Friday, July 13, 2012

Tat’s Alot!








By Dan Gesslein
BRONX, NEW YORK, July 13- Was it his tat that gave him away? Police arrested a man they say raped a visiting North Carolina woman. Tips led to an arrest after surveillance video of the incident showed the suspect had his name tattooed on his shoulder.
Investigators say the suspect acted as a tour guide and instead of simply helping the tourist find her hotel he sexually assaulted her.
Police arrested 27-year-old Ivan Jones based on a tip after surveillance video from the hotel was released. In the surveillance video cops noticed that the suspect had the name “Ivan” tattooed on his right shoulder as well as “Tiffany” inked on the inside of his left forearm. 
Investigators say the sex fiend targeted his victim while they were riding on a Bronx-bound subway car. On July 11, cops say the victim had engaged the suspect while on a Bronx-bound subway train at East 14th and Union Square. According to published reports the 33-year-old woman had asked the man for directions in the Bronx. He told her he was going the same way and he ended up escorting the woman from the Bronx subway stop to the Howard Johnson Express Inn on Boston Road.
At her hotel room at around 4 a.m., the woman heard a knock on her door. Once she opened the door, the man pushed his way inside the room. Cops say he choked and raped the woman. Then he bound her and stole $50, the victim’s cell phone and a pair of earrings. 
Jones was charged with rape, strangulation and assault.










Thursday, July 12, 2012

Cop wanted to 'whack' witness




Jury charges cop with trying to hire hit man to kill witness
BRONX, NEW YORK, July 12- District Attorney Robert T. Johnson and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced that Police Officer Jose Ramos and his wife Wanda Abreu have been charged in a new indictment with conspiring to hire a “hit” man to murder a witness in a criminal case against Ramos.  
In the indictment unsealed, the grand jury charged Ramos,43,and Abreu,39, with three counts of conspiracy in the second degree, a Class B felony offense, and one count of criminal solicitation in the second degree, a Class D felony offense. Conspiracy in the second degree, the most serious of the charges, is punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment if convicted.
The charges in this indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The defendants were arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett who ordered that Ramos be remanded pending disposition of these charges. Bail for Abreu was set at $100,000 cash or $500,000 bond. The judge was told that in addition to allegedly attempting to have a witness killed, the defendants had also tried to persuade another witness to lie, and had planned to set up an alibi by arranging to be out of state in Texas when the “hit” was carried out.
It is alleged in court papers that from September 15, 2011 until May 7, 2012, the defendants attempted to arrange the contract killing through face to face meetings and telephone calls, some of which were recorded at a detention facility on Rikers Island, where Ramos is awaiting trial.   
Ramos has been charged with numerous offenses in six other indictments, the most serious of which stemmed from NYPD sting operations in which he allegedly attempted to transport large quantities of heroin from the Bronx to Brooklyn, steal money from purported drug dealers, and commit a robbery while on duty. 
Wanda Abreu was also charged with Ramos in one of those indictments for allegedly filing a fraudulent insurance claim. Until these new charges were filed today, Abreu had been released on her own recognizance. Bail for Ramos in connection with last October’s indictments remains set at $500,000 cash or $5,000,000 bond. 
District Attorney Johnson and Commissioner Kelly thanked the New York City Department of Investigation and the members of their respective staffs for the hard work and dedication that resulted in the indictment announced today.






Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Week in Crime




By David Greene
MAN SHOT ON DAVIDSON
Police officers from the 46th Precinct were called to the scene of a shooting on the University Heights / Fordham Heights border and discovered a male shot. 
The incident was called into police at just after 4:30 p.m., on Monday, July 9. The victim was transported to a local hospital, his condition was not immediately known. 
Police were said to be looking for a male Hispanic, 22 to 23-years old, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
FIRE AT PAY-O-MATIC ?
An all-hands fire was reported at the corner of E. Gun Hill Road at White Plains Road, that broke out at 11 p.m., on Sunday, July 8. 
Sources say the all-hands blaze broke out inside the Pay-O-Matic check cashing center on the Bainbridge/Olinville border. The fire was brought under control after about 25-minutes, the extent of the damage was contained as the center was open for business the following Tuesday. At the time of the incident, fire officials had the address as 3507 White Plains Road, but the center is listed as 697 E. Gun Hill Road, However, the FDNY now has no record of a fire breaking out at either address. A woman at the Payt-O-Matic stated she was not allowed to comment on if a fire took place at the location or not. Calls to their corporate office were not immediately returned.
TWENTY INJURED IN BRUCKNER CRASH
Twenty people were reported to be injured in a motor vehicle accident at Bruckner Boulevard and E. 149 Street, at 8 p.m., on Saturday, July 7. 
EMS declared the incident, "a mass-casualty incident," or (MCI) giving the incident special priority and additional resources due to the amount of injuries. None of the 20 injuries reported were thought to be serious.
SEX ASSAULT IN MT. HOPE
Police were called to E. Tremont Avenue and Valentine Avenue, at 3:30 a.m., on July 7. 
Officers from the 46th Precinct were called to Echo Park, where the victim stated she was sexually assaulted by two individuals. Police were reportedly looking for a white male about 20-years old and a Black male of unknown age in regard to this crime. No clothing description of either suspect was currently available.
WOMAN SHOT IN CASTLE HILL
Police from the 43rd Precinct were called to the scene of a shooting and discovered a female shot. 
Police were called at 3:30 a.m., on Thursday, July 5, to 2160 Seward Avenue. The NYPD's Emergency Services Unit was soon called to 2125 Randall Avenue to conduct an evidence search. No additional information was available at this time.
FORDHAM HEIGHTS SHOOTING
Police were called to 2230 Grand Concourse at E. 182 Street for a report of a person shot. The incident took place at 12:10 a.m., on July 5. No information on the victim or suspect were immediately known.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS SHOOTING
Police were called to 2287 Loring Place North, between Loring Place and W. Fordham Road, at 11:45 p.m., on Wednesday, July 4. 
The male victim was transported to an area hospital and was expected to survive. No information was available on the shooter.
VICTIM WOUNDED IN MORRISANIA
Police and paramedics were called to 745 E. 152 Street for a person shot. Police got the call at just before 11:30 p.m., on July 4. The victim was said to have been removed in stable condition.
LONG ISLAND SOUND RECOVERY
Officers from the 45th Precinct reported a dead body washing up on the rocks at just after 11 p.m., on Wednesday, July 4. 
The NYPD Harbor Patrol was called to the Long Island Sound, off the coast of the Bronx in the area of the Bronx / Whitestone Bridge where it's believed a body was removed. No other details on this incident were immediately available.
ORCHARD BEACH DROWNING
Members of the Emergency Services Unit were dispatched to Section 8 of Orchard Beach after life guards reportedly pulled a victim from the water. 
The incident was reported by the life guards at 2 p.m. on July 4, and who quickly began giving CPR. ESU arrived within five-minutes and the victim was rushed to Jacobi Hospital where the victim was pronounced dead on arrival.
MAN SHOT IN MELROSE
Cops and medics were called to 346 Thurman Munson Way for reports of shots fired and discovered a man shot. 
The aided man was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. No information was available on the gunman.
9 INJURED IN PARKWAY CRASH
Nine people were taken to area hospitals after a motor vehicle crash at 2:50 p.m., on Tuesday, July 2. 
A collision between a black Ford Fusion and a mini-bus from the Bella Bus Corporation took place at the intersection of Pelham Parkway South and Williamsbridge Road. 
Six individuals were removed by EMS in stable condition and three others were reported as serious. Witnesses at the scene say the automobile sped through a red light when the collision took place. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening.
If you have witnessed or have information on a violent crime, you may give your information anonymously by calling 1 (800) 577-TIPS or TEXT: Crimes. ENTER: TIPS577.    














Monday, July 9, 2012

Pizza Party in the Bronx

CiCi’s Pizza to Open Outside Co-op City


BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9CiCi’s Pizza, home of the custom pizza buffet, celebrates the grand opening of its first Bronx location on July 16. The grand opening will kick off a five-day celebration from July 16 through July 20.  

The first 100 guests each day to purchase an adult buffet at the new location during the celebration will receive a free pizza buffet each month for a year. The 5,313 square-foot restaurant is located at 1776 E. Gun Hill Road in the Bronx at the intersection of I-95 and Gun Hill Road.

CiCi’s endless pizza buffet features more than 28 different pizzas in rotation plus delicious pasta, hot soup, crisp salad and oven-baked desserts. Guests can enjoy CiCi’s everyday value at $6.99 for an adult buffet and $3.99 for the kids buffet.

