By:Anthony Rifilato
A Brooklyn man was arrested last week for spray-painting graffiti, including several indecipherable tags, on several buildings and vehicles along Grand Avenue and Baldwin Avenue.
Police arrested Steven Calderon, 18, of 261 Barbey St. in Brooklyn, on Aug. 5 after a witness identified him as the culprit, police said.
Calderon was arrested on the corner of Grand and Baldwin avenues at 12:01 a.m., and was in possession of spray paint cans, according to police. He was charged with three counts of second-degree criminal mischief and one count of third-degree criminal mischief. He was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead.
Police said Calderon embarked on a graffiti spree, marking numerous vehicles, buildings and three garbage trucks. "He was spray-painting tags," said Lt. Andrew Fal of the First Precinct.
Among the businesses that Calderon hit are Sanitary District No. 2 at 2080 Grand Ave., Frank Electric at 2100 Grand Ave., First Class Automotive at 732 Baldwin Ave., Baldwin Graphics at 2096 Grand Ave., and Rhodes Locksmith at 2116 Grand Ave.
Calderon also spray-painted a number of vehicles parked near or in front of several of the businesses, including three brand-new garbage trucks.
Sanitation officials said that the vandalism was a slap in the face, especially after recent beautification projects along Grand Avenue. "We were shocked," said General Supervisor Bob Noble. The day after Calderon's arrest, Noble pointed to a vacant building being refurbished at 2075 Grand Ave., which had black graffiti at the top of the new concrete facade. "There the [owner] goes to beautify the building and he gets whacked like that," he said.
Noble said he was told about the graffiti a little after midnight on Aug. 5, after a local resident alerted authorities at the firehouse on Baldwin Avenue. The police were notified, and officer Anthony Paolicelli found Calderon on the corner of Grand and Baldwin.
The graffiti was more of a blemish than an artistic attempt by Calderon. Most of the extensive damage was done to the side of the building at Frank Electric, which was defaced with large, pink and silver graffiti, and First Class Automotive, where the wall and driveway door were sprayed with circular, indecipherable black tags. The business had recently refurbished its facade, Noble said.
The retaining wall at the sanitation parking lot also sustained damage, with large white graffiti running along the green wall. Overall, most of the graffiti was not elaborate, and the spray paint was mostly scribbled names, some large, some small.
The vandalism was discussed at last week's sanitation board meeting, and members said they will estimate the cost to fix the wall and trucks, adding that the paint on the garbage trucks should be easy to remove.
Police and sanitation officials said that this type of extensive graffiti was unusual in Baldwin. "That's something we've had the pleasure of not having," said Sanitation Commissioner Jerry Brown.
