« May 2003 | Main | July 2003 »

June 30, 2003

Feet on the Street in

Feet on the Street in Action So as I mentioned before (I think I may have fixed my permalinks - let me know if that doesn't work) some are calling for more police officers actually walking their beats, rather than...

more...

Posted by at 10:15 PM

15-year-old Island girl missing -

15-year-old Island girl missing - At Sex Party "A 15-year-old girl reported missing from her Mariners Harbor home on Friday may be at a sex party advertised on a raunchy Web site, according to a published report." Define "raunchy." "That...

more...

Posted by at 6:23 PM

Good Samaritan returns missing diamond

Good Samaritan returns missing diamond "But luckily for Mrs. Reis, an unknown good Samaritan returned the earring to Macy's lost-and-found desk, a day after it was lost." Awww.......

more...

Posted by at 6:18 PM

FDNY Firefighters Dodge Bullets During

FDNY Firefighters Dodge Bullets During Queens Fire "Queens firefighters who answered a call of fireworks going off inside a family residence found themselves in the middle of a shooting gallery yesterday, as rounds of ammunition exploded in a blaze that...

more...

Posted by at 5:19 PM

Crime Statistics Doubts Adding Up

Crime Statistics Doubts Adding Up Just an update from previous posts....

more...

Posted by at 5:11 PM

June 28, 2003

Bears Causing Problems in N.J.

Bears Causing Problems in N.J. Suburbs "Across semi-rural northwestern New Jersey, still within commuting distance of New York City, lots of people have a bear story." Commuting distance for people or for bears? You don't think Fozzy or Yogi understand...

more...

Posted by at 2:00 PM

Thief in pinch, cops in

Thief in pinch, cops in clinch "A break-in at a Queens restaurant yesterday caused a big commotion when the burglar got stuck in the chimney - and cops and firefighters trying to rescue him got into a fight."...

more...

Posted by at 1:46 PM

Homeless Woman Masquerading as Officer

Homeless Woman Masquerading as Officer Robbed 4, Police Say "A 56-year-old homeless woman has been masquerading as an undercover police officer and robbing elderly people, mostly in and around Greenwich Village, since March, the authorities said yesterday." Call me crazy,...

more...

Posted by at 1:31 PM

June 26, 2003

Child Wrapped In Duct Tape

Child Wrapped In Duct Tape For Bed Wetting "A stepfather is under arrest in Brooklyn for wrapping an 11-year-old child in duct tape and placing the boy in a bathtub."...

more...

Posted by at 3:20 PM

Woman admits to killing daughter

Woman admits to killing daughter in attempted exorcism At a proceeding in front of Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Fitzgerald on Wednesday, Wright said, "I put her in the tub and tried to bless her." You know, come to...

more...

Posted by at 3:17 PM

Suspicious-package scare jangles nerves at

Suspicious-package scare jangles nerves at U.N. "One of the initial readings for radiation had caused concern though subsequent readings proved to be negative," Haq said. Is it just me, or are those tests always wrong the first time? "Well, it...

more...

Posted by at 3:12 PM

June 25, 2003

Flushing man gets 50 years

Flushing man gets 50 years in grisly Astoria knife slay "A homeless man from Flushing was sentenced Monday to the maximum punishment of 50 years to life in prison for slaughtering two employees with a 17-inch butcher knife at an...

more...

Posted by at 6:15 PM

As Reported by the NY

As Reported by the NY Post "Three Daily News deliverymen were accused of stealing expensive car headlights from Staten Island homeowners under the cover of darkness, police sources said." You think they'd run the same story if the lead started...

more...

Posted by at 6:01 PM

June 24, 2003

Critter crackdown has no bite

Critter crackdown has no bite "Four years after the city outlawed the sale or possession of nearly 200 animals, including familiar pets like iguanas and ferrets, few owners have been hunted down, and it appears that the law is frequently...

more...

Posted by at 5:51 PM

Gov can save token booths

Gov can save token booths "Keeping token booth clerks in subway stations deters crime and bolsters the city's fight against terrorism, the Straphangers Campaign, a transit advocacy group, has argued." Is there anything in New York City that doesn't bolster...

more...

Posted by at 5:29 PM

June 23, 2003

FEET ON THE STREET Peter

FEET ON THE STREET Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore City police officer, is calling for more cops on NY streets, less in cars. He makes a lot of sense. When you see a cop car rolling by, it's so easy...

more...

Posted by at 4:08 PM

Guardian Angels seek relevance in

Guardian Angels seek relevance in face of low crime, terror fears "Most New Yorkers waiting for the No. 7 train these days worry as much about terrorists as they do about street toughs." See what I'm saying here? People don't...

more...

Posted by at 3:58 PM

June 21, 2003

Terrorists on the Brooklyn Bridge?

