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Man busted for stealing MTA bus from Staten Island Ferry terminal — again

Via Garibaldi 8

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Via Garibaldi 8

Via Garibaldi 8

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EXCLUSIVE: Man busted for stealing MTA bus from Staten Island Ferry terminal — again    

 

bus17n.jpg

“I want to be a bus driver,” Nickolas Ellias told police when he first drove a bus back to his home in 2014.

 ( JENNIFER BROWN/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS )
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, December 2, 2016, 2:04 PM

A 22-year-old man arrested two years ago for swiping a city bus was busted on Staten Island Friday for stealing another one, officials said.

 

Nickolas Ellias is accused of taking off in an empty city bus parked at the Staten Island Ferry terminal shortly after midnight, officials said.

 

Ellias took the bus on a nearly four-mile joyride, abandoning it at the corner of Port Richmond Ave. and Ann St. in Port Richmond, officials said.

 

The bus was reported missing about 2:20 a.m., police sources said.

 

Staten Island man takes MTA bus for joyride

 

Cops caught up with Ellias near his home on Broad St. in Stapleton about 3:15 a.m. and took him into custody.

Ellias seems to be following in the footsteps of city folk hero Darius McCollum, who has been getting in legal trouble for commandeering buses city buses subway trains since he was 15. McCollum is currently the subject of a documentary called “Off The Rails.”

 

nickolas-elliasm.jpg

Ellias seen driving the MTA bus he stole.

 (FACEBOOK/FACEBOOK)

Ellias first swiped a bus, from the same ferry terminal ramp, in June 2014 and drove it 1.6 miles to his home.

 

“I want to be a bus driver,” Ellias told police in 2014, according to a law enforcement source. “I was going to return the bus when I was done.”

 

Ellias pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the 2014 case and is on probation until 2018, officials said.

His arraignment on new grand larceny and criminal mischief charges was pending Friday.

 

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/man-steals-mta-bus-staten-island-ferry-terminal-article-1.2896301

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DetSMART45

DetSMART45

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Doesn't the MTA have a policy on locking the bus when the driver leaves?

Sure they do, but what I'd like to know is how .......

...The kid takes the bus shortly after midnight;

... He goes on a four mile ride;

... The bus is reported missing at 2:20am.

 

MTA dispatch must have been over at the Port Authority having a siesta.  And the NYPD must not have thought it odd to see a Night bus NOT making stops, shrugged the shoulders, and headed to the closest Dunkin' Donuts.

 

The stupidity is off the scale on this one.

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trainfan22

trainfan22

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Posted

Sure they do, but what I'd like to know is how .......

...The kid takes the bus shortly after midnight;

... He goes on a four mile ride;

... The bus is reported missing at 2:20am.

 

MTA dispatch must have been over at the Port Authority having a siesta.  And the NYPD must not have thought it odd to see a Night bus NOT making stops, shrugged the shoulders, and headed to the closest Dunkin' Donuts.

 

The stupidity is off the scale on this one.

I think he stole the bus that's parked right next to the exit of the bus terminal onto the street. In SI they always leave an extra bus parked in that area. I assume the TA leaves that bus there in case a bus breaks down at the Ferry terminal, they would have another one available right away.

 

Seeing an NIS bus after midnight is not uncommon in NY, some runs end/start at odd times. The B49 ends at 2AM and the last bus on it would be running NIS to Flatbush depot after it completes its run.

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DetSMART45

DetSMART45

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Posted

I think he stole the bus that's parked right next to the exit of the bus terminal onto the street. In SI they always leave an extra bus parked in that area. I assume the TA leaves that bus there in case a bus breaks down at the Ferry terminal, they would have another one available right away.

 

Seeing an NIS bus after midnight is not uncommon in NY, some runs end/start at odd times. The B49 ends at 2AM and the last bus on it would be running NIS to Flatbush depot after it completes its run.

