informed about this, in addition to the Mayor.
Maybe he’s a gamer who pees in a bottle cause he doesn’t want to leave the game.
I think it is much more likely that the police were as passive as they are, and as they have been with respect to the motorbikes, motorcycles and power scooters that power through red lights with cars already stopped at the red light, that drive the wrong way down one way streets and that drive on the sidewalk, because of the prevailing cultural view (at least among our politicians) that we want less rather than more enforcement. If you were a member of the police department what would you think and how would you react? If you want more enforcement, then express that desire loudly, often and to the people we have (foolishly) elected to represent us in Albany and in the city council, and to the community board (whom we do not elect) but as activists they seem to come from the same mold as our politicians. I cannot imagine any other explanation for the malaise we are seeing in terms of having rules and showing people they need to be followed when we lived packed in cheek to jowl in a large city. Take away the rules and take away any expectation that they will be followed and we kill our ability to live together happily and peacefully.
Send entire story to tips@nypost.com and the equivalent at The Daily News and since they both (rightfully it would appear) have no love lost for our romp-and-stomp mayor, get the media stirred regarding the obvious malfeasance of the 24th Precinct on 100th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus.
The 24th has a precinct captain and a community relations officer who should be made aware of the do-nothing/know-nothing cops who work out of their precinct. This is egregious and shameful behavior on their part especially since (a) the DNA/evidence is right in the bottles and (b) as noted, an inch or two to the left or right, and someone would be in the hospital or worse. This guy should be evicted for what he did not a slap on the wrist and cops who turn their back on the public they are sworn to serve and protect; or did they forget that part on the way to depositing their paychecks.
Thanks Joshua Dudley. You are a hero! Great reporting.
Great investigative reporting! Way to make a difference.
This is a bizarre activity even by NYC standards. Glad the pee-er was caught yellow-handed.
Good job! The police are useless.
I agree with Frank.
Thank you, ILTUWS, for your excellent research and reporting. Might you launch a campaign to have greater protection from the motor bikes, cyclists, scooters that break traffic laws? I am a septuagenarian and have been scared countless times and have been hit almost as many times. The Upper West Side is a such a wonderful area in which to walk. What a pity and truly what a crime that it feels so unsafe now to do so.
The question is…why was this guy doing that in the first place!?
In defense of the police, they have little or no support from the criminal justice system – this episode would have resulted in a lot of paper work for a desk summons, which is basically an effort in futility. Along will come a Legal Aid atty who will demean the police and make the criminal the victim. It comes down to Alvin Bragg, the politicians in Albany and City Council members who are so out of step with the public, and too busy holding on to their power base.
Give me a break. All they had to do was what this reporter did: ask questions, identify the guy, and talk to him. You can’t blame Bragg for this one. NYPD are simply lazy.
When are we, the citizens, going to have some say in the appropriate penalties for behavior like this? Deliberating dropping medical waste outside your window deserves more than a desk summons. The minimum penalty should be 6 months spent picking up trash on the UWS. Think of how clean our neighborhood would be if everyone who commits a misdemeanor had to do THAT.
Quick! Give the police more money so maybe they’ll do the job that they’re already getting paid to do!
My neighbor, who is currently pregnant, was walking by Healthy Nut yesterday with her husband and there was a knife was thrown over her head at a truck, nearly hitting her! We have reason to believe this is done by the same person. We wanted to report this information for your future reporting on the issue!