Sunday, August 31, 2014

Daily Blotter



Queens


A thief stole $ 1,300 from a Jackson Heights bank, authorities said Sunday.


A teller at the Dime Bank on 37th Avenue near 76th Street handed the cash over after the crook passed a demand note at 12:40 p.m. Saturday, according to police.




An irate passenger pummeled an airline employee in a baggage-claim area at La Guardia Airport, police said Sunday.


Antonio Sappleton, 22, of Yonkers, was on the lower level of the airport near bags that had been taken off a United Airlines flight when, at 8 p.m. Wednesday, a worker asked see his checked-luggage ticket, police said.


Sappleton refused, and instead repeatedly punched the worker in the face, then kicked him when he fell to the floor, according to cops.


The worker was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital with loosened teeth, a split lip and bruises to his head and face.


Port Authority police arrested Sappleton outside the terminal.




Manhattan


A thief made off with about $ 1,500 in goods that were in a Swiss Army backpack he snatched from a parked van in Chelsea, authorities said Sunday.


A 46-year-old man from New Brunswick, NJ, left the vehicle at Eighth Avenue and West 16th Street at around 4 p.m. Aug. 20, with the bag inside.


When he returned an hour later, the bag, a Louis Vuitton wallet, $ 1,375 worth of camera equipment and a laser pointer were gone.




Three men were robbed in separate incidents in the Tribeca section of Hudson River Park over the course of one week.


A 17-year-old was shooting hoops at the Hudson River Park on Pier 25 at around noon Aug. 20, when someone snatched his phone and wallet from the sidelines.


At around 8:30 p.m. the same day, the wallet of a 24-year-old playing volleyball was swiped, also on Pier 26.


Those thefts came four days after a 47-year-old man’s bag containing his Galaxy cellphone, diabetes medications, MetroCard, birth certificate and other items was ripped off in the park at River Terrace and Chambers Street.




A thief took off in a brand-new Jeep outside a luxury hotel in Soho, sources said Sunday.


A 41-year-old man parked his 2014 white Grand Cherokee outside SIXTY Soho on Thompson Street on Aug. 23, and found that it was gone the following morning, the sources said.




Five minutes is all it took for a thief to snatch a MacBook Pro from an unlocked car in Chelsea, authorities said Sunday.


A 42-year-old woman parked her car on West 21st Street near Eighth Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and realized within minutes of walking into her building that she had left her belongings in the vehicle, sources said.


She went back — only to find that her computer, wallet, checkbook and driver’s license were gone.




A thug stole a cellphone from a T-Mobile store in lower Manhattan after shoving a woman who works there, law-enforcement sources said Sunday.


The 6-foot-2 thief entered the John Street store just before 6 p.m. Aug. 20, walked up to a display rack and tried to remove a phone from a metal case, the sources said.


The 32-year-old employee approached the man, asked him to leave and opened the door, the sources added.


The man said, “It was like that before,” and then ripped the phone from the case, shoved the worker and fled, the sources said.


The woman suffered bruises and some pain, but refused medical attention.




A thief sliced open the pants pocket of a snoozing man at a Chelsea subway station and stole nearly $ 1,000 worth of property, authorities said Sunday.


The victim, 22, passed out at around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 23, and awoke four hours later to find his pants cut at the right pocket at his $ 700 iPhone and $ 200 cash gone.




Brooklyn


A crook snatched $ 100 in cash from a Cypress Hills store, police said Sunday.


The thief walked into the 99 Cent and Discount Store on Liberty Avenue at 4 p.m. July 19 and grabbed a jar of money from behind the counter, cops said.


A clerk chased the perp as he fled, but an accomplice outside punched the employee, officials said.





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Police Arrest One, Search for Other Suspects in Pellet Gun Attacks



Police are still looking for suspects in connection with two pellet gun attacks in Central Park that police have designated as hate crimes.


The separate incidents happened within hours of each other nearly two weeks ago.


Police arrested one of the suspects on hate crimes charges yesterday.


They say 20-year-old Edward Fall was part of a group who shot a 35-year-old man with a pellet gun along Central Park North and East Drive shortly before 9 p.m. on August 17.


He was hit in the head.


About three hours later, the group allegedly shot a 36-year-old woman in the head near 60th Street and the West Drive.


The victim told police she saw three men and two women laughing and heard them make anti-white statements.


Both victims sustained minor injuries.


Fall is charged in both attacks with assault and reckless endangerment as hate crimes.


No word yet on the other suspects.





