SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ______________________ SCHEDULE 13G* Amendment #3 (Rule 13d-102) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT TO RULES 13d-1(b), (c) AND (d) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO 13d-2(b) VORNADO OPERATING COMPANY (Name of Issuer) Common Stock (Title of Class of Securities) 92904N103 (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2001 (Date of event which requires filing of this statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule 13G is filed: [ ] Rule 13d-1(b) [X] Rule 13d-1(c) [ ] Rule 13d-1(d) Page 1 of 11 Pages ________________ *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 2 of 11 Pages _________________________________________________________________ (1) NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Gotham Partners, L.P. _________________________________________________________________ (2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP ** (a) [X] (b) [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (3) SEC USE ONLY _________________________________________________________________ (4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION New York _________________________________________________________________ NUMBER OF (5) SOLE VOTING POWER -0- SHARES _________________________________________________________________ BENEFICIALLY (6) SHARED VOTING POWER -0- OWNED BY _________________________________________________________________ EACH (7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- REPORTING _________________________________________________________________ PERSON WITH (8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- _________________________________________________________________ (9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON -0- _________________________________________________________________ (10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ** [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 0.0% _________________________________________________________________ (12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON ** PN _________________________________________________________________ ** SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT! CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 3 of 11 Pages _________________________________________________________________ (1) NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Gotham Partners III, L.P. _________________________________________________________________ (2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP ** (a) [X] (b) [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (3) SEC USE ONLY _________________________________________________________________ (4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION New York _________________________________________________________________ NUMBER OF (5) SOLE VOTING POWER -0- SHARES _________________________________________________________________ BENEFICIALLY (6) SHARED VOTING POWER -0- OWNED BY _________________________________________________________________ EACH (7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- REPORTING _________________________________________________________________ PERSON WITH (8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- _________________________________________________________________ (9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON -0- _________________________________________________________________ (10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ** [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 0.0% _________________________________________________________________ (12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON ** PN _________________________________________________________________ ** SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT! CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 4 of 11 Pages _________________________________________________________________ (1) NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Gotham International Advisors, L.L.C. _________________________________________________________________ (2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP ** (a) [X] (b) [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (3) SEC USE ONLY _________________________________________________________________ (4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware _________________________________________________________________ NUMBER OF (5) SOLE VOTING POWER 185,420 SHARES _________________________________________________________________ BENEFICIALLY (6) SHARED VOTING POWER -0- OWNED BY _________________________________________________________________ EACH (7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 185,420 REPORTING _________________________________________________________________ PERSON WITH (8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- _________________________________________________________________ (9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 185,420 _________________________________________________________________ (10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ** [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 4.56% _________________________________________________________________ (12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON ** IA _________________________________________________________________ ** SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT! CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 5 of 11 Pages _________________________________________________________________ (1) NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Gotham Holdings II, L.L.C. _________________________________________________________________ (2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP ** (a) [X] (b) [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (3) SEC USE ONLY _________________________________________________________________ (4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware _________________________________________________________________ NUMBER OF (5) SOLE VOTING POWER 24,391 SHARES _________________________________________________________________ BENEFICIALLY (6) SHARED VOTING POWER -0- OWNED BY _________________________________________________________________ EACH (7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 24,391 REPORTING _________________________________________________________________ PERSON WITH (8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- _________________________________________________________________ (9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 24,391 _________________________________________________________________ (10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ** [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 0.60% _________________________________________________________________ (12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON ** IA _________________________________________________________________ ** SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT! CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 6 of 11 Pages _________________________________________________________________ (1) NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Gotham Holdings III, L.L.C. _________________________________________________________________ (2) CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP ** (a) [X] (b) [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (3) SEC USE ONLY _________________________________________________________________ (4) CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware _________________________________________________________________ NUMBER OF (5) SOLE VOTING POWER 20,895 SHARES _________________________________________________________________ BENEFICIALLY (6) SHARED VOTING POWER -0- OWNED BY _________________________________________________________________ EACH (7) SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 20,895 REPORTING _________________________________________________________________ PERSON WITH (8) SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER -0- _________________________________________________________________ (9) AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 20,895 _________________________________________________________________ (10) CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ** [ ] _________________________________________________________________ (11) PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 0.51% _________________________________________________________________ (12) TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON ** IA _________________________________________________________________ ** SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT! CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 7 of 11 Pages Item 1(a). Name of Issuer: The name of the issuer is VORNADO OPERATING COMPANY (the "Company"). Item 1(b). Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices: The Company's principal executive offices are located at 80 West, Plaza II, Saddle Brook, New Jersey, 07663. Item 2(a). Name of Person Filing: This statement is filed by: (i) Gotham Partners, L.P., a New York limited partnership ("Gotham") with respect to the shares of Common Stock directly owned by it; (ii) Gotham Partners III, L.P., a New York limited partnership ("Gotham III") with respect to the shares of Common Stock directly owned by it; and (iii) Gotham International Advisors, L.L.C., a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware ("Gotham Advisors"), which serves as investment manager to Gotham Partners International, Ltd.("Gotham International"), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, with respect to the shares of Common Stock directly owned by Gotham International; and (iv) Gotham Holdings II, L.L.C, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware ("Holdings II") with respect to the shares of Common Stock directly owned by it; and (v) Gotham Holdings III, L.L.C, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware ("Holdings III") with respect to the shares of Common Stock directly owned by it; and The foregoing persons are hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the "Reporting Persons." Any disclosures herein with respect to persons other than the Reporting Persons are made on information and belief after making inquiry to the appropriate party. Item 2(b). Address of Principal Business Office or, if None, Residence: The address of the business office of Gotham, Gotham Advisors, Gotham III, Holdings II and Holdings III is 110 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York, 10017. The address of the business office of Gotham International is c/o Goldman Sachs (Cayman) Trust, Limited, Harbour Centre, 2nd Floor, P.O. Box 896, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies. CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 8 of 11 Pages Item 2(c). Citizenship: Gotham and Gotham III are limited partnerships organized under the laws of the State of New York. Gotham Advisors, Holdings II and Holdings III are limited liability companies organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. Item 2(d). Title of Class of Securities: Common Stock, $0.01 par value (the "Common Stock") Item 2(e). CUSIP Number: 92904N103 Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to Rules 13d-1(b) or 13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a: (a) [ ] Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act, (b) [ ] Bank as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the Act, (c) [ ] Insurance Company as defined in Section 3(a)(19) of the Act, (d) [ ] Investment Company registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, (e) [ ] Investment Adviser in accordance with Rule 13d-1 (b)(1)(ii)(E), (f) [ ] Employee Benefit Plan or Endowment Fund in accordance with 13d-1 (b)(1)(ii)(F), (g) [ ] Parent Holding Company or control person in accordance with Rule 13d-1 (b)(1)(ii)(G), (h) [ ] Savings Association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, (i) [ ] Church Plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, (j) [ ] Group, in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J). Not applicable. CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 9 of 11 Pages Item 4. Ownership. A. Gotham Partners, L.P. (a) Amount beneficially owned: -0- (b) Percent of class: 0.0% The percentages used herein are calculated based upon the 4,068,924 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding as of October 26, 2001 as reflected in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2001. (c)(i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (iii) Sole power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- (iv) Shared power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- B. Gotham Partners III, L.P. (a) Amount beneficially owned: -0- (b) Percent of class: 0.0% (c)(i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (iii) Sole power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- (iv) Shared power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- C. Gotham International Advisors, L.L.C. (a) Amount beneficially owned: 185,420 (b) Percent of class: 4.56% (c)(i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: 185,420 (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (iii) Sole power to dispose or direct the disposition: 185,420 (iv) Shared power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- D. Gotham Holdings II, L.L.C. (a) Amount beneficially owned: 24,391 (b) Percent of class: 0.60% (c)(i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: 24,391 (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (iii) Sole power to dispose or direct the disposition: 24,391 (iv) Shared power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- E. Gotham Holdings III, L.L.C. (a) Amount beneficially owned: 20,895 (b) Percent of class: 0.51% (c)(i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: 20,895 (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (iii) Sole power to dispose or direct the disposition: 20,895 (iv) Shared power to dispose or direct the disposition: -0- Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class. Not applicable Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. Not applicable CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 10 of 11 Pages Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding Company. Not applicable. Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group. See Item 2. Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group. Not applicable. Item 10. Certification. Each of the Reporting Persons hereby makes the following certification: By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect. CUSIP No. 92904N103 13G/A Page 11 of 11 Pages SIGNATURES After reasonable inquiry and to the best of our knowledge and belief, the undersigned certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. DATED: December 31, 2001 GOTHAM PARTNERS, L.P. By: Section H Partners, L.P. its general partner By: Karenina Corporation, a general partner of Section H Partners, L.P. By: /s/ William A. Ackman William A. Ackman President GOTHAM INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS, L.L.C. By: /s/ William A. Ackman William A. Ackman Senior Managing Member GOTHAM PARTNERS III, L.P. By: Section H Partners, L.P. its general partner By: Karenina Corporation, a general partner of Section H Partners, L.P. By: /s/ William A. Ackman William A. Ackman President GOTHAM HOLDINGS II, L.L.C. By: Gotham Holdings Management, L.L.C., the Investment Manager By: /s/ William A. Ackman William A. Ackman Managing Member GOTHAM HOLDINGS III, L.L.C. By: Gotham Holdings Management, L.L.C., the Investment Manager By: /s/ William A. Ackman William A. Ackman Managing Member