NYC man wanted for assault refuses to leave tree for over 24 hours

[The Bobster]

NYC man wanted for assault refuses to leave tree for over 24 hours

A Queens man wanted on assault charges hatched a bird-brained scheme to avoid arrest — by shimmying up a tree and refusing to come down for more than 24 hours, cops said Thursday. A Queens ma…

nypost.com

NYC man wanted for assault refuses to leave tree for over 24 hours​

October 7, 2021 6:16pm Updated

A Queens man wanted on assault charges hatched a bird-brained scheme to avoid arrest — by shimmying up a tree and refusing to come down for more than 24 hours, cops said Thursday.
A Queens man has been avoiding arrest by staying in a tree he climbed for over 24 hours, according to police.ABC7
Police were called to a home on 145th Avenue in Jamaica on a report of an assault on a woman at 2 p.m. Wednesday – but when they showed up, the 44-year-old suspect bolted to the roof, police said.
From there, he climbed into a tree — and has been chilling there ever since, according to cops.
The 44-year-old man in the tree is wanted for assaulting a woman.ABC7
NYPD hostage negotiators were still outside the home Thursday afternoon — but the long arm of the law hasn’t been able to reach him just yet.
The man is apparently trying to negotiate his freedom, according to police.
If and when he comes down, he’ll be arrested for the assault, police confirmed.

 

[voiceofreason]

Video:

Man climbs down Queens tree after spending more than 2 days up there

It all began Wednesday afternoon on the roof of the 145th Street home in the Brookville section and continued into Friday

abc7ny.com

 

[The Bobster]

NYC man evading arrest finally leaves tree after 48 hours

A Queens man who tried to avoid arrest by climbing into a tree Wednesday, refuses to come down after more than 48 hours, police said Friday.

nypost.com

NYC man evading arrest finally leaves tree after 48 hours​

By
Craig McCarthy and

Larry Celona


October 8, 2021 3:52pm
Updated

A 44-year-old man wanted for an alleged assault remains in a tree on 145th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. Matthew McDermott


This guy’s escape attempt is getting pretty squirrelly.
A Queens man who tried to avoid arrest by climbing into a tree Wednesday, refused to come down for more than 48 hours, police said Friday.
The 44-year-old man, who was wanted in connection to an alleged assault, has camped out in the tree outside a home on 145th Avenue in Jamaica since 2 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
He had been peeing in the tree and surviving off some food and glucose pack officers gave him Thursday, according to police sources.
The cops had put the provisions on the roof and the 44-year-old jumped over to grab them, but quickly returned to his perch, the sources said.
At one point overnight, though, sources said the man was eating leaves.
[IMG alt="Queens: EDP barricaded in a tree at 225th Street and 145th Avenue in queens.
"]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/man-in-tree-5.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=683[/IMG]Neighbors told cops that the man has often hidden in that tree, according to sources. Matthew McDermott for NY Post [IMG alt="EDP barricaded in a tree at 225th Street and 145th Avenue in queens.
"]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/man-in-tree-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024[/IMG]The 44-year-old man has camped out in the tree outside a home on 145th Avenue in Jamaica since Wednesday. Matthew McDermott for NY Post Spectators with binoculars and phones watch the stranded suspect in the tree. Matthew McDermott Cops were first called to the house on Wednesday for a report of an assault on a woman.Matthew McDermott for NY Post
Police were also spotted Friday afternoon leaving another bag of food for the man, who climbed halfway down the tree to retrieve it.
Around 5 p.m. the man climbed down, went inside and police backed off.
The man, whose name was not released, was seen standing in the Queens house, talking with people through an open front door.
Cops were first called to the house on Wednesday for a report of an assault on a woman.
But when officers arrived, the suspect climbed into a tree from the roof.
NYPD Hostage Negotiators were in and for days to try to convince the man to come down.
Apparently, it wasn’t his first time up in the tree.
The NYPD hang a bag of food for the “tree man.” Matthew McDermott for NY Post Authorities park on 145th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. Matthew McDermott
Neighbors told cops that he had often hidden in that tree, according to sources.
“He has spent nights in the tree before,” sources said.
One police source griped to The Post, “I don’t know why the cops didn’t just say, ‘Fine, stay up there,’ and go sit around the corner.”
“Then when he comes down, just grab him,” the source said.
The NYPD may return to bring the man psychological evaluation and serve the warrant for the alleged assault.
Police have yet to persuade the alleged suspect to get down from the tree.Matthew McDermott

 

[voiceofreason]

Man climbs down Queens tree after spending more than 2 days up there

It all began Wednesday afternoon on the roof of the 145th Street home in the Brookville section and continued into Friday

abc7ny.com

Man climbs down Queens tree after spending more than 2 days up there​

Friday, October 8, 2021 6:33PM

BROOKVILLE, Queens (WABC) -- After more than 52 hours, a man has come down from his perch in a tree in Queens.