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Storm brings lightning strikes, massive flooding to NYC


Two people were struck by lightning Sunday when a freak thunderstorm swept through the area — causing massive flooding to area roadways, grounding several flights at local airports and cancelling many other Labor Day weekend events.


Officials said the lightning struck beachgoers enjoying a day at Orchard Beach Park in The Bronx around 5 p.m. when the skies suddenly turned dark and gave way to a torrential downpour that lasted about a half hour.


They were rushed to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition, according to the FDNY.



Heavy rain falls on Arthur Ashe Stadium after play was suspended as Roger Federer played Marcel Granollers during the seventh day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship.Photo: EPA



The heavy rains also wreaked havoc on city highways, including the impassable Major Deegan Expressway.


Tennis action was halted at the US Open in Queens and organizers of the Electric Zoo festival on Randall’s Island were forced to cancel the remainder of the festival for concert goers safety.


“Due to extreme weather conditions, the festival has shut down for the remainder of the day,” organizers wrote on twitter.


All three major airports — JFK, LaGuardia and Newark — reported significant delays due to the storm.





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Police Arrest Men Who Drove Dirt Bikes, ATVs on Van Wyck Expressway



Two men are facing charges after a wild scene on a major city highway.


Police say they got several calls Saturday afternoon about a group of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles weaving in and out of traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway in Kew Gardens.


Traffic came to a standstill as police tried to control the situation.


Omid Bedi, 30, and Equilla Ross, 39, were eventually arrested.


Police say Bedi was driving this ATV against traffic.


Among other things, he’s charged with reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance.


They say Ross was arrested while trying to flee the scene on this motorcycle.


He faces criminal nuisance charges.


Several other riders in the group fled the scene by lifting their bikes over the median after police slowed down traffic to try to stop them.





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Two Alarm Fire Breaks Out in Times Square Building



A two alarm fire ripped through a building that’s home to a popular Irish bar in Times Square.


Officials say the fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. in a three-story building that’s home to Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant on West 45th Street.


The fire department says the fire got into some duct work and spread to the roof.


It was brought under control about two hours later.


Only one person was injured, but he refused medical attention.





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Brooklyn a ‘slight favorite’ to land 2016 Democratic convention



Brooklyn – along with backing of deep-pocketed New Yorkers — should be a “slight favorite” to land the 2016 Democratic National Convention, former party chief Ed Rendell said Sunday.


The 2012 Charlotte convention ran up a $ 25 million debt, and Democrats believe a 2016 Barclays Center get-together would bring enough green to put them back in black, according to the one-time DNC chairman.


“New York (Brooklyn) would have to be considered the slight favorite,” Rendell told John Catsimatidis’ on his “The Cats Roundtable” radio show.


“The DNC is bound and determined not to have a debt and they believe that the surest of the three cities, the surest city to raise the money necessary is New York.”


Philadelphia, Columbus, Birmingham and Phoenix are all in the running for the Democratic Party bash in two years. But Rendell said the only three serious candidates are Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Columbus.


The City of Brotherly Love’s smaller size – compared to New York – could actually be an advantage in its bidding war against Gotham, the former party boss said.


“I think Philadelphia has the logistics advantage. It’s going to be much easier to have the convention in Philadelphia,” Rendell said.


“I think from a standpoint of how the city gets involved, when we had the Republican convention (in Philadelphia) the whole city was on fire. New York is such a big, sprawling, sophisticated city, that you don’t get the sense of it, the convention sort taking over the town as you do in Philadelphia and as you would in Columbus.”


Still the bottom line is the bottom line, said Rendell: “But I think the money makes New York the favorite, but it’ll be interesting.”





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Police Officer, Suspect Injured in Brooklyn Shooting



A police officer was injured in an early morning shooting in Brooklyn.


Police say the altercation began around 2:30 a.m. near Gates Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard.


According to police, one sergeant and two officers were on duty in plain clothes and an unmarked car when they saw a man adjusting his waistband. They say the sergeant and one officer approached the suspect, and he fled in the opposite direction.


Police say as the suspect was running, he encountered two officers on foot patrol. The suspect then allegedly shot officer John Hirschberger in the left thigh.


Investigators say the suspect was also shot in the torso. He is in critical but stable condition.


Both men were taken to Kings County Hospital. The officer has since been released.


The suspect remains at Kings County Hospital where police say he is under arrest with charges pending.


Two other officers who were nearby also responded to the scene.


The investigation is ongoing.





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Times Square bar Connolly’s catches fire



It was a hell of a halftime show.


