Five-Two Part of New Major Offensive Against Mailbox Fishers

By JOSEPH KONIG

Crime Prevention Officer Frank Pacella has spent much of the last few weeks visiting at least 60 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailboxes within the 52nd Precinct. At each stop, Pacella pulls out a clipboard and jots down the locations of nearby security cameras he’s spotted. The initiative is the most recent step taken by the NYPD to combat mail fishing, a tactic thieves use to steal checks and commit identity fraud. The order came down from the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division ahead of the start of the holiday season, when rates of mailbox fishing and other mail fraud typically increase.

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By NORWOOD NEWS

A person was stabbed just before 7 a.m. on Nov. 6 by East Gun Hill Road and Wayne Avenue, according to paramedics. It’s unclear what sparked the stabbing, though paramedics arrived at 6:53 a.m. and transported the victim to Montefiore. It’s unclear what condition the victim was in.

Bedford Park Bishop Faces Decades-Old Molestation Accusation

Bedford Park Bishop Faces Decades-long Molestation Accusation

By DAVID GREENE

The stunned community on the Bedford Park – Kingsbridge border remain shocked and left with many unanswered questions less than a week after its beloved clergyman, Bishop John Jenik, 74, stepped down as pastor of Our Lady of Refuge Church, after an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor was deemed “credible and substantiated” by an investigative body of the Catholic Church three decades later. Jenik, one of four Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of New York, gained substantial notoriety in the late 1980s and 90s as the Bronx battled the crack epidemic. Jenik attracted media attention in the mid

On Halloween, a Stabbing at Norwood D Train Station

By DAVID CRUZ

Three men are wanted for stabbing a teen on Halloween in an incident that ended at the Norwood/East 205th Street subway station. Police said the incident happened at around 9:30pm when the three suspects approached the victim as he was heading to the station. A chase ensued, with the victim entering the station’s East 205th Street/Bainbridge Avenue entrance. The victim was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and upper right arm. They then took off on foot. The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital and is listed in stable condition. The three men were captured on surveillance footage by

From Internship to Job, How MMCC Trains Young Workforce

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

The modest basement room at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) was packed with young people, some there to celebrate their accomplishments and some to congratulate their peers. The mothers who sat in the corner beamed with pride while they took photos on their phones of the ceremony. After 12 weeks, this group of young adults, ages 17 to 24, was graduating from MMCC’s Intern and Earn, a program funded by the city Department of Youth and Community Development. Among the crowd was Peyton Wendell. After attending Mount Saint Michael Academy in Wakefield, Wendell was unsure if enrolling in college was

By JOSEPH KONIG

Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan came to DeWitt Clinton High School on Oct. 30 to talk about an urban farming program she hopes to export to her hometown of Miami. The Norwood campus has the largest student-run hydroponic farm in New York City, supported in part by Teens for Food Justice, a New York-based non-profit. Estefan is working with Teens for Food Justice to bring the program to public schools in Miami. “I can envision this growing. I can only imagine how great it would be if all our public schools had some kind of [urban farming program],” Estefan said.

By DAVID GREENE

I’ve been following the Norwood News since…the 1990s? I like the fact that the Norwood News is hyper local and accessible. You really get down to what is going on in the community. Many times, I’ll find out things that have happened or will happen that are of interest to me.

Police Step Up Patrols at Williamsbridge Oval Following Robberies

By JOSEPH KONIG

Recently promoted Inspector Peter Fiorillo, the commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, identified Williamsbridge Oval Park as one of two “clustering areas” in the precinct where robberies occurred over the last month. “We do have a little bit of an issue around there with grand larceny,” Fiorillo said at meeting of the 52nd Precinct Community Council on Oct. 26. “We think it’s the same kids in the park again, that are always in the park all year long. Not to say that they are slick, but they know how to get property from somebody without being ID’d” Fiorillo said there were

SEE PICTURES: Thousands Attend Tour de Bronx

An estimated 6,000 bicyclists took to the streets on Sunday, October 28, during the 24th Annual Tour de Bronx, that kicked off at East 163rd Street and the Grand Concourse. The free event hosted by the Bronx Borough President’s office gave cyclists two courses: a 25-mile or 40-mile tour around the Bronx. Both tours ended at the New York Botanical Garden on Southern Boulevard, who held an ‘after ride’ festival with free pizza and live music. The tour allowed residents and out-of-towners to check out the borough’s many hilly and flat-land neighborhoods. As emphasized, the tour was considered just