A 40-year-old man who said he just moved to town didn’t pay his $178 cab fare from LaGuardia Airport, then left the cabbie waiting as the passenger went to his apartment and didn’t return, police said.
Police, called to the scene at 11:16 p.m., Wednesday, said they found the passenger, Ryan Schroeder, 40, and charged him with sixth-degree larceny. Police gave this account of the incident, including accusations not proven in court:
The taxi driver told police that the passenger agreed to pay the $178 fare and tried to do so with a credit card when the taxi arrived at the Avalon Darien apartment complex at 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road — but the card was declined.
Schroeder then went to his apartment, but didn’t return, according to the driver, who called police.
Police officers saw that the door to Apartment 1622 had been forced open and wasn’t secured. A short time later, Ryan Schroeder, who police later identified with his U.S. passport, came to the door.
He told police he had just moved to the apartment from the Cayman Islands and had forced open the door because he didn’t have his key with him, and other family members weren’t home.
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In other police news announced Tuesday:
— Police: Darien Man, 36, Struggled With Woman as She Held Their 3-Year-Old in Her Arms (July 31)
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He also told police that he didn’t know why his credit card was declined and he had no other way of paying the driver. He said he had lost his wallet when he entered the apartment. His family members were called, and they verified that his name is on the lease and he was permitted to be in the apartment, although he had arrived unannounced.
Since he wasn’t able to pay the cab fare immediately, Schroeder was arrested on a charge of sixth-degree larceny and his arrest was processed at Police Headquarters. He was released on a written promise to appear Aug. 6 in state Superior Court in Stamford.