Some two dozen fans of Notre Dame football were watching the Fighting Irish game on TV at Connolly’s in Times Square when the three-story watering hole filled with smoke from a kitchen blaze.


“We ran for it,’’ said Dorothy Zalomski. “I still had my beer in my hand.’’


“I’m glad no one got hurt,’’ said patron Michael Farley, who watched the remainder of the game at a nearby pub, O’Brien’s, a block away. “I’m glad it happened at halftime, too.’’


Passerby Amy Balessandro of New Jersey, said, “Oh man, seeing Hazmat vans right off Times Square … almost had a heart attack.’’


One firefighter was treated for a minor shoulder injury.





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Kids Kick Off West Indian Day Celebration in Full Carnival Garb



The end of summer celebration of West Indian Culture has begun in Brooklyn, starting with the Kiddie Carnival. NY1′s Erin Clarke filed the following report.


Kids were dancing and singing throughout the streets of Crown Heights Saturday.


“It’s very fun and then there’s a lot of people that like to just have fun and play,” one participant said.


‘It’s fun and it’s a lot of energy and it’s a lot of people that you can express yourself with,” said another.


“It’s a lot of fun to be here,” another said.


Many wearing elaborate costumes, some that took months to make.


“We don’t want to look like anyone else. We want to be individuals, so we take time on our costumes,” another participant said.


The West Indian Day Kiddie Carnival Saturday is a beautiful representation of Caribbean culture being passed down from one generation to the next.


Symone Cuffy participated in the parade when she was a child and is now bringing her daughter.


“I think that it’s part of their culture and that it’s something that they have a great experience in and they understand where they came from,” Cuffy said.


For many of these people, the fun has just begun.


“It’s like a pre-jump up thing. Yeah, like a pre-mass, so you just come here and have fun and after that, the big people—that’s when you go crazy,” another participant said.


In case you don’t know, she’s referring to the main attraction Monday—the West Indian American Day Parade down Eastern Parkway.


It begins at 11 a.m.





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Washington Heights block party turns violent



An annual Washington Heights block party took a violent turn Saturday night, when residents threw bottles out of windows at cops who arrived and shut the event down.


Three police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the flying bottles at around 10 p.m. at the “Love Is Love” block party at Edgecombe Avenue and West 164th Street, police said.


“This whole city is turning into Ferguson,” complained neighbor Jaqelle Walker.


Residents described cops advancing on peaceful revelers, who raised their hands over their heads and chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” a refrain from the Ferguson, Mo., protests.


At least three partygoers were arrested.





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One-Year-Old Baby Girl Dies After Coming Home from Daycare



Police say a baby girl died after being brought home from day care Friday in Queens Village.


Police say the father of 14-month-old Danielle Okoye picked her up Friday from day care.


When he brought her home, he discovered something was wrong.


They say the girl was unconscious and unresponsive.


She was rushed to a Franklin General Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.


“When they took the baby to the day care she was healthy. She was fine. All of a sudden she went to sleep. When they come to pick her up, she was still asleep until now. She hasn’t woken up. We’re actually surprised by what happened to her,” said Edward Orjiogo, a friend of the family.


The Medical Examiner in Valley Stream, Long Island will determine the cause of death.


The city’s Administration for Children’s Services is also investigating.





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NYPD officer grazed by bullet in Brooklyn shooting



An NYPD officer was grazed in the leg by a bullet early Sunday morning, when a revolver-toting gunman turned and fired during a foot pursuit in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, authorities said.


The cop’s leg was clipped by the round just before 2:30 a.m. at Gates Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, according to police. He was one of four cops who had been chasing the gunman when he turned and opened fire.


The injured officer was rushed to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.


The gunman was shot in the torso by cops, and was taken to the same hospital. Officials said his wound was also non-life-threatening. The revolver was recovered at the scene.


Neither the officer nor the suspect were identified by authorities, and the investigation is ongoing.





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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Washington Heights has city’s fattest schoolkids: DOE data



Washington Heights takes the cake for the city’s plumpest pupils.


The latest data from the Department of Education’s Fitnessgram assessment program show the neighborhood has the heaviest kids, with 47 percent listed as overweight or obese.


Overall, roughly 249,600 public-school children are fat or obese, according to 2012-2013 data collected and analyzed by the city Health Department and DOE.


The survey of 605,019 students — adjusted to represent the 640,000 kids enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade — showed almost no gains were made in the fight against obesity since the program began six years ago.


The data, collected through a Freedom of Information Law request by The Post, measures the body mass index (BMI) of students across 42 health districts.


