Feds Recall 53,000 Scooters/Hoverboards Made by Brooklyn Company Due to Fire Hazard & Deaths of Two Children

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Jetson Electric Bikes LLC, of Brooklyn, New York, announced the recall of about 53,000 42-volt, Jetson Rogue, self-balancing scooters/hoverboards on March 30, due to a fire hazard and two deaths. According to CPSC and Jetson, the lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a fire hazard. In the context of the recall, representatives of CPSC and Jetson, said a 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister died from a fire on April 1, 2022 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania and that the Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined that a 42-volt Jetson

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is asking for the public’s help in locating Kaniya Graham, a 12-year-old girl reported missing from Staten Island, and in getting her home safely. NCMEC representatives said Kaniya has been missing since March 16, and has never gone missing before. According to police, she was last seen on the day she went missing on surveillance footage walking in Lower Manhattan around Beaver Street and Broad Street. Police said she was wearing a white sweat suit which had cartoon characters on it and pink UGG boots. Kaniya is described as being

By DAVID GREENE

An unidentified man was stabbed in the head just outside of the main entrance to Van Cortlandt Park close to Manhattan College in the Fieldston section of The Bronx, and now detectives are looking for two men and a woman who are wanted in connection with the crime. According to officials the victim was assaulted at 4:18 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, opposite 5979 Broadway at West 242nd Street, just north of the Kingsbridge / Fieldston border. In NYPD radio transmissions obtained by Norwood News, a female police dispatcher is heard telling officers, “A male stabbed to the

By JULES WEBBER & DAVID GREENE

District 12 City Councilman Kevin Riley teamed up once again with the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to host the 2nd Annual Black History Month Celebration last month. The event was held on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in NYBG’s Garden Terrace room, located at 2950 Southern Boulevard, and was billed as a community fellowship brunch, a curated program which included a keynote address by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. The event celebrated local community leaders who have dedicated years to creating a stronger community. In a two-minute video advertising the event ahead of time, Riley said, “Thank you to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced Thursday, March 30, that one top-prize winning ticket was sold for the March 29 TAKE 5 MIDDAY drawing. The ticket, worth $19,075.50, was purchased at He & Jay Stationery LLC, located at 123 Einstein Loop in the Baychester section of The Bronx. Lottery officials said TAKE 5 players with midday and evening draws on the same ticket must check their numbers at nylottery.ny.gov to determine if they have the winning numbers for the corresponding midday or evening drawing. They said TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawing is televised

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s help locating a 14-year-old girl from University Heights who has been reported missing. Police said it was reported to them that Chantal Vazquez Fong Ruby of 1 North Street was last seen on Friday, March 24, at around 8.05 a.m. at her school, located at 2392 Jerome Avenue in Fordham Heights. She is described as female, is around 5 feet, 2 inches tall, is Hispanic, weighs around 120 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. Chantal was last seen wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, a white t-shirt displaying an angel graphic, black

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx elected officials are weighing in on the indictment of former President Donald J. Trump, announced Thursday, March 30, relating to, as yet, unsealed criminal charges relating to an investigation by the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into Trump over an alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On Friday, March 31, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) who represents a large section of The Bronx stretching from the Northwest to the South, said, “The indictment of former president Donald Trump by a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

An affordable housing lottery remains open for Twin Parks Terrace, a 14-story mixed-use building located at 373 East 183rd Street in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx, as reported by YIMBY. Though the name is similar, and though the building is located in Fordham Heights, Twin Parks Terrace is not at the same building as where the devastating Twin Parks fire tragedy occurred on Sunday, Jan. 9, last year, tragically claiming the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, most of whom were immigrants. The Twin Parks North West fire broke out at 333 East 181st Street,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the sentencings of five people on Wednesday, March 29, for their role in a gun trafficking operation which resulted in the illegal sale of 16 guns in The Bronx. She said the five defendants, who were charged with trafficking numerous assault weapons, high-capacity feeding devices, semiautomatic pistols, and more than 300 rounds of ammunition, all pled guilty and were sentenced for their respective crimes. Additionally, two of the defendants, Luis Alsina and Michael Alsina, were also sentenced for their roles in the sale of heroin, officials said. Altogether, all five defendants