Terrorists on the Brooklyn Bridge? "But Susan Licht, a Brooklyn resident, said, 'I'm more concerned about getting mugged.' She added: ‘All this stuff is window dressing. If somebody really wants to do something, they'll do it.’" And that, my friends,...

more...

Posted by at 10:27 PM

Somebody's watching you in NYC

Somebody's watching you in NYC "By his estimate, more than 10,000 remote eyes now monitor Manhattan streets, a three-fold increase since the New York Civil Liberties Union first mapped the cameras in 1998." This isn't really anything new, but when...

more...

Posted by at 10:18 PM

June 20, 2003

U.S. Cites Al Qaeda in

U.S. Cites Al Qaeda in Plan to Destroy Brooklyn Bridge The reaction to this story by many NYC bloggers -- particularly Brooklyn bloggers -- tells me that I was right when I said people aren't scared of terrorist acts in...

more...

Posted by at 5:49 PM

Two items over at Gothamist

Two items over at Gothamist related to scary New York things. Crime Statistics -- basically some coverage on crime stats and how things aren't as rosy as city hall would like you to believe. UPDATE: Crime drop probed. Subway Tiles...

more...

Posted by at 4:54 PM

June 19, 2003

Liberty Avenue Drip Problem Not

Liberty Avenue Drip Problem Not Solved Despite MTA Work "...the wooden railroad ties on the elevated tracks were dripping creosote, a brownish-black water sealant that was taking the paint off cars parked below." Cresote is basically nasty stuff. Don't touch...

more...

Posted by at 3:29 PM

Bloody Crime Spree Continues "Police

Bloody Crime Spree Continues "Police are investigating four killings that occurred during the past two days, a continuation of a bloody spree that saw 13 people slain over the weekend." Remember when Bloomberg said, "one weekend doesn't a crime wave...

more...

Posted by at 3:24 PM

June 18, 2003

The Beginning of a Joke?

The Beginning of a Joke? (second from the bottom) "A 30-year-old man was beaten and stabbed yesterday after he exposed himself to a one-armed hooker on a Harlem street, witnesses said."...

more...

Posted by at 7:54 PM

West Nile Spraying To Start

West Nile Spraying To Start "Health officials will use a low-flying helicopter to treat non-residential, marsh areas with the larvicide product, VectoLex, a natural bacterial agent." I don't know. Something called "VectoLex" doesn't sound "natural" to me. Leaf. Flower. Water....

more...

Posted by at 7:50 PM

Stats: Cops Frisk Blacks More

Stats: Cops Frisk Blacks More "According to the figures — which come from the NYPD and were given to the City Council as mandated by law — during the six months between January and June 2002, 45,577 people were stopped...

more...

Posted by at 12:31 PM

June 17, 2003

Update: Jury rejects shoe death

Update: Jury rejects shoe death charges "A jury threw out manslaughter charges against a 220-pound woman alleged to have sat on her ex-lover's chest and clubbed him to death with her size 12 high-heeled shoe, her lawyer said Tuesday."...

more...

Posted by at 6:06 PM

M(ac)Y(s)PD Blue "Last year, more

M(ac)Y(s)PD Blue "Last year, more than 12,000 people moved through detention rooms in 105 of Macy's stores, including more than 1,900 at the Manhattan store, in Herald Square. Only 56 percent of those people were sent to the police." You...

more...

Posted by at 5:58 PM

June 16, 2003

Hurricane Evacuation Utility In

Hurricane Evacuation Utility In case of a hurricane in NYC, I need to remember that I live in Evacuation Zone C. I have no idea what that means, but it sounds pretty frightening. Oh, wait. This tells me that,...

more...

Posted by at 4:40 PM

11 DEAD IN CITY'S WEEKEND

11 DEAD IN CITY'S WEEKEND OF SLAYS I've actually heard the number being reported as 13. This despite the fact that the murder rate has dropped 9 percent between 2001 and 2002. UPDATE: See... NYT says 13...

more...

Posted by at 3:31 PM

How Do You Get

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Turns out members of the NYPD don't have the streets and landmarks memorized. Who knew? And that, my friends, is my first link to a permalink from another blog. I think I'm...

more...

Posted by at 12:20 AM

June 15, 2003

Alleged assault on Bronx

Alleged assault on Bronx River Parkway "Police said a man wearing only his underpants ran out into traffic on the Bronx River Parkway early Sunday morning. They said he tried to jump into a woman's car. The man took...

more...

Posted by at 11:42 PM

Bomb scare delays Mass

Bomb scare delays Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral "Worshippers were allowed back into the cathedral and the 10:15 Mass started at about 11 a.m., the spokesman said." I dunno, I've been there plenty of times and I've never seen...

more...