In city schools, 21 percent of kids are obese and 18 percent are overweight. In the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years, roughly 22 percent were obese. Since 2010-2011, 21 percent have been listed as obese.


Experts say the numbers of overweight kids are “excessively high.”


“This data should serve as a call for more action and intervention to prevent even this level of obesity, which is huge though it has not seemed to rise,” said Dr. Robert Rapaport, director of pediatric endocrinology and diabetes at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.


“All schools could use improvement in terms of what foods are accessible to children,” he added. “However, the problem is not just the schools. You need to educate the entire family.”


The zone covering Washington Heights and Inwood has ranked high in overweight kids for four consecutive years.


Parents told The Post they weren’t surprised.


“This is definitely an issue in Washington Heights,” said mom Angie Tavarez, a teaching assistant. “I’ve worked in schools in this area with overly processed foods and no vegetables. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the home.”


Rosa Zorrilla knew the Fitnessgram for her 7-year-old son, Alcedes, would have negative results. The second-grader often eats pasta, fried foods, rice, beans and meat and scored “overweight” on his test.


“We work a lot, and it doesn’t give us time to prepare,” said Zorrilla, a home attendant. “It doesn’t help parents if kids eat unhealthy food at school, because that’s what they’d rather have at home.”


The healthiest students are in Greenwich Village, where 75 percent had a “normal weight.”





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Police Investigate After Queens Man Fatally Struck by Car



A 53-year-old man died after being hit by a car in Queens Saturday morning.


Police say it happened just before 5 a.m. near Liberty Avenue and Tuckerton Street in Jamaica.


They say the victim was crossing Liberty Avenue when he was hit by a westbound car.


He was later pronounced dead at Jamaica hospital.


The driver remained at the scene.


Police are still investigating and have not made any arrests.





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Man arrested for ‘anti-white’ Central Park pellet attacks



The first suspect has been arrested in a pair of racially-motivated pellet-gun shootings earlier this month in Central Park.


Edward Fall, 20, of Morningside Heights, was charged late Saturday with assault and reckless endangerment as hate crimes in the non-fatal attacks, which police said were committed by a group of black suspects against white joggers.


In the earlier attack, at 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 17, a 34 year old male suffered a pellet gun shot to the head as he jogged on Central Park North and the East Drive.


In the second attack, a 36-year-old woman was shot in the back of her head as she jogged on West Drive near 60th Street around midnight on Aug. 18.


The woman told cops she turned and saw a group of five black people — three men and two women — “laughing and making anti-white statements,” according to a police source.


The suspects then fled farther into the park.


“You white b—h,” one of the women shouted, according to the source.


Fall was arrested after being stopped for marijuana possession — when cops realized he had a pellet gun on him, according to a source.


The man admitted shooting someone in the leg with a pellet gun on the West Side, but denied any involvement in the Central Park violence, the source said.


All of the people in the group where the shot came from are believed to be between 15 and 20 years old, cops said.





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Teachout Calls Out Cuomo on LICH Transparency, NY1 Debate



Gubernatorial hopeful Zephyr Teachout brings her “Whistleblower Tour” to Long Island College Hospital.


The Democrat has been criss-crossing the state in her effort to take down Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Septemer 9 primary.


Today she said Cuomo has remained silent about the future of LICH and health care in general.


She also criticized the the recent process for operators bidding to take over the hospital, saying its representative of larger statewide problems.


She is calling for an investigation.


“That bidding process looks a lot like the bidding process that I studied when I was studying corruption in Bosnia. When you’re supposed to bid for a high quality hospital and you end up confusing high quality medical care with luxury condo development—that does not make any sense, unless there’s money behind it,” Teachout said.


Teachout also accused Cuomo of not being transparent enough and refusing to debate her.


NY1 has invited both candidates and their running mates to debate this Tuesday.


Teachout and her Lieutenant Governor pick Tim Wu have both agreed.


Neither Cuomo nor his running mate Kathy Hochul have responded.





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2 questioned in ‘anti-white’ shooting of jogger in Central Park



A sketch of one of the female suspects



Cops arrested two alleged ‘anti-white’ thugs who shot a woman in Central Park with a pellet gun and police sources said they have been linked to a few other pellet gun shootings around the city.


The victim, 36, told police she was jogging near midnight in the far southern end of the park, on the West Drive near West 60th Street, when a pellet hit her in the back of the head August 23, cops said.


She turned and saw a group of five people — three men and two women — “laughing and making anti-white statements,” the police said. “The suspects then fled further into the park.”


