Members of the 106th Precinct conditions team were honored Sept. 9 for their efforts in capturing an alleged graffiti vandal with the tag “Nick Nasty,” who had damaged numerous buildings in Howard Beach.
Police Officers Michael Baio, Frank Calafiore, Matthew Steiner, Andres Gonzalez, John Tripodi, Joseph Osolin and Sgt. Brian Goldberg received the Community Council’s August 2010 Cop of the Month award given by the precinct commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Joseph Courtesis and Council President Frank Dardani.
The vandal had defaced over 15 locations in Howard Beach during June and July, including the Bernard Fineson Developmental Center. The inspector said the graffiti “Nasty” put on buildings were sometimes very distasteful.
“He had to be stopped,” said Courtesis.
According to Courtesis, the perpetrator was upset about a recent breakup with his girlfriend and decided to defame her all over town.
The inspector said the suspect confessed to all of his graffiti crimes.
Courtesis said that during the evening of July 21, the officers stopped and questioned a group of young adults on Crossbay Boulevard who said they had videotaped the perpetrator tagging one of the businesses in Howard Beach.
At 156th Avenue and Crossbay Boulevard, the officers spotted an individual parked in a car. Courtesis said that when questioned, he said he had witnessed the graffiti vandal tagging the building and had noted the perpetrator’s license plate number.
Inspector Courtesis said that with the license plate number and the video in hand the officers were able to identify the graffiti vandal.
