Off Duty NYPD School Safety Agent Arrested for Assault, Endangering a Child

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, May 3, 2021 at 8.39 p.m, Valerie Collins, 55, an off-duty New York City employee was arrested and charged in the 45th precinct with assault and with endangering the welfare of a child. Collins is an NYPD school safety agent. No information was available for Collins on the NYPD’s public records site. The 45th precinct contains six miles of park area, and 10.6 miles of waterfront. It covers the Bronx neighborhoods of Co-op City and City Island. A person arrested and accused of a crime is innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached photo regarding an assault that occurred in the 52nd precinct. It was reported to police that on Monday, April 19, 2021 at approximately 2.30 p.m., in front of 2406 University Avenue in the Fordham Manor of the Bronx, a 13-year-old male victim was approached by the unidentified male suspect. The suspect stabbed the victim multiple times in the left leg with a cutting instrument, before fleeing the scene, on foot, towards Father Ziezer Place. EMS responded to the location and transported

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Tuesday, May 4, that a Bronx man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the Bronx in 2017. Clark said, “The defendant followed a 12-year-old girl, who was on her way back home from a store, and sexually assaulted her in broad daylight. He also terrified the child by threatening to kill her and her family. We hope today’s sentence brings some solace to the victim and her family.” Clark said the defendant, Malcolm Lugo, 24, last of 3988 Bronxwood Avenue in

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. As officials from the Bronx office of the New York City Board of Elections were busy tallying votes at their Grand Concourse headquarters to determine the outcome of the District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections a few weeks ago, the president of the Bronx NAACP, said voter education is key to the future of a free and fair society. It may also be key to a more dynamic primary election season. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx chapter

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner, Basil Seggos, announced on Sunday, May 2, that “New York State Compost Awareness Week” is taking place from May 2-8. Compost Awareness Week raises awareness statewide of the environmental benefits of composting, and the declaration was formalized in a recent proclamation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Recycling food scraps, grass, leaves, yard clippings, and other organic materials through composting reduces New York’s dependence on landfills and combustors and helps to lower climate-altering emissions while producing valuable, nutrient-rich compost that improves soil health and water quality. Seggos said New

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for Ironworkers, Local Union #40 & #361, will conduct a recruitment drive from May 5 through May 19, 2021 for 100 ironworker (outside) apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced on Friday, April 30. The agency said that the 100 individual apprenticeships represent the total number of openings across two separate recruitment regions – Long Island and New York City. Applications must be obtained and submitted online at www.nycironworkers.org, starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and ending at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Applicants

By SÍLE MOLONEY

CUNY in the Heights is a program which brings more educational opportunities to neighborhoods by creating multiple pathways to degrees and careers with family-sustaining wages. The program is administered by Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and serves The Bronx, Inwood, and Washington Heights communities. CUNY in the Heights and BMCC are hosting a virtual town hall for the communities of Northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx on May 4 from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. A newly renovated and expanded CUNY in the Heights campus is set to reopen to students in Fall 2021. BMCC would like

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, the NYPD announced on May 6 that new video had been released in relation to a slashing incident that occurred in the 52nd precinct on May 2. The video is attached. The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached videos and photo who is wanted in connection with a knife assault that occurred in the 52nd precinct. On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at approximately 2.45 p.m., the unidentified suspect engaged in a verbal dispute with an on-duty 41-year-old NYC Parks Department employee in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached surveillance video regarding a shooting that occurred in the 46th precinct. It was reported to police that on Tuesday, April 13, at approximately 1.14 p.m., on the corner of East 183rd Street and Grand Concourse in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, the suspect discharged a firearm in the direction of a group of males who were inside a vehicle. No injuries were reported to police. The suspect fled to parts unknown. Surveillance video which shows the suspect,