Man with bow and arrows hunts in jungle of New York City

Instead of Sherwood Forest, he hunted in the concrete jungle of New York City. In the absence of trees, the errant bow and arrow shots of this modern-day outlaw hit buildings in his affluent East Side neighborhood.

Photo: Man with bow and arrows hunts in jungle of New York City

One, fired from the defendant's fourth-floor apartment, landed on the kitchen floor of an apartment across the street. Two others hit scaffolding on another building, police and prosecutors said.

On Monday, Noel Luria, who reportedly said he was using the "elegant instrument" to celebrate his 40th birthday, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.

He was released on bail and scheduled to return to court on Sept. 26.

According to court papers, Luria, 39, "under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person."

Police said Luria fired the arrows from his apartment on Sunday, reportedly into a target block mounted on his windowsill. One errant arrow landed in a woman's fifth floor apartment.

The woman, identified in the complaint only as Serena F., woke up Sunday morning to find that "the sliding glass door in her apartment had a hole in it, the glass was shattered and an arrow was on her kitchen floor," causing $250 (185 EUR) in damage, it said.

Luria "admitted to shooting the arrow," according to the complaint, but told the Daily News in Tuesday editions that it was not his intention to hurt anyone.

"My intention was not to pick off somebody," he said. "My intentions were to have a good time. I'm turning 40. It's an elegant instrument."

The complaint said a crossbow, a compound bow and 49 arrows were removed from Luria's apartment. Two more arrows were found in the scaffolding.

His home telephone was not listed. His Legal Aid attorney, Karen Hamberlin, declined to comment while she investigates the case.