Bedford Park: Uber Driver Robbed Under Threat of Being Shot

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the individual who appears in the attached surveillance video and photo, who is sought in connection with a gun point robbery in the 52nd precinct. On Friday, Nov 27, 2020, at around 3.40 a.m., a 63-year-old male Uber driver was in front of 364 East 197th Street in Bedford Park waiting for a passenger when an unidentified man approached the driver’s side window [of the vehicle] and simulated a firearm that was covered in a dark bag. The suspect pressed the apparent firearm against the victim’s chest and forcibly

By DAVID GREENE

An early morning shootout in Wakefield left two deputy U.S. Marshals wounded, at least one NYPD detective injured, and the suspect, wanted for questioning in a prior shooting of a Massachusetts State trooper, was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Sources say the four marshals from the New York / New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, joined members of NYPD’s Warrants Bureau as they executed a search warrant at 4085 Ely Avenue in Wakefield at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. The alleged suspect, Andre Sterling, 35, allegedly shot Massachusetts Trooper, John Lennon, in the

By DAVID GREENE

A pair of local, elected officials joined housing advocates and attorneys in taking a bow during a recent virtual discussion, following the passage of “Jashawn’s Law,” which establishes deadlines for landlords to make court-ordered repairs to buildings. State Sen. Robert Jackson joined Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in a Zoom conference call on Monday, Nov. 16, along with officials from the Legal Aid Society and housing advocacy groups, Take Root Justice and the Fordham-Bedford Housing Corporation. The bill was put forward by Dinowitz in 2003 in response to the Aug. 6, 2002 blaze at 3569 DeKalb Avenue in Norwood that

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In her campaign to replace incumbent councilman and congressman-elect, Ritchie Torres, on the City Council, Elisa Crespo wants to focus on the issues affecting the residents of the 15th District more than on her candidacy. Among the most pressing issues, she finds, is the high rate of unemployment. “We are at Great Depression level [un]employment rates in the Bronx,” Crespo told the Norwood News in a phone interview. “In some parts of this council district, there’s a 30 percent unemployment rate.” Together with her mom and siblings, Crespo, 30, experienced job and housing insecurity growing up in Brooklyn,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD released body-worn camera footage on Friday, Dec. 4, from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on October 22, 2020, in the 41st precinct, which covers Hunts Point and Longwood. The video includes available evidence leading up to the incident as well as during the incident. The NYPD said it was releasing the video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident. All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. The police said the benefits of cameras are clear: transparency into police activity, de-escalation of police encounters and accountability for police officers, through an independent

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In the lead up to Thanksgiving, on Nov. 19, Lehman College partnered with the Foodbank of New York and Montefiore Health System for an annual food produce distribution event. About a dozen folding tables were set up inside the students’ parking lot at Lehman College, where volunteers filled up paper grocery bags with several thousand pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, including apples, bananas, corn, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, and zucchinis. The produce was delivered directly from the Hunts Point Market that same morning and the bountiful grocery bags were later delivered to 20 different community groups

By MELISSA CEBOLLERO

The COVID-19 pandemic brought healthcare into the spotlight this year. If you haven’t already done so, take time to enroll in a 2021 health plan through New York State of Health, the state’s official marketplace. Open Enrollment is happening now. You can enroll until Dec. 15 for coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2021. If we talk to our friends, family and neighbors, we can help families get the coverage they need to take care of their health. Why use NY State of Health? The digital marketplace allows anyone to shop and compare quality affordable health plans. Once you

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers if they agree that presidential pardons should be given when a president leaves office. Is it right and just? “That’s a good question. I believe that if you have a lot of proof, proof like they have on this person, Michael Flynn, there’s so much proof that this guy didn’t do anything wrong, so yeah, I believe in the pardons, even if the president is leaving office. Hey, he still has the ability. He’s still the president, yeah.” Dawn Marie, Indian Village “That’s a very interesting question. I don’t know if it’s

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The race to replace Councilman Andrew Cohen in the 11th City Council District has widened in recent months with Mino Lora making her announcement to run on Oct. 9. Lora said her platform is focused on justice for all: racial justice, justice for immigrants, health, economic, housing, education and cultural justice, as well as criminal justice reform. Announcing her candidacy via a press release, Lora said in October, “We are a community of dreamers and doers who make the Bronx home, and keep this city running.” She added, “This campaign is fueled by our joy, our pain, and our passion.”