Weather: Enjoy today, Bronxites, because we're in for more rain tomorrow. It'll be in the high 80s this afternoon and mostly sunny.
Story of the Day: 52nd Precinct Detective Nabbed on Robbery Charges
A veteran NYPD detective based out of the 52nd Precinct--which includes Bedford Park, Norwood and University Heights--was arrested Monday on conspiracy and robbery charges, several news outlets are reporting today. Kyron Collins, 39, along with two non-police accomplices, are accused of committing a string of robberies over the last year, in which they allegedly targeted people selling contraband cigarettes. Collins supposedly used his NYPD shield, a firearm and fake search warrants in carrying out the thefts. The NY Post reports that Collins is a second-generation officer; his father is a retired NYPD cop.
Bronx mom Nicole Perrino started her own blog, www.BronxMama.com, as resource for parents looking for local, kid-friendly events.
Three men beat and robbed a man on Creston Avenue last week, stealing his belongings and a beloved-bible.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 17
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch: Police Search for West Farms Boy
Police are asking the public's help in locating a missing child, who disappeared from his home on Honeywell Avenue in the West Farms section.
Reakwon Marshall, 11, was last seen at his home at 2103 Honeywell Ave., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10. Marshall is 4' 11'' and weighs 115 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black jeans.
Anyone with any information on his whereabouts are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS.
Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 16
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| A car splashes through a puddle on Southern Boulevard in Bedford Park during yesterday's record-setting rainstorm. (Photo by David Greene) |
Story of the Day: Street Name Honors Pregnant Traffic Agent Killed in Tragic Accident
The corner of Webster Avenue and E. 188th Street has been renamed Donnette and Sean Sanz Place, after a 33-year-old Bronx traffic agent who was struck and killed by a van three years ago while crossing the street on her lunch break. Sanz was seven months pregnant at the time and her unborn son, named Sean, died later. The man driving the car that struck her, Walter Walker, 72, had a history of license suspensions and served six months behind bars for criminally negligent homicide.
Quick Hits:
Speaking of Bronx re-namings, a newly opened South Bronx park, Charlton Thompson Garden, honors two soldiers killed during the Korean War.
Everyone should check out this beautiful Time slideshow of photographs by Stephen Shames, who spent decades, from 1977 on, chronicling the lives of young people in the Bronx. His shots, compiled in his recently released "Bronx Boys," captures some quintessential scenes of urban life (kids playing in fire hydrants, a boy sleeping out on the fire escape) as well as some more tumultuous spots in the borough's history (street fights, kids shooting up).
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Creston Ave. Crew Busted in Drug Raid
Editor's Note: This article was first published in the latest edition of the Norwood News, on the streets and online now.
By Alex Kratz
Over the past several years, the area around Creston Avenue, just north of St. James Park, has built a reputation as a hot spot for the drug trade. Periodic violence highlighted the turf wars that accompanied it. Earlier this month, however, local and federal authorities made a big dent in curbing Creston’s infamous image.
Culminating a year-long investigation by the FBI and NYPD with an early morning raid on the so-called “Creston Avenue Crew,” police arrested eight people in the Bronx and three in Puerto Rico. A handful of others were already in custody, while two other Bronxites and a mysterious man named Fnu Lnu (no address was given), also known as “Jesse,” remain at large. In total, charges were filed against 20 people for drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering.
In the course of the raid, authorities discovered three guns, pounds of marijuana, marijuana growing equipment, scales, a police scanner, cocaine and thousands of dollars in cash. It amounted to a fraction of what the organization brought in and distributed over the past five years, law enforcement officials said.
Two Wounded in Bedford Park Shooting
By David Greene
A wild early morning shootout on Tuesday in Bedford Park sent two victims to the hospital, police and witnesses said.
The incident was reported at 1:15 a.m., on Tuesday, July 26. Upon their arrival, police discovered two people shot outside of 264 E. 199 Street, near Briggs Avenue. According to a NYPD source, one victim was shot in the leg and the other in the arm. Both were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital and were expected to fully recover.
A second police source said detectives were looking for a black male wearing a purple jacket who was seen running from the scene. One resident of the building, who declined to give her name, said, "They were arguing. It was horrible. One of the victims was in front the building until the first two gunshots went off."
The resident said a second person was shot a minute or two later, a short distance away.
By late Tuesday morning, police still had no suspects in connection to the case.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, July 27
A BxNN reader says she had no running water at her home on E. 162nd and Grand Concourse; another woman I chatted with this morning said the water was waist-deep on 176th Street, and she put plastic bags over her legs to walk up the road.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Norwood News' Bronx Crime Stats Campaign Featured on New Channel 4
NBC News aired a segment last night about the Norwood News campaign to make neighborhood crime statistics available to the public, interviewing editors Jordan Moss and Alex Kratz. You can watch the piece here. (The Village Voice also covered the story--read it here).
