Gypsy cab driver robs SU student
A Syracuse University graduate student entered an unmarked car he presumed to be a taxi early Saturday morning. After getting into the vehicle, the student was taken north on Route 81 to Cicero, where he was robbed and left alone on the side of the road, said Chief Tony Callisto of SU’s Department of Public Safety.
Callisto said the ‘fraudulent cab drivers’ will appear outside of venues where people will be coming out at night.
‘In this case, the cab was outside of a bar,’ Callisto said. ‘The student walked out of the bar and was heading for another cab when he was approached by this driver who said, ‘I’ll give you a ride for a lower fare.’ The driver of the cab, instead of driving to the south, where the student lived, drove north several blocks, where he picked up another person.’
The student sat in the front of the car while the other unknown passenger got into the backseat. There was no involvement by the individual who sat in the backseat, Callisto said.
A passerby going southbound on Route 31 saw the student walking on the side of the road and offered him a ride back to his residence east of campus.
An e-mail sent Saturday by DPS said ‘these unmarked false taxis’ are often known as ‘gypsy cabs.’ But during a phone interview Sunday, Callisto said DPS was ‘told by a few folks that the term ‘gypsy’ is an offensive term, and even though it has been commonly used by law enforcement circles, it’s not appropriate.’
Callisto said there are several signs students should be looking for before getting into a cab.
‘The city of Syracuse has a taxi-licensing requirement, and all taxis must be marked with the name of the taxi company on the door, as well as the taxi license number on the door,’ Callisto said. ‘When students see cars that are unmarked, it could be a sign that the person is a fraudulent driver, and this may lead the student into a situation where the student may become a crime victim.’
Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department sent an e-mail to central New York press organizations Dec. 1, 2008, detailing three larcenies that ‘fit the pattern of gypsy crime.’ But Callisto said the events are most likely unrelated.
‘This is a really specific scam where the use of unmarked vehicles that look like cabs are used by these folks that will hijack students into taking this ride,’ Callisto said. ‘This is unrelated to any burglary that may have happened within this area.’
Callisto said students should be cautious of these cabs, and that DPS is placing additional officers on patrols near Marshall Street and South Crouse Avenue, where the university-area bars are.
Sgt. Connellan of SPD and Lt. Joseph Cecile of SPD did not return calls for comment Sunday.