“The Bronx restaurant opening marks an important milestone for CiCi’s as we continue our ‘Build the Brand’ growth initiative, said CiCi’s Pizza COO Bill Spae. “This restaurant is the first to come to the five boroughs and will serve as a flagship store for continued growth in the area.”

The Ansari Pizza Group, led by veteran CiCi’s franchisees, Tahir and Nabeel Ansari, owns 12 CiCi’s Pizza restaurants in Florida, Tennessee and now New York. The company tapped into experienced CiCi’s operator, Michael Rogers, to run the new Bronx Restaurant.

“New Yorkers know their pizza. Now with CiCi’s coming to town, they’ll have access to the nation’s leading pizza buffet,” said Nabeel Ansari. “Our new restaurant will bring new jobs to the area and offer a family-friendly environment for our neighbors to enjoy great food and endless variety at an outstanding value.”

If guests don’t see their favorite pizza fresh and hot on the buffet, they can just ask and a CiCi’s team member will make it on the spot and bring it directly to the table. All pizzas are also available to go and 15” one-topping carryout pizzas are regularly priced at $5.99.

The restaurant phone number is (718) 671-2575 and its hours of operation for dine-in and carryout are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  





Espaillat makes it Official
















100PERCENT

By Robert Press
BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- State Senator Adriano Espaillat held a press conference to announce that he will abide by the Board of Elections results of the June 26th Democratic primary results for the 13th Congressional District that have him coming in a close second to Charlie Rangel. 
Espaillat said that the official margin of victory (953) was still greater then he felt could be overcome in court. He said that other organizations will continue the fight about how fair this race was and that he hopes change comes about at the Board of Elections for a better system. As for running for his old state senate seat, Espaillat said that a decision will come about in a few days, but we are sure that he will run for his old state senate seat in September.
Mayor Bloomberg has blasted the Board of Elections as have many others on the new system of voting, with Bloomberg saying, “It is the most corruptible system in the world.”
Board of Elections Republican Commissioner J.C. Polanco has fired back saying, “Senator Espaillat's team should apologize not only to the commissioners, but to the hard working employees of the Board of Elections.”
Polanco was also angered at Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez for his story that Deputy Chief Clerk for the Manhattan Board of Elections (and the person supervising the count in the Manhattan portion of the congressional district) Timothy Gay had met with key Rangel supporters and district leaders three days before the election. When asked Gay said that he attended on his own time, and attended the meeting at the request of the Manhattan Democratic County Leader Keith Wright to provide his district leaders with lists of Democratic poll workers and to discuss general election matters in general. Gonzalez goes on about other problems that happened including the lists of poll workers district leaders loyal to Espaillat being virtually ignored, and much less Spanish translators at voter sign in tables.
Staying on the September primary, 87th A.D. candidate Luis Sepulveda will be having a fundraiser on Saturday July 21st hosted by Mr. David Rodriguez starting at 7 PM till midnight at 175 Walnut Avenue. For more information and to RSVP you can call 917-560-6137, or e-mail ctr719@aol.com.
Petitions are being handed in as you read this for State Assembly and State Senate, as are “General Objections” to some of those petitions. Specifications to those objections will be due in a few days later and the Board of Elections will hear from both sides and decide just who will get to be on the September primary ballot. 
We spoke to Mr. Mike Nieves currently working on the Charlie Rangel campaign and at the Bronx Board of Elections for the count of the affidavit and absentee ballots who told us that his next job will be to knock off the challenger to Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera, that being Rivera's current 78th State Committeeman and Chairman of the Committee of 100 Democrats Mr. Richardo “Ricky” Martinez. Mr. Martinez is running this year as Assemblyman Rivera has redistricted his son Councilman Joel Rivera into the 78th A.D. We have been told that Rivera's idea is to pass down the assembly seat like a monarchy when his son Joel is term limited out of a job in 2013.
Don't forget to check my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com for the latest breaking news on the petitioning for the September primary, and any other items that may occur after our deadline or that we didn't have space for in this column.
If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.







