New York’ NY – He’s used to busting joyriders and chop-shop operators, but an NYPD “car geek” is being praised for helping to catch Leiby Kletzky’s killer.
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When cops hit a roadblock in the search for the 8-year-old boy, they turned to their in-house expert on motors rather than murderers – Detective Tom Burke.
“Call the car geeks!” Assistant Chief Joseph Fox ordered as detectives racked their brains trying to identify the late-model car the Hasidic boy was seen climbing into with a stranger.
Burke was in bed in Long Island when his boss called the night of Tuesday, July 12.
“He asked me if I had heard about the missing Jewish kid,” recalled Burke, who can tell a car’s make and model just by looking at its hubcaps.
Burke hitched a ride to Brooklyn with his partner, Detective Emanuel (Manny) Rossi. When they reached the command center in front of Leiby’s Borough Park camp, the search for the boy was in full swing and the look on Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski’s face was urgent.
Pulaski directed the car geeks to a computer, where they were shown a grainy video captured on an 18th Ave. car leasing company’s security camera.
Burke recalled scribbling the words Japanese and hubcaps.
“Within five seconds, I knew it was a Honda Accord,” said Burke, explaining the car’s compact size and simple rear design were telltale signs of a 1990s’ model.
“They change hubcaps every year,” he said. “They are very individual.”
Burke grabbed a printout of the fuzzy car and raced to the 66th Precinct stationhouse to compare it with similar models online.
Within minutes of reaching the stationhouse, Burke remembered that the only year Honda produced a gold-colored Accord like the one in the video was in 1990.
It turned out to be a key clue for Fox and Pulaski.
Forty-five minutes after Burke identified the car, two volunteer searchers spotted a match parked outside the Kensington home of Levi Aron.
I agree with #1 . When the two boys called after locating the vehicle, they were told its not known if its a honda. Now they find some geek to credit locating the car? Give me a break.
I like the way the article plays up the role of the NYPD an downplays the role of the volunteers who actually found the car.
guess what 1993 the accord was available in the same color I know I owned one
#1 What are you talking about? several days??? Do you mean several hours?
Get your facts right.
Where was the NYPD the first night (Monday)? Why didn’t they respond right away to the massive search?
Everyone is complaining that Shomrim didn’t call 911 till 2 hours later, but what did the NYPD do after they received the call (830pm Monday evening)? Why didn’t we see police searching for our dear Leiby the first night? Why did it take for the NYPD till Tuesday late morning to activate a full response in search for Leiby?
Who knows if we could’ve saved Leiby!
I don’t get it, once they had the info from dentist that Levy was there at 5:30 they sure found that this car is registerd to him. Why did they need further help?
most cases get cracked with the help of tips and help from the public
the police can not do it themselves
this case was cracked to same way most are the public and the police..
stop the nonsenses read other newspapers and read other stories not involving yiddin and you will see a few things
in cases with children many people get involved in the search sometimes in tens of thousands
most police cases get solved with the publics help
this does not diminish how the frum community got involved search and everything else the community did.
but it is not as unique as you think
To all those who are saying that we could have done something different to find him, resulting in a different outcome, I remind you that other than spiritual choices, we have no method of affecting worldly events. God is in full control and decides every minute detail.
This mindset—of always thinking that the police, or the firemen (basically, ‘the goyim’) didn’t really do the job, and the heimishe amateurs did—is incredibly childish, ungrateful—and just plain wrong. People like that live in a tiny bubble of delusion, fear of everyone not just like them, and misinformation. G-d help them when the bubble bursts.
I’m pretty sure the Kletzkys are grateful to the police, having—tragically—witnessed their hard work close up.
The boys saw the picture of the gold car on Vus is Neis at approximately 12:30 AM Wed morning. They left the house at approximately 1:00 AM to search and Hashem guided them to the murderer’s car. Since the car looked similar to the car in the video, they took pictures of the car and license plates. They called Shomrim for the make of the car, but Shomrim did not have the info at that time. Driving around the neighborhood a few minutes later they spotted a “similar” gold car. They got out, checked the license plate, and realized it was the same car which was now parked on a diff street! They then saw the murderer staring at them from across the street, wearing the same cap as in the video, and with a look of wild desperation on his face. They drove away, came back moments later, and saw that he had moved the car yet a 3rd time! They drove home planning to call the police, but found Shomrim as they were parking. They gave the license and pictures to Shomrim who immediately contacted police headquarters. The murderer was arrested about an hour and a half later. It was obvious that Yad Hashem guided them the entire time, enabling them to prevent a further tragedy.
NYPD did NOT break this case.
NYPD knew about this case when it was reported to them early MONDAY night.
Who searched and found the video evidence to know that the child did not trun in at 13th ave and who went door to door to search for video which eventualy lead to the video of the Killer picking up the boy waiting for him at the corner?
It was NOT the NYPD who went door to door to find all of these videos.
NYPD had all early MONDAY night to search for the video but the one who found it was NOT the NYPD but a simple amatuer volunteer Yid, who he was not PAID to do a job, didn’t have to do it but did it?
The one broke the case early MONDAY night, within the first few hours was Yaakov German, a Chassidish Yid form BP and NOT the NYPD
http://www.vinnews.com/87535/2011/07/15/brooklyn-ny-amateur-sleuth-yaakov-german-helps-cops-catch-levi-aron-and-solve-murder-of-leiby-kletzky
It was more than 30 hours, after Yaakov German (NOT the nypd) found the video, when the geek was even called in to ID the vehicle.
Yaakov German (as well as the 2 yeshiva bochrim who found the gold Acord, car) deserves the $100,000 reward and deserve all the credit – this article FAILD to mention it at all!
i think the police don’t even take or respond to a ‘missing person’ report until the person is missing 24 hours
The boys went out at 1:00 AM to search, and found the car almost immediately. They had absolutely no info from ‘the geek”. The car looked similar to the picture they saw on vus is neis. They took pictures of the car and license plate, and realized very soon that the murderer was moving his car from block to block. They found shomrim, gave them the license and make of the car, and reported how suspicious it was that the guy kept moving his car around, at 1:30 AM., (plus he was wearing a cap, looked desperate, and owned a gold car.) We realize now that he was prob trying to dispose of the body, but despaired when he realized that the boys were watching him… IF THE POLICE KNEW ABOUT HIM FROM THE GEEK AND DENTIST, WHY WAS THE MURDERER STILL A FREE MAN BUSILY MOVING HIS CAR AROUND FROM BLOCK TO BLOCK AT 1:30 AM!!!!!???
It was only after the boys reported to shomrim, who quickly contacted police headquarters with the info, that the murderer was arrested!!!!