Based on this campaign, Councilman Fernando Cabrera is crafting legislation to make these statistics accessible to everyone in New York City.
These neighborhood crime statistics would be an invaluable resource for citizens. It's our contention that precinct-wide crime numbers are almost completely useless if we still don't know, specifically, where the crimes are happening.
Our count-up (see below) starts from when we first formally requested sector stats for the 52nd Precinct last June. In October of last year we requested sector stats for every precinct in the borough. We received initial form response letters from the NYPD, but no statistics. For some background, see our Norwood News' editorial here.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch: Williamsbridge Drug Gang Indicted
A Bronx grand jury indicted 40 supposed drug dealers last week in connection to a massive cocaine-selling scheme in Williamsbridge, according to the Bronx District Attorney's office.
Police had been watching the group for over two years, in an investigation that sounds like something straight out of "The Wire," complete with undercover drug buys and taped telephone conversations.
The dozens charged stand accused of selling seven kilograms (that's over 15 pounds, or $250,000 worth) of crack cocaine a week, setting up shop along White Plains Road, between 211th and 241st Streets.
Two men believed to be the masterminds behind the enterprise--Sean “Showboy” Nelson, 31, and Jason Weir, 27, both of the Bronx--face the most serious offense of the group and a mandatory life prison sentence if convicted.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, July 13
Weather: The painfully oppressive heat that's plagued us for the last few days drops off a bit today, with temperatures cooling to the mid-80s. Skies will remain partly cloudy.
Story of the Day: Diaz Sr. Just Won't Quit
State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., continues his tirades against the legalization of same-sex marriage, despite the fact that the bill was signed into law two weeks ago. The Rev. is planning yet another protest, this time in front of Gov. Andrew's Cuomo's midtown office, to "protest the redefinition of marriage and demand that all New Yorkers have the right to vote on this very serious social issue." The announcement of the rally came via a letter to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, inviting him to the event. Diaz held an anti-gay marriage rally back in May, and was the only Democratic state legislator to vote against the measure in the Senate.
Quick Hits:
After allegedly stabbing his girlfriend to death, a man in Edenwald barricaded himself in his Needham Avenue apartment yesterday in a three hour standoff with police.
A 26-year-old Bronx man was arrested after DNA linked him to three act of sexual abuse against women on the subway over the last decade.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch: Police Seek Missing Girl, 13
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| Angelique Nogue , 13, was last seen Saturday night. |
Angelique Nogue was last seen on Saturday night around 9 p.m. at home at 1315 Crosby Ave., according to the NYPD. She was wearing a white halter top shirt, light blue jeans, black flat shoes, pearl stud earrings and a rainbow colored watch, police said.
The girl, pictured above, is 5'2" and weighs 105 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information should call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, or log onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or text their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Bronx Weekend News Roundup, July 11
Happy Monday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.
Weather: Another hot and humid day, with a high of 88 degrees in the Bronx. Temperatures will hit the low 90s tomorrow, so stay cool.
Story of the Day: Jeter's Hits 3,000
As we're sure all of the Bronx and most of the world knows already, Bronx Bomber Derek Jeter made history on Saturday with his 3,000th career hit during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Here's a video--complete with joyous commentary from the guy who filmed it off of his TV--of Jeter's historic home run.
Quick Hits:
A Bronx man ran over his girlfriend in midtown early Saturday morning--with his estranged wife's car--after a drunken argument between the two.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch
Grand Ave. Shooting
Police are asking for help finding the gunman responsible for opening fire on a crowd last Friday night in Fordham Heights, injuring three people, including a 5-year-old boy. The incident took place on June 10, on the sidewalk in front of 2395 Grand Avenue, when the man fired several times at the group, hitting the boy as well as a 30-year-old man and 32-year-old woman. All three victims were treated at St. Barnabas Hospital and later released.
The suspect (shown in video, above) is described as a black male with braided hair between the ages of 25 and 30, around six feet tall and 160 pounds.
Woman Found Unconscious, Dies
Police are seeking the person responsible for killing a 51-year-old woman, who was found unconscious on the kitchen floor of an apartment at 1042 E. 227th Street, in Edenwald. The victim was discovered by officers responding to a 911 call, and was later pronounced dead at Jacobi Hospital. She had suffered head trauma; autopsy results are pending. So far, there have been no arrests.
Man Wanted in Two Assaults
The man pictured in the grainy photo to the right is believed to have sexually assaulted one woman and robbed another on Sunday morning; he is described as a Hispanic man between 20 and 25, around 190 pounds.
At around 8 a.m. Sunday, a 42-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the stairwell of an apartment building, Tinton Avenue and East 163 Street as she attempted to board the elevator. About 45 minutes later, a 17-year-old girl was robbed several blocks away.