Still doesn't explain how the police reports say the character stole the thing at, say, 12:10am and it was reported missing at 2:20am.  One would think that if NYPD was notified even within 15 minutes of discovering the bus was gone, a Priority call would go out, and it would have been noticed -- especially the coach number.  At the very LEAST, MTA Dispatch could have tracked it because the GPS is on, and relayed the information.

 

And with the way security is, I'm certain there's some type of NYPD presence (including someone from the MTA Police division) at the Ferry Terminal 24/7, so there's all sorts of holes in this whole escapade.

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DetSMART45

DetSMART45

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And let the "mental illness" defense begin .............

 

Stapleton man accused of stealing MTA bus stops short of suicide in cell
15227183-large.jpg
Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com By Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com
Email the author
on December 03, 2016 at 10:55 PM, updated December 03, 2016 at 11:27 PM
 
 
 

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Stapleton man accused of stealing an MTA bus at the St. George ferry terminal considered attempting suicide while in custody Saturday, according to an NYPD spokesman.

 

Nickolas "Drizzy" Ellias, 22, tied his shirt to the cell bars as if to hang himself "but it didn't go further," the spokesman said. He was later hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

 

Ellias was arrested on Friday after he allegedly stole a bus from the transit ramp at the ferry terminal sometime between midnight and 3 a.m.

 

The bus was observed being driven away on the facility's surveillance camera. Ellias went on a nearly four-mile joyride before abandoning the bus near Church Street and Port Richmond Avenue in Port Richmond, an NYPD spokesman said. 

 

He was arrested and charged with grand larceny auto and criminal mischief. The bus incurred minor damage on the right side, authorities said. 

 

Ellias was known to authorities for previously stealing another bus in 2014.

 

He pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, the top count against him, and also pleaded guilty to a lower felony count of fourth-degree grand larceny and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized vehicle use, Advance records show. 

 

In 2015, Ellias allegedly attacked a registered nurse who was trying to treat him at Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton. He wrapped his hands about the nurse's throat and squeezed, causing "redness and substantial pain to her neck," according to a criminal complaint against him.

 

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/report_stapleton_man_accused_o.html

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QM1to6Ave

QM1to6Ave

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Posted

And let the "mental illness" defense begin .............

 

 

Stapleton man accused of stealing MTA bus stops short of suicide in cell

 

15227183-large.jpg

 

Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com By Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com Email the author

on December 03, 2016 at 10:55 PM, updated December 03, 2016 at 11:27 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Stapleton man accused of stealing an MTA bus at the St. George ferry terminal considered attempting suicide while in custody Saturday, according to an NYPD spokesman.

 

Nickolas "Drizzy" Ellias, 22, tied his shirt to the cell bars as if to hang himself "but it didn't go further," the spokesman said. He was later hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

 

Ellias was arrested on Friday after he allegedly stole a bus from the transit ramp at the ferry terminal sometime between midnight and 3 a.m.

 

The bus was observed being driven away on the facility's surveillance camera. Ellias went on a nearly four-mile joyride before abandoning the bus near Church Street and Port Richmond Avenue in Port Richmond, an NYPD spokesman said. 

 

He was arrested and charged with grand larceny auto and criminal mischief. The bus incurred minor damage on the right side, authorities said. 

 

Ellias was known to authorities for previously stealing another bus in 2014.

 

He pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, the top count against him, and also pleaded guilty to a lower felony count of fourth-degree grand larceny and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized vehicle use, Advance records show. 

 

In 2015, Ellias allegedly attacked a registered nurse who was trying to treat him at Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton. He wrapped his hands about the nurse's throat and squeezed, causing "redness and substantial pain to her neck," according to a criminal complaint against him.

 

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/report_stapleton_man_accused_o.html

Just looking at the guy from te pictures, you can see something is off with him mentally. Whether or not he knew what he was doing was wrong is a different question for the legal system

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LTA1992

LTA1992

Posted
Posted

And let the "mental illness" defense begin .............

