Calls for more security, including security camera installation in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood have been loud and persistent. At the monthly meeting of the 52nd Precinct Community Council held Sept. 25 at Success Academy Charter School on East 207th Street in Norwood, both the NYPD and a representative from State Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s office announced that 22 video surveillance cameras would begin to be installed shortly in the park.

 

As reported, Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández, 14, was fatally stabbed outside the recreation center in the Oval on Aug. 5, and on Aug. 20, a 65-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint inside the park in the vicinity of Reservoir Place and Reservoir Oval East.

 

On June 9, 2024, 66-year-old Jose Cruz of Brooklyn was found deceased, stabbed to death on a park bench near Reservoir Oval East and Putnam Place. More recently, a second woman was raped a block from the Oval at East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place on Sept. 28.

 

A 21-year-old New Jersey man has since been arrested in relation to this incident, while four teenagers have been charged in Ángel’s death. Others are still sought. On Sunday, Sept. 28, an NYPD spokesperson told Norwood News that no one has been apprehended in Cruz’s death and “the investigation remains ongoing.”

 

During a question and answer session at the precinct meeting, one young man named “Jessie” asked what the NYPD was doing about safety in park. The precinct’s commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Chase Maneri, replied, “We have a few major parks. We have St. James, Devoe, Bronx Park, and Williamsbridge Oval.”

 

He added that many other parks in the command are gated and can be locked. “The Williamsbridge Oval park is difficult to close,” he said mentioning that Bronx Park has a walking path leading into the park. “Our strategy with the parks is we do a ton of direct patrols in all the parks.”

 

On the topic of surveillance cameras, Maneri said, “With Williamsbridge Oval, our first strategy is to get more cameras. We don’t have any cameras in that park. We don’t have any cameras in any of our parks. We have cameras outside the parks that we control from the precinct and look into the parks, but it’s from a distance.”

 

Maneri said the NYC Parks department would soon install two ‘Argus’ cameras near the recreation center in the Oval, near where Ángel was killed. These cameras will provide a live feed to the 52^nd Precinct, can be controlled by the NYPD, and are able to change directions.

 

However, Maneri noted a problem saying the cameras were to be connected to a light pole, the lights are controlled by a timer and turn off automatically at a certain point. He said the Parks Department was working on a solution, therefore, to have the cameras run 24 hours a day.

 

During the same meeting, Sari Mendoza Torres, district director for Rivera, who represents Senate District 33, said, as reported, that the senator had provided funding from last year’s budget for cameras after a request was received from Bronx Community Board 7. Torres added that the 20 cameras to be placed around Williamsbridge Oval park are not the Argus cameras Maneri spoke of but ‘fixed’ cameras that do not move. She said these cameras are expected to be installed by mid-October.

 

When Norwood News contacted NYC Parks in August asking for an update on the camera installation, we were repeatedly referred to the NYPD for an update. We eventually contacted City Hall to ask which department was ultimately responsible for installing the cameras and on Sept. 24, we were simply and similarly advised [informally] that the cameras were expected to be installed around mid-October. We asked for details of the exact park locations and were initially informed this was still being worked out.

 

Following news of the second rape a block from the Oval, when contacted, we received the following statement from a City Hall spokesperson on the camera request on Sept. 29: “The Adams administration, NYC Parks, and the NYPD are committed to ensuring all New Yorkers can enjoy the natural beauty of our parks in safety and peace of mind. The recent incidents at Williamsbridge Oval are deeply disturbing, and we will not allow more Norwood residents to be subject of these senseless crimes.”

 

The statement continued, “We are actively working to install the cameras and will share a timeline shortly, because protecting our neighborhoods and restoring confidence in our parks cannot wait.”

 

In a follow-up interview with Torres on Sept. 26, we had asked if the 20 referenced cameras would be operational 24 hours a day. She said she was unsure and promised to reach out to Parks who she said had selected the cameras. Torres added that Rivera had provided $138,000, the estimated cost of the cameras and their installation.

In the meantime, on Friday, Oct. 3, we received the following update from City Hall. “New Yorkers deserve parks where children can play freely and families can enjoy a walk without a second thought about safety,” a City Hall spokesperson said.

 

“Following a string of violent incidents at the Williamsburg Oval, the Adams administration will be installing two new cameras along the central path of the park, which will be fully operational this month. This is a crucial step in making the Oval a space where everyone can both be and feel safe.”

 

Norwood News was further informed that separately, other 20 other cameras will be installed at the Recreation Center that were paid for via a DASNY grant sponsored by Rivera. Installation is expected to be completed for the rec center cameras within the next 3 to 4 weeks.

 

We were further informed that the majority of the external cameras that are part of the Rec Center project will face the recreation center, and not towards the park.

 

On Sunday, Sept. 28, on the topic of cameras, Angela, a Williamsbridge resident who was sitting in the Oval with two young children across from the park bench where Ángel was murdered, said of the latest update, “That would certainly help, and I think they should put cameras in every park.”

 

She continued, “I think it’s a great park. It’s unfortunate that those incidents did happen, but otherwise it’s a great park.” Asked if she observes police patrolling the park, she replied, “Later in the day, yeah, but right now, I don’t see them here.”

 

Meanwhile, Fran, a new Norwood resident who moved from Morningside Heights in Manhattan, said, “Similar things happened a couple of years ago where a girl was stabbed to death and (they) immediately put cameras everywhere. Morningside Park has tons of cameras. Even the Riverside area has a ton of cameras, and they acted expeditiously, so it’s dismaying to hear that, like, reading this article.”

 

Fran was referring to an article in the most recent print issue of the Norwood News which included an article on the recent rape that had taken place inside the park. “And there’s no cameras in any Bronx parks,” Fran concluded. “That’s like classless. That’s racist. That’s intentional. Like, that’s disappointing, yeah, but it’s good to know.”

 

Norwood News reached out to the NYPD for clarification on Maneri’s statement about cameras in Bronx parks, and we also asked how many cameras were currently in Morningside Park. Norwood News was subsequently informed that local elected officials secure funding for such cameras and that the NYPD does not discuss specific locations.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.