Posted by at 11:37 PM

Postcards From the Edge

Postcards From the Edge "For the last decade Julie has been part of a little-known segment of homeless youth often called urban nomads. Year in and year out they travel to a few select North American cities, living on...

more...

Posted by at 11:30 PM

June 14, 2003

NYCwireless Ok, so it's not

NYCwireless Ok, so it's not exactly crime/scary stuff related, but here's a big plug for NYCwireless. I'm sitting in a wet Bryant Park right now typing away, streaming music and getting email. What a wonderful city. But... why do I...

more...

Posted by at 5:29 PM

Off-Duty Cop Nabbed For

Off-Duty Cop Nabbed For Exposure (The link is going to change in a bit) "An off-duty Queens cop was arrested on May 21 and charged with public lewdness, after a passerby spotted him masturbating while driving his car –...

more...

Posted by at 12:43 PM

Hamilton Beach Boardwalk Fence

Hamilton Beach Boardwalk Fence Zaps Passersby "I get shocked all the time. It’s dangerous to walk through there. I wasn’t thinking the other day, and the train was coming by, and I put my hand on the fence and...

more...

Posted by at 12:32 PM

New Yorkers Have Growing

New Yorkers Have Growing Pessimism About the City I guess that's why I'm doing this. But it isn't crime that's making people feel down in the dumps about NY. "Concerns about crime — historically a high priority among New...

more...

Posted by at 12:29 PM

June 13, 2003

Agile Suspect Arrested in

Agile Suspect Arrested in Break-Ins They think this is the guy that's been breaking into a bunch of homes on the Upper East and Upper West sides. "In his backpack, police found a laptop, an adapter, a Palm Pilot...

more...

Posted by at 5:48 PM

Queens soccer coach gets

Queens soccer coach gets 66 years for abusing boys "The coach of a Forest Hills soccer league was sentenced to up to 66 years in prison for sexually abusing six young boys during team trips that involved overnight stays...

more...

Posted by at 11:50 AM

Arrest of top aide

Arrest of top aide shocks NY Assembly "The arrest of top Assembly aide Michael Boxley on rape charges cast a pall on the Legislature Thursday and left some wondering whether progress on outstanding issues could be slowed in the...

more...

Posted by at 11:47 AM

June 12, 2003

Bronx Woman Shot, Then

Bronx Woman Shot, Then Run Over "A Bronx man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly shot his girlfriend, then ran over her with his van because he thought she was two-timing him with a man who had attacked her...

more...

Posted by at 11:22 PM

For Bloomberg, the Crime

For Bloomberg, the Crime Rate Keeps Falling Ok, so despite these posts, there's less crime in the city... again. But you still can't smoke in bars. Or sit on milk crates. Or have too many words on your awning....

more...

Posted by at 11:17 PM

Husband put wife's headless

Husband put wife's headless body in suitcase "A jealous husband strangled his wife, cut off her head with a handsaw and stuffed her body in a suitcase that he dumped on a Harlem street, police said Thursday."...

more...

Posted by at 10:46 PM

Teens Charged In Game

Teens Charged In Game Melee "Five Brooklyn teenagers were indicted Thursday on attempted murder and other charges stemming from a bottle-throwing, bat-wielding and shooting rampage during a high school baseball game in Ridgewood." You hear about this? Basically 15...

more...

Posted by at 10:44 PM

Why am I doing

Why am I doing this? I heard someone speak today about blogs/bloggers/blogging. One of the things they said was, "you have to ask yourself why you're doing this. Why are you blogging?" It's something I've been thinking about since...

more...

Posted by at 10:41 PM

June 10, 2003

Cops: Phone Sex Predator

Cops: Phone Sex Predator Terrorized More Than 50 Kids "A Brooklyn man made random telephone calls in hopes of finding children home alone, then terrorized them into sexual behavior by claiming he was watching from outside and would rape...

more...

Posted by at 5:49 PM

House of horror "A

House of horror "A 13-year-old Queens boy came home from school yesterday and walked into a blood-soaked house of horrors, where his parents and aunt were found slain execution-style."...

more...

Posted by at 5:47 PM

June 9, 2003

Woman Kills Man with

Woman Kills Man with Her High-Heeled Shoe "A stormy relationship ended up on a Brooklyn street in the early hours of Saturday when a 220 pound woman sat on her ex-boyfriend's chest and clubbed him to death with her...

more...

Posted by at 3:02 PM

June 7, 2003

Transsexual Bank Robber Gets Jail

Transsexual Bank Robber Gets Jail Word is he robbed the banks to maintain his "female physique." Now... which jail is he/she going to? Mens or womens?...

more...

Posted by at 2:09 PM

Update: Village Person Identified

Update: Village Person Identified “The ‘hard-hat bandit’ who has looted a dozen banks in Brooklyn and Queens has been identified by authorities, and they are requesting the public's help in bringing him to justice, police said.” The guy’s name...

more...