“You white bitch,” one of the female suspects said, according to police sources. After the shooting, the suspects fled into the park, police said.


Investigators are still doing line-ups and seeking a third suspect who has not yet been identified, the sources said.


Details on the other shootings they were linked to were not immediately available so it wasn’t clear if they targeted white people in those incidents.


Charges are pending, cops said.





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PBA President: Officers Shouldn’t Be Held Responsible for Death of Man on PCP



The head of the city’s police union says officers shouldn’t be held responsible for the death of a man on PCP in their custody.


It comes a day after the medical examiner ruled 45-year-old Ronald Singleton’s death a homicide.


It happened on July 13, four days before Garner’s death.


According to police, a cab driver flagged down an officer near St. Patrick’s Cathedral along Fifth Avenue.


They say the cabbie was complaining about a passenger who was cursing and screaming.


They say 45-year-old Ronald Singleton got out and starting trying to fight with the police officer.


Police say Singleton was placed in a “protective body wrap” and put in an ambulance.


Investigators say he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the hospital.



The medical examiner said his death was due to “physical restraint by police during excited delirium,” adding that hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity were contributing factors as well.


The ME said Singleton was also high on PCP at the time.


In a statement Saturday, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said in part, “Our members follow department protocols designed to best insure the safety of the drug abuser and of the police officers who are attempting to get the individual the necessary medical aid.The responsibility for the outcome lies entirely with the drug abuser, not the police officers attempting to remove him as a danger to the public and himself.”





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Dog turns on stove, starts fire



LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Police say a New Jersey family’s dog turned on the stove, which caught the laptop resting on the burner on fire and sent smoke through the roof.


The fire was reported early Friday evening in Lacey Township while the owners were away.


Police tell the Asbury Park Press that investigators believe the dog accidentally turned on the stove, though they didn’t specify how that occurred.


Police say heat from the stove eventually burned a laptop computer that had been left on top of the appliance. Smoke was pouring from the roof when firefighters arrived, but the blaze was quickly extinguished.


Firefighters rescued the dog, which emerged unscathed.





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NYPD Releases Flyer Warning of West Indian Day Parade Crackdown



This year’s West Indian Day Parade steps off on Monday, and police are already spreading the word that they’ll be watching to make sure things stay safe, but some people aren’t happy with the way they’re putting out that message. NY1′s Lori Chung filed the following report.


“It’s so much fun. It’s more about coming together, seeing everyone’s ideas.—their different costumes and stuff like that, their different designs,”


As participants get their costumes ready for the West Indian Day parade, the NYPD is also making preparations for enforcement.


“It’s a parade. It’s a celebration, so I don’t think you should crack down,” one area resident said. “That’s really going to put fear in people and maybe even more anger.”


That is just one response in Crown Heights to a flyer from the 77th precinct making the rounds on Facebook as police vow to crack down on quality-of-life violations like alcohol consumption, loud music and sidewalk grilling.


The penalty—summons or even arrest.


“Sooner or later there won’t be any parade on Eastern Parkway. This is what they’re trying to do—get rid of it,” another person said.


“I’m more afraid about things happening like people getting shot,” said a third. “I hope they tighten up more this year.”


A mixed reaction on a parade sometimes plagued by violence.


“There are some things that were permitted for many, many years that seemed to have been pushed away this year, so that shocked a few people,” said City Councilman Jumaane Williams.


Williams says local elected officials have been in talks with the NYPD and parade organizers to help calm fears and concerns about safety on and around the Eastern Parkway route.


“Based on the conversations I’ve had specifically with the flyer that I saw—that I think was a little bit on the rough side—I’m expecting that we’re going to have a good weekend,” said Williams.


Police Commissioner William Bratton says there will be thousands of police officers patrolling the area in the coming days. He also says that police will be keeping a close eye on gang activity, particularly those they have good reason to suspect will be a problem.





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Christie’s legal tab for Bridgegate cost taxpayers $7.3M



The law firm Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hired to handle the George Washington Bridge scandal has cost taxpayers $ 7.3 million, a new report said Friday.


Gibson Dunn billed the state $ 784,459 for May, June and July, NJ.com said.


The firm had already been paid $ 6.52 million on the legal bills through April.


Christie hired Gibson Dunn in January after his top aides blocked access lanes to the busy span in an apparent act of political ­revenge against the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing him.





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Funeral Held for Bronx Toddler Who Police Say Was Killed by Day Care Worker



A funeral was held Friday for the toddler who police say was killed by a day care worker in the Bronx.