 

Stapleton man accused of stealing MTA bus stops short of suicide in cell
15227183-large.jpg
Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com By Irene Spezzamonte | ispezzamonte@siadvance.com

Email the author

on December 03, 2016 at 10:55 PM, updated December 03, 2016 at 11:27 PM

 
 
 

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Stapleton man accused of stealing an MTA bus at the St. George ferry terminal considered attempting suicide while in custody Saturday, according to an NYPD spokesman.

 

Nickolas "Drizzy" Ellias, 22, tied his shirt to the cell bars as if to hang himself "but it didn't go further," the spokesman said. He was later hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

 

Ellias was arrested on Friday after he allegedly stole a bus from the transit ramp at the ferry terminal sometime between midnight and 3 a.m.

 

The bus was observed being driven away on the facility's surveillance camera. Ellias went on a nearly four-mile joyride before abandoning the bus near Church Street and Port Richmond Avenue in Port Richmond, an NYPD spokesman said. 

 

He was arrested and charged with grand larceny auto and criminal mischief. The bus incurred minor damage on the right side, authorities said. 

 

Ellias was known to authorities for previously stealing another bus in 2014.

 

He pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, the top count against him, and also pleaded guilty to a lower felony count of fourth-degree grand larceny and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized vehicle use, Advance records show. 

 

In 2015, Ellias allegedly attacked a registered nurse who was trying to treat him at Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton. He wrapped his hands about the nurse's throat and squeezed, causing "redness and substantial pain to her neck," according to a criminal complaint against him.

 

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/report_stapleton_man_accused_o.html

When I used to live on the island, this kid would haunt the front of the S48 next to the driver. Mind you, he wouldn't pay the fare. Just from looking at him and being in his presence, I knew something was off. My instincts are very good. My sister knows him personally and confirm that he's crazy. However, at the same time, she glosses over his actions.

 

It's not a defense. Most people who are right in the head would not do this. It takes someone who either does not care about the consequences, or outright has no control over oneself to do this.

 

As Around The Horn said, if he is, he is.

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Around the Horn

Around the Horn

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Posted

When I used to live on the island, this kid would haunt the front of the S48 next to the driver. Mind you, he wouldn't pay the fare. Just from looking at him and being in his presence, I knew something was off. My instincts are very good. My sister knows him personally and confirm that he's crazy. However, at the same time, she glosses over his actions.

 

It's not a defense. Most people who are right in the head would not do this. It takes someone who either does not care about the consequences, or outright has no control over oneself to do this.

 

As Around The Horn said, if he is, he is.

 

I'm pretty sure we had this same "discussion' when he first stole a bus...

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IAlam

IAlam

Posted
Posted

Sure they do, but what I'd like to know is how .......

...The kid takes the bus shortly after midnight;

... He goes on a four mile ride;

... The bus is reported missing at 2:20am.

 

MTA dispatch must have been over at the Port Authority having a siesta.  And the NYPD must not have thought it odd to see a Night bus NOT making stops, shrugged the shoulders, and headed to the closest Dunkin' Donuts.

 

The stupidity is off the scale on this one.

 

Considering 75% of the buses I see in SI are usually NIS I'm not surprised the cops probally wouldn't find it sus. But lack of communication was the main issue. 

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checkmatechamp13

checkmatechamp13

Posted
Posted

Sure they do, but what I'd like to know is how .......

...The kid takes the bus shortly after midnight;

... He goes on a four mile ride;

... The bus is reported missing at 2:20am.

 

MTA dispatch must have been over at the Port Authority having a siesta.  And the NYPD must not have thought it odd to see a Night bus NOT making stops, shrugged the shoulders, and headed to the closest Dunkin' Donuts.

 

The stupidity is off the scale on this one.

 

A lot of buses deadhead along Richmond Terrace to get between St. George and the Castleton Depot. At 2:20am, there's still some buses that might be finishing their runs at that time. 

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