Posted by at 2:05 PM

June 6, 2003

Escaped Prisoner Caught in

Escaped Prisoner Caught in the Bronx "He was found less than an hour and a half later at his apartment on Carpenter Avenue in the Bronx, and was taken into custody again at 1:12 a.m. Thursday, police said." Come...

more...

Posted by at 2:33 PM

June 5, 2003

Man bumped in possible

Man bumped in possible bias attack in Woodside Fourth from the bottom -- (Sorry for copy/pasting the whole thing copyright gods) WOODSIDE - A 44-year-old man told officers he was bumped by a neighbor while entering the No. 7...

more...

Posted by at 6:05 PM

Full of Shit "In

Full of Shit "In recent months, Southeast Queens residents have reported several cases of septic tanks caving in beneath their backyards." This is the amazing story of Sandra McQueen, her pool, and a four-foot-wide hole....

more...

Posted by at 5:59 PM

June 4, 2003

Update: Queens Dean Tried

Update: Queens Dean Tried To Bribe Boys, Officials Say His best offer? $65....

more...

Posted by at 9:55 PM

Not Violent/Scary Crime, But

Not Violent/Scary Crime, But 41 Pages Long! The original intent here was to chronicle all of the things that make NYC a (sometimes) scary place. Sure, Martha Stewart getting indicted doesn't really fit into that category, but how could...

more...

Posted by at 3:09 PM

This Guy's Got It

This Guy's Got It All Wrong "A man who allegedly tried to sneak into Sing Sing in a prison employee's uniform last month has been arrested and at least two inmates have been transferred as part of an investigation...

more...

Posted by at 3:00 PM

Wanted: Man Singh "On

Wanted: Man Singh "On December 22, 1986 at about 11:30 PM while at 97-17 40th Road, Elmhurst Queens, Man Singh stabbed a man to death during a dispute." Some picture....

more...

Posted by at 12:55 AM

Slashing Puzzles Officials "A

Slashing Puzzles Officials "A day after a receptionist was slashed and doused with liquid in a Brooklyn law office, the woman tried to recover, her co-workers tried to relax and police tried to puzzle out an explanation for the...

more...

Posted by at 12:47 AM

June 3, 2003

Spanking Charge For Dean

Spanking Charge For Dean Howard Dean? Oh no. Wait. "The dean of discipline at a Jackson Heights middle school was arrested yesterday for allegedly spanking four students with a hairbrush in his van, police said." Ok, got it. "Students...

more...

Posted by at 1:18 PM

June 2, 2003

Video store sold cocaine

Video store sold cocaine "A sign in the store’s window asks customers to drop off video and DVD returns at a nearby store and promises they 'will reopen shortly.'" The sign went on to say, "Drugs may also be...

more...

Posted by at 11:56 PM

2/6 of the Village People

2/6 of the Village People Involved "Authorities said they are looking for a man who dresses up like a construction worker to rob banks." So if a cop catches him, we're just a cowboy, a biker, army guy and an...

more...

Posted by at 11:49 PM

9/11 Made Me Do

9/11 Made Me Do It Man cuts off another man's head. Man claims he thought other man was an "agent for the Taliban." Listen, we all felt a little nuts shortly after Sept 11, but come on......

more...

Posted by at 6:41 PM

Arrest in Bronx Shooting "A

Arrest in Bronx Shooting "A young woman was shot in her Bronx apartment yesterday morning when a man in a separate apartment fired a gun accidentally, and the bullet went through a wall and struck her, police said." Powerful gun,...

more...

Posted by at 1:50 PM

187 on an Undercover

187 on an Undercover Cop Note the URL of the NYPD DAILY BLOTTER: /regionalnews/187.htm. You know, Dr. Dre - 187 (Deep Cover Remix) Well anyway, (near the bottom): "A man was shot in the chest while he was sitting...

more...

Posted by at 1:44 PM

June 1, 2003

Gang rape defendant apologized

Gang rape defendant apologized in written statement "The five men, who lived in a shantytown near Shea Stadium..." I didn't know NY had shantytowns....

more...

Posted by at 11:41 PM

Woman hit by R

Woman hit by R train at Forest Hills station Third down. "A woman was struck by an eastbound R train Monday night, police said." But here's the thing. "The medical examiner was determining the cause of death." I don't...

more...

Posted by at 2:52 PM

NYC Police Assn. Launches

NYC Police Assn. Launches 'Don't Blame the Cop!' Ads While this isn't about violent crime, it's still worth a read. "City Hall is trying to turn us into a revenue-generating agency rather than a policing agency," said Patrick J....

more...

Posted by at 2:25 AM