Family and friends gathered at a church is Morrisania to remember 20-month-old Cardell Williamson.


The young boy died last Friday while in the care of a Bronx woman who runs an in-home day care.


Cardell will be buried Saturday in New Jersey.


His father, Carlyle, said he’s grateful for all the support he’s received during a difficult time.


“I really appreciate them. They put a big memorial up there in front of my house. Everybody showed their love with the candles and visuals and everybody just remembering my child,” Carlyle Williamson said. “My child brought a lot of people together.”


Athena Skeeter, 40, was charged with murder and manslaughter Thursday.


Investigators say she admitted to throwing the toddler to the floor and stepping on him.


The city medical examiner ruled Cardell’s death a homicide, saying he died from blunt force trauma to the head and torso.


Skeeter was licensed by the New York State Department of Health and had been inspected by the city.





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Friday, August 29, 2014

Police Arrest Alleged Fake Cabbie Who Police Say Tried to Rape Mother of Three


A man who police say tried to sexually assault a woman in front of her three young children in Queens this past weekend was arraigned Friday evening.


Pedro Vargas, 48, faces charges of assault, endangering the welfare of a child and operating a vehicle without a proper license.


He was arrested around 10:30 p.m. Thursday near his home.


Investigators say the Yonkers man posed as a cab driver when he picked up the 26-year-old victim and her children, ages 1, 3, and 5, in Manhattan early Sunday morning.


The woman asked to be taken to Elmhurst, where police say Vargas pulled into the parking lot of a homeless shelter and tried to attack her.


While she tried to escape, police say he elbowed the 5-year-old in the head and tossed the 3-year-old from the car.


The children were taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.


Vargas’ lawyer, Howard Greenberg, said the victim is to blame, saying the encounter happened when she refused to pay him.


“He just wanted to get rid of her and them. So might there have been somewhat of overreaction, but there’s no injuries to the children,” Greenberg said. “So what’s the crime? What’s the crime? Getting rid of people who turn your stomach after they stiff you on the fee? This was her idea. She endangered her children, not him.”


The state corrections department says Vargas was on community supervision after serving 18 years of a 15 years to life sentence for robbery and kidnapping.


Vargas is due back in court on September 12.





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Man’s death in police custody ruled a homcide



The city medical examiner ruled that the death of a man in police custody who was high on PCP when NYPD cops busted him was a homicide, authorities Friday night.


Ronald Singleton, 45, was arrested after he cursed and screamed in the back of a cab near St. Patrick’s Cathedral on July 13, 2014, cops said.


He fought with cops who responded to the cabbie’s plea for help and was placed in a protective body wrap and put in an ambulance for a trip to Bellevue Hospital for a psych exam.


But on the way, he went into cardiac arrest and the ambulance rushed him to Roosevelt Hospital, which was closer, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.


The ME said Friday that Singleton’s death was caused by the “physical restrain by police during excited delirium due to acute [PCP] intoxication,” cops said.


Hypertension, heart disease, and obesity were contributing factors, the ME said – adding that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office will investigate the case.


This was the second NYPD arrest-related death that was ruled a homicide this month.


A Staten Island man whose death during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes inflamed racial tensions against the NYPD was the victim of a “homicide” by chokehold, the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled in early August.


Eric Garner, 43, died of a “compression of neck (chokehold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police,” the office said in announcing the autopsy results.


But the 350-pound Garner’s poor health, including “acute and chronic bronchial asthma; obesity; hypertensive cardiovascular disease,” were also “contributing conditions” to his death, it added.


Garner, a married African-American father of six, was suspected of selling “loosies” by cops, who surrounded him on Bay Street on Staten Island on July 17.


Their takedown of the man was captured on cellphone videos.


Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is white, held Garner in a chokehold — which is banned by the NYPD — as the suspect struggled and repeatedly yelled, “I can’t breathe!”


Pantaleo, who is on modified duty, has not been charged with a crime. It will be up to Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. to decide whether to convene a grand jury.





Yahoo Local News – New York Post




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Woman, 58, Fatally Struck by Cab on Upper East Side



A cab strikes and kills a woman trying to cross the street on the Upper East Side.


Police say it happened around 2 p.m. at the intersection of Madison Avenue and East 79th Street.


They say the taxi driver was making a left onto 79th Street when he hit the 58-year-old woman.


She was taken to Lenox Hill hospital where she was pronounced dead.


The NYPD’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad is investigating.





NEWS – NY1




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