West Farms: 39-Year-Old Man Murdered

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A murder investigation has opened following the shooting of a 39-year-old man in West Farms. On Friday, Nov. 5, at approximately 1.44 a.m, police responded to a 911 call regarding an aided, unconscious man inside 1290 Rodman Place, in the 48th precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive, lying on the second floor hallway, with gunshot wounds to the torso. EMS responded to the location and transported the victim to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing. The identity of the deceased is

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has reported that a 3-alarm residential fire broke out in a multiple-unit building in Van Cortlandt Village in the early hours of Thursday morning. There were eight injured but none seriously. FDNY officials initially reported, via Twitter, that “all hands” were being asked to respond to a reported fire in a multiple dwelling at 124 Van Cortlandt Avenue West in Van Cortlandt Village at around 4.21 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4. Bronx All Hands Box 3770, 124 VAN CORTLANDT AVE W, MULTIPLE DWELLING A — FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) November 4, 2021 A subsequent

UPDATE Some Bronx Parents Are Hesitant to Vaccinate Their Children

By DAWN CLANCY

After much anticipation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 through 11 years of age on Friday, Oct. 29. The decision led the way for the vaccine to be made available to 28 million unvaccinated children across the United States, subject to subsequent approval by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which came a few days later, on Tuesday, Nov. 2. In New York City, the first wave of eligible children to receive the shot got vaccinated the very next day, on Nov. 3, at the Children’s Hospital

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, Nov. 4, that a Rikers Island inmate has been charged with second-degree assault and additional charges for attacking an NYC Department of Correction (DOC) officer, in the jail. Clark said, “The defendant allegedly held a makeshift weapon to a DOC officer’s neck. Thankfully other officers intervened, and the victim was not seriously injured.” She continued, “With our partners at the Department of Correction, we are doing all we can to stop the relentless violence in Rikers Island, and end these attacks against DOC staff who are simply doing their jobs.”

By DAVID GREENE

Over 300 people pre-registered and participated in the ‘5-K Run/Walk/Roll to End Domestic Violence’ sponsored by the Bronx District Attorney, Darcel D. Clark, on Saturday, Oct. 16. The event took place along the Grand Concourse, from East 170th Street in Mt Eden to East 161st Street in the Concourse to coincide with Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month. The fourth, annual, in-person event to take place in the borough in the last five years shut down the Grand Concourse to vehicular traffic, and was held in partnership with the New York Yankees and the State University of New York (SUNY).

By DAVID GREENE

At least one woman was injured, and four cars were damaged when the axle on one car detached, causing the car to smash into three other vehicles in the Norwood section of the Bronx. An axle on a vehicle is a rod or shaft that rotates the wheels and supports the car’s weight. According to NYPD spokeswoman, Sergeant Jessica McRorie, the crash was reported outside Woodlawn Cemetery, at East 211th Street and Tryon Avenue in Norwood at 10:32 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 22. Officers from the 52nd precinct were observed surveying the damage, and at least one female victim was transported to a local hospital

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying the person seen in the attached surveillance photo and video who is sought for questioning regarding a robbery that occurred in Fordham Heights, in the confines of the 46th precinct. It was reported to police that on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 at approximately 8.05 p.m., at the northwest corner of Webster Avenue and East 188th Street, a 38-year-old female victim was walking southbound on Webster Avenue when a man unknown to her approached her from behind and forcefully removed an iPhone 12 from her hand, before running eastbound on East

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAWN CLANCY

The first wave of children to receive the newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine had their shots administered at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Norwood on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The kids in question were 11-year-old twins, Jamie Onofrio Franceschini and Ryann Onofrio Franceschini, and Kenechi Acholonu (9), Amechi Acholonu (7), and Chizara Acholonu (5). “Today is a huge relief,” said Chrissie Onofrio, the twins’ mom. “For the last 20 months, we have been doing everything we could to keep them safe. As adults, we have been able to be vaccinated, and have only seen vaccinated people.” She added,

By DAVID GREENE

After Halloween celebrations were all but cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it made a big return in 2021 as youngsters and their parents took to the streets, dressed in their favorite, purchased or home-made costumes, and large crowds of trick-or-treaters were spotted across the borough. Larger than usual crowds were seen as children of all ages wore masks and costumes as they attended several Halloween-themed parties in Allerton, Norwood and Pelham Bay. Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation reported an increase of 20 percent over last year on Halloween costume and treat sales. Americans spent