Obituaries

Memorial Day Celebrated Across The Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Memorial Day was formally marked across The Bronx on and in the lead up to Monday, May 26, at various venues and at various events. It comes as the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire tycoon, Elon Musk, cut thousands of positions at the VA across the country, as previously reported in February.

UPDATE Elected Officials Pay Tribute to the Former Late Congressman Charles Rangel

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Various New York and Bronx elected officials have paid tribute to the civil rights leader and former Democratic U.S. Congressman Charles Rangal who represented New York’s 13th congressional district from 1971 to 2017 and who died on May 26, at the age of 94, when he was succeeded by Congressman Adriano Espaillat. The district covers Harlem and much of Northern Manhattan, as well as the Western Bronx. 

UPDATE Tremont: May the Force Be With You; Panic Button Safety Plan to Connect Bodega Owners to NYPD

By SÍLE MOLONEY
“May the Force be with you” was perhaps the underlying message from New York City Mayor Eric Adams to the City’s worst-hit bodega owners when he visited the Tremont section of The Bronx on Sunday, May 4. He was there to announce $1.6 million in funding to equip an estimated 500 bodegas across the five boroughs with new panic buttons which bodega staff can use to immediately call the NYPD in cases of emergency.

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Life, Death & Legacy of Pope Francis

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
As cardinals gather in Rome for the latest conclave in order to select a new pope, this week, we asked readers their opinion on the life, death, and legacy of the late Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from Latin America, and the first pope from the southern hemisphere, who was born in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died at the Vatican in Rome, Italy on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88.

UPDATE Wakefield: Mother and 8-Year-Old Son Found Deceased inside Home & Daughter, 4, Found Alive

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A community has been left reeling in shock upon hearing that a 38-year-old mother and her 8-year-old son were found deceased inside their home in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Police confirmed discovering the bodies inside the location, along with a 4-year-old girl who was alive. Neighbors said the little girl was the woman’s younger daughter and that she has a teenage sister.

The Bronx Stands with the Dominican Republic after Jet Set Niteclub Collapse

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronxites are standing in solidarity with a grieving Dominican community ever since hearing news of the tragic roof collapse at the Jet Set niteclub in the country’s capital, Santo Domingo, on Tuesday, April 8. The death toll has risen to at least 231 people according to several media reports, and more than 180 have been injured. At least two victims of the collapse were from The Bronx, retired NYPD Det. Enmanuel Gomez of Home Street in the South Bronx and Manny Diaz of University Heights.

Bronx Buccaneers Start New Season Without “Coach D”

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Bronx Buccaneers football team were back at the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood for the first training session of the new season on Saturday, March 15, this time without their beloved coach Dwight “Coach D” Downer, who, as reported, was tragically killed in a hit & run incident involving six vehicles in the East Bronx just after midnight on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

UPDATE Op-Ed: In Celebration of the Life & Legacy of Lydia Sadler, Church of the Mediator Vestry Senior Member

By STEPHANIE COGGINS
Early last month, I received a direct message from a friend of mine, alerting me that Lydia Sadler had suffered a traumatic asthma attack, resulting in complications that put her on life support in the NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan. Several days later on Feb. 12, the follow-up message relayed the catastrophic news: Lydia had died, selflessly donating her organs for the furtherance of someone else’s life.

Daycare Operator Grei Mendez Gets 45 Years for her Part in Fentanyl-Related Death of Nicholas Dominici

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Grei Mendez, 37, the operator of El Divino Niño Daycare Center in Kingsbridge Heights where one-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici died on Sept. 15, 2023 from fentanyl poisoning, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl out of the daycare center. The undercover drug operation resulted in the unintentional death of Nicholas, and the poisoning of three other infants who survived being unintentionally poisoned. As reported, Mendez had pleaded guilty in Oct. 29, 2024 in relation to her part in the operation before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who imposed sentence.