Cops arrest suspect in shocking Brooklyn Heights stabbing

Nicolas Giraldo is alleged perp in citywide violent crime wave

June 24, 2023 Mary Frost

Cops arrested Nicolas Giraldo, 25, early Friday morning. He is charged with robbing and stabbing a man in Brooklyn Heights and at least six other violent incidents. NYPD surveillance photo

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Cops arrested the suspect wanted in a violent crime wave, including the robbery and stabbing of a man on Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights, at 2:30 a.m. Friday morning in Manhattan’s 6th Precinct. The 6th Precinct encompasses Greenwich Village and the West Village.

Nicolas Giraldo, 25, a resident of 83-10 Saint James Ave. in Queens, had been the subject of an intense police investigation of seven violent muggings — six in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn.

Giraldo was charged with six counts of robbery and two counts of assault, in addition to grand larceny.

A surveillance photo of Giraldo (aka Nicolas Giraldo Guevara), released by NYPD on Monday, June 19, showed him wearing a bright yellow shirt bearing the logo of the Pinnacle Electric company, which is located in Queens roughly five miles from the suspect’s residence. A person who answered the phone at Pinnacle on Friday morning said she had “no idea” who Giraldo is.

The block of Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights where a man was robbed and stabbed on June 13. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

Giraldo is alleged to have attacked a 55-year-old resident of Brooklyn Heights near the intersection of Joralemon Street and Columbia Place on the morning of June 13. The victim had been walking up the Joralemon Street hill from the vicinity of 360 Furman St. in Brooklyn Bridge Park when the perpetrator approached him from behind and “forcibly removed his bag, wallet [holding $300] and laptop,” police said. When the victim tried to retrieve his property, the suspect stabbed him in the arm and fled.

Shaken neighbors helped the bleeding victim, and EMS transported him to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in stable condition. He was subsequently released.

“To be honest with you, I was very shaken up. It just felt so violent,” one witness, who did not want her name used, told the Brooklyn Eagle at that time.

Linda DeRosa, president of the Willowtown Association, which represents the section of the Heights where the attack took place, said she was relieved and thankful cops had apprehended Giraldo.

“Thank you for the diligence of the 6th Precinct in Manhattan with the assistance of the 84th Precinct,” she told the Eagle on Friday. “It’s a sigh of relief for the Willowtown community.”

Joralemon Street is one of the main entrances to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It has been the scene of previous incidents involving individuals entering or leaving the park, especially during the summer months.

Deputy Inspector Adeel S. Rana, the 84th Precinct’s Commanding Officer. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Deputy Inspector Adeel Rana, Commanding Officer of the 84th Precinct, has been working to increase police resources and security measures in the park during the warm summer months.

At an 84th Precinct Community Council meeting held this past week, Scott Henderson, Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, announced there would be a record-breaking boost to cops in the park this summer.

“For the summer, we gave extra resources to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Normally, we place 24 cops there and a couple of supervisors. But I was able to twist some arms Downtown and we got 40 officers assigned to [the Park],” he said to applause from meeting attendees.

Scott Henderson, Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, announced this week that there would be more cops stationed in Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

A long chain of robberies and stabbings

Besides the Joralemon Street attack, six other incidents allegedly involving Giraldo include:

– The attempted theft of a watch from a 39-year-old man in front of 437 West 16th St. on May 7. The suspect threatened the victim with a knife during the incident, but the victim was able to flee to safety.

– The stabbing and theft of a cell phone from a 24-year-old man at 322 West 57th St. on June 5. The victim sustained lacerations to his right hand and torso and was transported to Mount Sinai West in stable condition.

– The theft of a cell phone and wallet from a 24-year-old man at 249 Grand St. on June 9. The suspect pushed the victim to the ground before demanding his property. However, the victim did not require medical attention.

– The stabbing and theft of a watch worth roughly $550 from a 55-year-old man on June 19 on East 36th Street. The suspect grabbed the victim and pushed him against a wall while stabbing his stomach. The victim was transported to Bellevue in stable condition.

– The theft of a watch and ring, with a combined value of roughly $15,000, from a 68-year-old man on June 19 in front of 158 East 35th St. The suspect displayed a knife but did not stab the victim.

– The theft of a necklace from a 40-year-old man on June 19 in front of 488 Madison Ave. The perpetrator pressed a knife against the victim’s stomach but the victim was uninjured. (The photos provided by the police come from this incident.)