Cops Bust Serial Shoplifter on Wall Street; Bragg Indicts Alleged Necrophile

Some people say that no news is good news but that’s not always true, especially for the hard-working scribes of Crime Watch. First of all, without news, what would you be reading? A novel? Second, NYPD have an entire unit, and an X account named NYPD News, devoted to informing the public of certain of its activities.

And so it was that this valued purveyor of incidents, dates, and suspects recently heralded a trim and smiling young crime fighter named Officer Torres, from the 1st Precinct, down at the corner of Beach and Varick streets in Tribeca.

In fact, the official address of this handsome two-story limestone edifice is 16 Ericsson Place, the name that Beach Street assumes for a single block between Hudson Avenue and Varick. (John Ericsson, who lived on the block, was the designer of the Brooklyn-built, Union ironclad ship, the U.S.S. Monitor, which faced off against its Confederate counterpart, the C.S.A. Virginia, in a landmark naval Civil War battle on March 9, 1862.)

Which such history might weigh heavy on some, working cops don’t have the luxury of such reflection and on Tuesday May 6, when a 911 call made its way through the system, Officer Torres found himself at 17 Wall St., across from Federal Hall, where Broad Street turns into Nassau Street.

Turns out, a shoplifting incident had occurred and Officer Torres made the arrest. The alleged shoplifter’s name is Jacob Poole, a 31-year-old male, of 20 Catherine Slip, an address within the NYCHA Alfred E. Smith Housing complex just north of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Poole was charged with Robbery (3rd Degree); Criminal Possession of Stolen Property (5th Degree), and two counts of Petit Larceny. But that’s not all.

Turns out Poole has 75 previous arrests on his record, and this most recent trip to the slammer enabled cops to close out 11 additional cases.

With any luck and effective corrections, Jacob Poole’s next arrest will never occur. Nobody can say NYPD News didn’t warn us.

D.A. Bragg Indicts Alleged Necrophile Jorge Gonzalez

Felix Rojas, 44, the alleged subway necrophile, has been indicted for his crimes against the person of Jorge Gonzalez, 37 and now deceased, aboard on an R train during the late night of April 8, 2025, into the morning of April 9. Rojas is charged with two counts of Attempted Rape in the First Degree, one count of Sexual Misconduct, and one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree.

As previously reported in Crime Watch, Rojas was arrested on Sunday, April 27.

“Felix Rojas allegedly sexually assaulted a completely physically helpless man on the subway. This conduct is egregious, and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent,” said District Attorney Bragg.

“My thoughts are with Jorge Gonzalez’s loved ones who are continuing to mourn his tragic loss.”

Rojas, 5-foot-4, 145 pounds, and an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is being held without bail on Rikers Island.