According to Eyewitness News Reporter Stacey Sager, police brought food for Roody Thomas around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Thomas climbed down from the tree and retrieved the food, but climbed right back up.

Around 5 p.m. he clambered out of the tree and onto the roof of his mother's house and then climbed inside a window.

Thomas climbed the tree following an argument with his mother.

A criminal complaint filed his mother, 65-year-old Irlande Defailly, states that she got into a verbal dispute with the 44-year-old Thomas, at her home on 145th Street home in the Brookville section around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.


According to the complaint, during the dispute he told her 'I am going to kill you.'

When responding police officers arrived, Thomas climbed up onto the roof of the home and later clambered into a tree, where he remains.

Authorities, neighbors, and friends had been negotiating with Thomas to get him to come down ever since.

He has shouted that he did not want to go back to jail, saying he was abused behind bars.

In 2012, Thomas filed a lawsuit claiming that in 2008 he was assaulted by a captain and as many as 10 other officers at Rikers Island.

The lawsuit has gone through the legal system and its final disposition is unclear.


There is also a warrant out for Thomas' arrest after he allegedly assaulted his 50-year-old girlfriend.

Police said the two were in his white BMW in Laurelton back on September 30 when they got into an argument.

According to police, Thomas was driving when he struck her in the face, causing pain and swelling to her chin or jaw.

"Don't tell him he has warrants for his arrest," neighbor Shannon Warmington said. "When he thinks he's going to jail, and that's what he thinks now, he's not going down."


"This is something that he does all the time," NYPD Chaplain Dr. Reba Perry said. "He gets in the tree. It's not unusual for him to be in the tree. He's from Haiti. They climb trees."

Dr. Perry, who is also a nurse, psychologist and happens to be his neighbor, was helping with the negotiations to bring him down.

"Unfortunately when you have a psychological program that isn't claimed, you have to approach it differently," she said. "He's come down five times. It's unstable. He hasn't eaten since yesterday."

 

[The Bobster]

NYC non-violence advocacy group helps get man down from tree

A Queens man who parked himself in the branches of a tree for two days in a bid to evade cops finally left his leafy perch thanks to a local activist who preaches peace. An apparently emotionally d…

nypost.com

NYC non-violence advocacy group helps get man down from tree​

By
Dana Kennedy


October 9, 2021 4:14pm
Updated









Man hiding in tree gets food from NYPD






A Queens man who parked himself in the branches of a tree for two days in a bid to evade cops finally left his leafy perch thanks to a local activist who preaches peace.
An apparently emotionally disturbed Roody Thomas, 44, who was wanted in connection to an alleged assault, had camped out the unusual spot outside the home he shares with his mother on 145th Avenue in Jamaica since 2 p.m. Wednesday, law enforcement sources said.
Roody Thomas, who spent over two days in a tree to avoid arrest for an alleged assualt, was persuaded to come down thanks to local activists.Matthew McDermott for NY Post
Police swarmed the tree and tried to persuade Thomas to come back to Earth, to no avail, prompting Erica Ford, the co-founder of Life Camp in southeastern Queens, a violence prevention group, to give it a try.
Erica Ford the co-founder of Life Camp in southeastern Queens.YouTube Erica Ford and Au Hogan of Life Camp in Queens were brought in to talk to Thomas.Matthew McDermott for NY Post
Ford, along with her “chief of streets” Au Hogan, asked cops to pull out of the area so they could talk directly with Thomas.
“We told the police, this is not working and asked if we could negotiate with him,” Ford said. “There were about 100 cops out there. When we talk about reimagining public safety this is what we mean. We have to shift how we handle some things. Bringing all of this force and units doesn’t work.”
Ford, Hogan, a friend of Thomas’ from the neighborhood and a nurse who also lives nearby spoke to him after Ford said a lot of the police moved out.
Thomas came down within five minutes of talking to the community activists and other neighbors.Matthew McDermott for NY Post Thomas is currently inside of his home and in the process of receiving social services.Matthew McDermott
Thomas came down from the tree within five minutes, she said, and is now home with friends and family as Life Camp seeks social services for him.
Thomas had been peeing in the tree and surviving off some food and glucose packs officers gave him Thursday, according to police sources. At one point, he even ate leaves.