Anyone with information related to the above incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Bronx News Weekend Roundup, June 13
Weather: Partly cloudy and cool today, with a chance of light showers later this evening.
Quick Hits:
State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. says he's received death threats for his fierce opposition to same-sex marriage, according to this AP piece about conservative gay-rights opponents who claim they've been "bullied," for their views.
Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding a special strategy session in Albany today, as he prepares to make one final push for a same-sex marriage bill before the legislature adjourns at the end of this week.
A 15-year-old girl was shot in the back of the head outside of a party in Fordham Heights Saturday night. Yvette Marie Torres, a student at DeWitt Clinton High School, is in critical condition at St. Barnabas Hospital. So far, there have been no arrests.
Anti-hunger advocates and Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera want New York to rename its food stamps program to its federally-known moniker--the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)--in an attempt to reduce the stigma attached to applying for the benefits.
The federal government is pushing for state courts to curb medical costs by encouraging judges to settle malpractice cases way before they get to trial. The tactic, known as judge-directed negotiation, started locally in the Bronx State Supreme Court and is being expanded to other counties.
The Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, aka BAAD!, is hosting its 11th annual "Out Like That!" festival this week; there's a schedule of performances and events at the link.
A Long Island construction company that received millions of dollars from the MTA to install security fences around the authority's warehouses and transit depots has been found guilty of grand larceny, after supposedly submitting bogus or inflated invoices for years.
Police have released surveillance footage of three men believed guilty of shooting four people--including a pregnant woman--at a BBQ in Castle Hill last week.
Another bout of gun violence left a 5-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man wounded on Friday. The victims of both shootings survived.
A 62-year-old man collapsed and died following a scuffle with police officers at a Morrisania homeless shelter on Friday, and autopsy results are pending. Police had been called the the Webster Avenue shelter by administrators who said the man had been fighting with other residents.
The annual Riverdale Riverfest took place yesterday.
A 12-year-old Bronx boy has been missing since Friday; photo at the link.
Editor's Note: BxNN will keep posting this clock in our daily news roundups -- tallying the days until the NYPD releases neighborhood sector crime stats, which we requested from them via a Freedom of Information Law request last year. For some background, see our Norwood News' editorial here.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch: Police Seek Attempted Robbery Suspects
Police released this surveillance video of two men trying to rob a parking garage attendant in the South Bronx last month.
The two suspects, one armed with a knife, entered the garage at 260 E. 143 St. on April 24, shuffling with and stabbing the attendant in the torso. The victim was treated at Lincoln Hospital and later released.
Anyone with information in regards to this attempted robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
Bronx News Roundup, May 26
Weather: Another warm one. Partly cloudy for most of the day, with temperatures in the high 70s.
Story of the Day: Budget Cuts Threaten Firehouses (Again)
Mayor Bloomberg's proposed city budget could shutter 20 FDNY firehouses across the city, three of which are in the Bronx: Engine 60 in Mott Haven, Engine 46 in Bathgate and Ladder 53 on City Island. The move has spurred neighborhood protest rallies and one angry column from Daily News Bronx bureau chief Patrice O'Shaughnessy, who says the mayor should focus on fixing his budget instead of his "Orwellian" city park smoking ban (which went into effect yesterday).
It's not the first time the city has threatened to shut firehouses: much like the budget dance over senior center closures, Bloomberg has threatened the FDNY before only to restore funding at the last minute. Eddie Brown of the Uniformed Firefighters Association called it a "budget game the mayor plays with the Council, using the people as pawns."
Quick Hits:
A first-class hotel and banquet hall could be coming to the Hutch Metro Center in Pelham Bay, according to director Joseph Kelleher, per Bob Kappstatter's column. bringing a major hotel to the borough has long been a dream of Bronx political leaders, including Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
Two Bronx high schools--John F. Kennedy and Herbert Lehman--are among five chosen by the city to get solar panels installed on their roofs.
The Bronx River Art Center is showing off its students' work with a free reception and opening exhibit tomorrow afternoon, at 4 p.m. at the BronxArtSpace, 305 E. 140th St.
Livery cab drivers in the outer boroughs are worried about competing with yellow cabs, as the city looks to increase their number outside Manhattan.
A fire broke out on the third floor of a Claremont nursing home yesterday, injuring two people.
In a poll, researchers at Baruch College found more people in the Bronx fear becoming the victim of a hate crime than in the rest of the city. The survey also found that Hispanic New Yorkers are the most fearful of being attacked.
A Bronx man was sentenced to seven years in jail for sexually abusing one of his patients at a nursing home in Morningside Heights, where he worked as a nurse's aide.