Bloody Holiday Week

Club Violence Leaves One Dead, Eight Wounded

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- Two incidents around area bars have left one man dead and eight others wounded. Three others were killed and at least four others were wounded in at least five other violent incidents reported across the borough.
On July 6, police were called to the Whispers Inn, located at 1246 E. Gun Hill Road in the Laconia section. The victim, Dwight Lewis, 27, of the Claremont section was shot dead at just before closing time after getting into an argument with a fellow patron.
The mortally wounded Lewis was rushed to Jacobi Hospital where he expired from his injuries.
An unidentified man inside the club, stated, "The man unfortunately died. The police are looking at the surveillance video now."
Moments later a pair of detectives would exit the watering hole, one carrying a laptop computer, apparently with the video of the incident.
A second unidentified man wearing a Metropolitan Transit Authority uniform was seen locking up the club, he fumed, "Don't take my picture, I'm not the owner. I'm just a worker," before getting into a vehicle and speeding away.
The following morning at just after 4 a.m., cops were called to a the topless bar, "Club Eleven," located at 1152 Randall Avenue in the Hunts Point section. A brawl in the street left two men shot and six individuals slashed. All of the victims are expected to survive.
The carnage was not limited to local watering-holes as a 19-year -old man was shot in the leg in front of 1662 Vyce Avenue in Claremont Village, at 2:30 p.m., on July 5.
Later that same night a young mother allegedly killed her two young children before attempting to commit suicide-- but failed, inside her Parkchester home.
At just before 4:30 a.m., on July 6, one man was shot in the leg and a second suffered a graze wound outside of 270 E. Burnside Avenue. Both victims were reported to be in stable condition.
Ten minutes after the Burnside shooting, a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death inside his home at 578 E. 141 Street. Police would question and later arrest his girlfriend.
At just after 2 a.m. on July 8, another individual was reported shot at White Plains Road and E. 225 Street. That victim was also expected to recover.
The NYPD has registered 802 shootings in the first six-months of 2012, up nearly 11 percent over the previous year, but the murder rate is still down for the first half of the year with just 194 killings.



Crime on the rise

Wakefield Area News
By Mary V. Lauro
BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- There is no doubt that crime is on the rise throughout the City. 
From January 1, 2012 to June 31, 2012, crime throughout the City rose 4.31 percent. In the Bronx it rose 2.67 percent. But don't let those figures fool you. They are averages. Some areas have seen more of a rise than other areas. For example, the 47th Precinct saw a rise of 6.44 percent. That means that so far this year, it is not the contender for the most crime ridden. To date, Comp Stat figures show it at 959 felony crimes running fourth behind the 43rd, 44th and 52nd Precincts.
By the same token, all areas of the 47th Precinct do not have the same crime rate. Of the 11 sections into which the 47th is broken, the safest and least crime ridden is the Woodlawn community which has only three percent of the crime. Compare that with our own Wakefield which has 13 percent, making it the second highest crime section in the 47th. Keep in mind that if crime were equally spread throughout the precinct, all sections would have 9 percent of the crime
With sarcasm we note that so far, we have lost our title to the highest number of homicides. That distinction goes to the 48th which had 8. The 47th had 7. We were, however, the highest in rapes at 19. The 46th trailed us at 16. The 43rd beat us at robbery. It had 255. We had 230. In felonious assault the 43rd also beat us at 248, but we were close behind at 236. But in burglary, we beat them all at 511.We also get the title for the most auto thefts at 111.
The largest drop in crime was achieved by the 40th Precinct which fell by 10.12 percent. The 45th also did well at a drop of 6.61 percent. By contrast, the 47th went up by 6.44 percent.
We never cease to wonder at the 50th Precinct which always has the lowest crime rate, but continues to fall. The 50th includes Riverdale which, as everyone knows, is not a poverty area. One wonders whether its success ties in an overabundance of police presence in its streets. We suggest strolling through Riverdale noting how many patrol cars one meets. Then stroll through Wakefield to note the same thing. But don't hold your breath.
The NYPD loves to include in its Comp Stat figures changes that have occurred 2 years ago as well as 11 and 19 years ago. No matter how much crime rises, it insists that we look at how much more improved crime rates are from the height of the crime wave back in 1993. That is silly. That crime rate was the result of foolishness on the part of the NYPD. We expect it to be more efficient than it was then.
We note however statistics for the 2-year difference which add proof to the increase in crime throughout the City. These past two years the City rose in crime by 4.31 percent, the Bronx by 1.98 percent. Note the, rise in the 47th Precinct was substantially higher at 9.23 percent!
All of this is not to be construed as a criticism of the officers or commanders in our 47th Precinct. We can only praise them for the job they do with their limited resources. It is to be construed as an indictment of the manner by which the NYPD assigns officers. Last April we were overjoyed that Commissioner Kelly sent 43 officers to the 47th which it sorely needed. Less than a month later, 25 were removed!





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