Daytime Stabbing Marks 52nd Precinct’s First Homicide of 2016

By DAVID GREENE

Detectives from the 52nd Precinct are searching for four individuals are said to be connected to the stabbing death of a young man in broad daylight on a street in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. Police were called to the side entrance of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church along Decatur Avenue off Bedford Park Boulevard at 7 p.m. on May 11. The victim was discovered lying on his back a few feet from a bicycle. Investigators say the victim, identified as Daniel Peña, was attacked in the courtyard of 2953 Decatur Ave. before escape his attacker. Peña, who lived a block away from where police had

Dear Loyal Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering all things northwest Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin, as always, on page 1 with an in-depth story on the 52nd Precinct’s newest commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Peter Fiorillo, who succeeds Inspector Nilda Hofmann. Read where Inspector Hofmann landed (it’s a very interesting place), and her thoughts on the borough she had once called home. Inside the cover you’ll read results on participatory budgeting, politics in the Bronx, and the latest in the Kingsbridge Armory saga. We’ll also bring you Bronx Youth

By DAVID GREENE

In light of a major gang bust in the Bronx, this week we asked readers their thoughts on street gangs in the Bronx and how to fix this major issue. I had a problem with gangs and I had to move in 1986 from my place on Westchester Avenue and Jackson Avenue. It’s different now; it’s much better now. Everyone does everything now quiet, but there are more gangs today. You don’t see it like you did in the 1980s. I don’t see any gang movement today, but we have a lot of drugs in the area. Rafael Ojeda Bedford

By JASMINE GOMEZ

Residents of 11th Council District should expect new district-wide improvements including bus count-down clocks and security cameras, thanks to Councilman Andrew Cohen’s participatory budgeting process. Cohen gathered with volunteers and community organizers at the Rambling House bar/restaurant in Woodlawn to announce the results of the process in which local residents vote on what community improvement projects to spend a portion of his 2017 fiscal year budget on. In a yearlong process, residents of Council District 11 were able to discuss and propose ideas that would appear on the final ballot after a review by volunteers and city agencies. After the

By DAVID GREENE

Police are looking for a clumsy troublemaker who allegedly attempted to set fire to a local tavern this past Mother’s Day, but accidentally set his cohort ablaze, say witnesses. NYPD units from the 52nd Precinct and members of FDNY’s Battalion 15 responded to a report of a fire at the Woodlawn Café at 3700 Bainbridge Ave., by the Woodlawn Cemetery train stop at 9 p.m. on May 8. NYPD spokeswoman Arlene Muñoz said police were looking for the “unknown person who started a fire intentionally to an occupied building… and the case is being investigated by the Fire Marshal.” Witnesses, who

By DAVID CRUZ

POLICE ARE SEARCHING for this masked thief wanted for the brazen bank robbery at the Chase Bank at 3408 Jerome Ave. on May 7 just after 9 a.m. Police say the thief, wearing a mask, waited 10 minutes inside the bank before approaching a teller, brandishing a black gun from his waistband and demanding cash. After getting the money, the thief fled. Police describe the suspect as approximately 30 years old, medium complexion and weighing 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red hoodie, blue jeans and black sneakers. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Crime Stoppers

By DAVID CRUZ

On his third day as the newest commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, Deputy Inspector Peter Fiorillo emphasized the relationship between community and police can only strengthen and “better the community.” “It’ll also probably make the officers’ work a little bit easier and more efficient,” said Fiorillo, addressing residents at the latest 52nd Precinct Community Council meeting, a public forum where residents voice crime-related concerns with the precinct’s top officers. At the meeting, Fiorillo got a taste of everyday issues happening in the Five-Two, a stationhouse covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, University Heights and parts of Fordham. Crime has

For anyone who’s lived in the Bronx long enough, they’ll learn it can take an insane amount of time to fix a quality of life problem. So if it’s a busted fire hydrant, perpetually loud neighbors, an overpopulated cat colony, or a lost coin (it’s been known to happen), resolve is almost never instantaneous, a curse that bedevils anyone making a complaint through the city’s 311 hotline. The system, implemented in 2003 during the Bloomberg years, serves as the city’s official customer service line, though that depiction is a stretch, depending on who you talk to. It functions more as

By JASMINE GOMEZ

Inspector Nilda Hofmann of the 52nd Precinct announced a reassignment from the Five-Two precinct after more than two years on the job. “It’s bittersweet,” said Hofmann, making her announcement at Community Board 7’s general board meeting April 21. Her news was met with loud sighs and a resounding “no” from CB7 chair, Adaline Walker-Santiago. “It’s been two plus years but I wanted to thank everybody here,” continued Hofmann, who was given a standing ovation from attendees at the meeting. Hofmann began her tour at the 52nd Precinct in 2013, having replaced the previous inspector, Joseph Dowling. Hofmann began her career with the