Editor's Note: BxNN will keep posting this clock in our daily news roundups--tallying the days until the NYPD releases neighborhood sector crime stats, which we requested from them via a Freedom of Information Law request last year. For some background, see our Norwood News' editorial here.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Clock Ticking on NYPD Freedom of Information Request for Neighborhood Crime Stats
Monday, May 23, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch (Editorial): Clock Ticking on NYPD Freedom of Information Request for Neighborhood Crime Stats
Editor's Note: This editorial appeared in last week's issue of the Norwood News. We will continue to display this counter (above) until the NYPD releases sector statistics for every Bronx police precinct.
Editorial: NYPD Hides Neighborhood Crime Stats
The NYPD has been proud to trumpet plummeting crime stats over the last 15 years or so. Citywide and precinct-wide crime stats are easy to come by. But when it comes to information about crime in your neighborhood or on your block, well, not so much.
A little history:
In early 2008, the Norwood News asked James Alles, then commander of the 52nd Precinct, for the previous year’s crime stats broken down broken down by the precinct’s 15 sectors.
No problem, Alles said, directing a lieutenant to print out the stats. It took all of two minutes.
The statistics allowed us to publish a map showing crime trends in specific neighborhoods, something residents have long sought. We received loads of positive feedback from readers.
“Although I feel safe in my neighborhood, evidently our autos are targets,” one reader said. “Is it possible to receive these reports on a sector basis each month? The overall report for the entire precinct does not really inform the public about their own neighborhood.”
Months later, we asked Alles about doing a follow-up piece. He smiled sheepishly and shook his head. He told us the published sector stats had landed him in hot water with NYPD brass and that we would have to go through the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information (DCPI) at police headquarters if we wanted more sector stats.
In December 2008, when we asked for the year’s sector stats, DCPI said we would have to file a formal Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request. So, we FOILed. A month later (government agencies are required to respond within five business days of receiving the request) the NYPD wrote us saying they probably had the records but that it would take them three months to dig up the same information that it took the 52nd Precinct two minutes to produce.
By mid-March, three months after filing the request, we wrote an editorial saying the delay was unacceptable. The day the article was published, the NYPD called us and then faxed over the stats. It probably took them two minutes.
Now, here we are again, waiting on the NYPD.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Bronx Crime Watch: Police Seek Tremont Killer
By David Greene
Detectives are busy trying to identify a killer who shot his victim multiple times in Tremont last night.
According to authorities, police were called at 6:49 p.m., on Monday, May 9, to a building at 446 E. 176th St., and discovered the victim in the stairway between the third and fourth floors.
A police source said the male victim was shot four times--twice in the back, once in the head and once in the shoulder. He was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital at 7:07 p.m., where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police have identified the victim as Omar Rodriguez, 31.
"We don't have a motive...or a description," of the gunman, the source added.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
WNYC Maps Stop-And-Frisks, Marijuana Arrests
WNYC published this map today that shows the number of stop-and-frisk incidents and marijuana arrests by NYPD Precinct.
Reporter Alisa Chang investigated the controversial practice, which is supposed to be used as a tactic by police to crack down on street guns. Many stop-and-frisks, she says, instead often lead to arrests for low-level marijuana possession, predominantly in neighborhoods of color.
Technically, marijuana that's concealed on a person and found during a stop-and-frisk should warrant only a violation--a ticket and a fine. New York State Law says that possessing a small amount of pot is a misdemeanor only when it is smoked or displayed "open to public view."
Per the map above, nine of the 12 precincts here in the Bronx are among those with the highest number of marijuana arrests in the city, while Precincts 41 and 42 in the South Bronx have some of the highest of stop-and-frisk numbers.
Police say cracking down on small offenses like marijuana possession is effective in bringing down rates of more serious and violent crimes.
Have you ever been stopped and searched by the police in your neighborhood? Share your stories in the comments section.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Embattled Commander of Bronx's 52nd Precinct Replaced
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| D'Adamo at his desk at the 52nd Precinct in early 2010. |
On Monday, however, the commanding officer of the 52n Precinct, Deputy Inspector John D'Adamo was replaced less than 17 months after taking over the job and less than a month after his wife was caught lying to Clarkstown police about being attacked, a story that made headlines in the city and upstate.
The 40-year-old D'Adamo -- a rising star in the NYPD who took on his first commanding role as head of the 50th Precinct in 2008 at the age of 37 -- will be replaced by Deputy Inspector Joseph Dowling, formerly the commanding officer of Manhattan's 33rd Precinct, which covers Washington Heights. On Tuesday night, Dowling introduced himself at Community Board 7's general board meeting at Scott Towers in Bedford Park. Dowling said he spent more than five years at his last post.
It happened so quickly, the NYPD has yet to change the information on its website. That isn't surprising, but D'Adamo's tenure in the Five-Two does appear to have come to an abrupt end.
A series of unfortunate events led up to D'Adamo's departure.
