Police Commissioner Ray Kelly blasted a group of Brooklyn kids for their “extraordinary lack of cooperation” in the investigation of the slaying of a 19-year-old college student on his first trip to the borough.
Kelly slammed the group as he and the family of the slain man, Mark Fisher of Andover, N.J., upped the bounty on the killer’s head to $100,000. Kelly predicted the reward “would loosen some of the tight lips we’ve encountered in this case.”
Fisher’s family will provide $90,000 for information leading to the killer’s arrest. The NYPD will put up the rest.
The investigation has recently begun to focus on John Guica, 20, whom Fisher met while out drinking in Manhattan last October with classmates from Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Later, the group went to Guica’s house in Ditmas Park to party with Guica’s Brooklyn pals. Hours later, Fisher’s body was discovered on a sidewalk, a couple of blocks from Guica’s house.
Kelly said again yesterday the people who partied with Fisher continue to stymie the probe.
“We’re making some progress in the investigation but it is slow progress hamstrung by an extraordinary lack of cooperation,” he said. “We believe there is more than one person who knows who murdered Mark Fisher.”
Police cracked down on the neighborhood toughs last week, hitting several with summonses – including slapping Guica, who hosted the party where Fisher was last seen alive, with a fine for underage drinking.
Kelly vowed to keep the pressure on.
“The people who know something about Mark Fisher’s murder should understand – we are not going away,” he said. “They will have to look over their shoulders for a very long time.”
A lawyer for Guica friends Jessie Wenzel and his brother William – who were both arrested on drug charges more than a week ago – said, “We just don’t want the Wenzel family harassed any further.”
“If they had useful information, they wouldn’t pass up a $100,000 reward but you can’t make up something that’s not there,” said the lawyer, Arthur Aidala.
People with information are urged to call (800) 577-TIPS.