Police swarmed the Rockaway Avenue subway station, on the C line, after getting a 911 call about the 3:40 a.m. attack. Investigators say he was on the job at the time, performing his duties on a southbound C train. He stuck his head out of the conductor’s cab, and got slashed by an unknown individual, authorities say. The slasher ran off.

The conductor yelled for help over the PA system and luckily a doctor was aboard the train. The conductor was later identified as Alton Scott, who has 24 years of service for the MTA.

“If it wasn’t for the doctor, he’s not sure if he would have made it. We are extremely grateful for the quick thinking and actions of this doctor,” said Demetrius Critchlow, the senior vice president for the Department of Subways.

Scott was treated for his injuries at Brookdale Hospital, getting 34 stitches before later being released. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

“His first words to me were, ‘I love my job, but, you know, I thought I was going to die,'” Critchlow said.

Police said Thursday no arrests have been made.

The slashing comes on the heels of new orange stanchions getting debuted this week to protect the front cabs amid a spike in violence that has seen three homicides in recent weeks. Over the weekend, a woman was followed off a train by a man police say tried to rape her in the subway station. He’s still on the loose.

MTA officials have condemned the string of violence. The Transport Workers Union blasted the MTA after the attack, saying the incident was “a horrific example of the epic, decades-long failure by the MTA and Chairman Janno Lieber to protect transit workers.”

“We stand ready to assist Local 100 as they confront this plague of violence – and transit executives who are either inept or indifferent to the harm inflicted on their own employees day and night,” said TWU President John Samuelsen. “On workplace safety, the MTA has been an abysmal failure. Assaults against transit workers in the subway increased nearly 60% last year. Unlike Lieber, transit workers don’t travel with a dedicated and armed MTA Police squad.”

The union pleaded with the MTA to deploy members of the agency’s 1,000-member police force — officers usually seen on the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad — to start patrolling the subway lines across the five boroughs.

Alina Ramirez, a union spokesperson, stressed that the union did not authorize any official work stoppage or slowdown, despite claims posted on social media.

She said members working on the subway line where the attack occurred reported for work as usual Thursday but remained “on standby” in the hours after the attack until they received safety assurances from transit management, as is typical following such incidents.

Ramirez said workers have since resumed normal operations on the subway line.

Richard Davis, the president of the TWU Local 100, said it was “an attempted murder this morning that was committed, not just a slashing.”

Recent NYPD data paints a concerning picture, with 2023 seeing the highest number of subway assaults since at least 1996. Over that year, there were 570 assaults, marking a slight increase from the previous year and averaging about 1.5 incidents daily.

But NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said “progress” is being made. An infusion of 1,000 more officers into the subway system — done in a direct response to a January crime spike — led to a 17% reduction in crime in February, Kemper said.

Though for the year, subway crime is still up 13% compared to 2023, with assaults on the transit system up 11%. NYPD transit police are investigating 86 assaults, up from last year’s 77. And three homicides in the first two months of the year mark a troubling start, especially when compared to 2023 at this time, when there were none.

Officers who responded to the scene said it appeared that a driver was heading south in the northbound lanes of Pennsylvania Avenue when they hit another car near the intersection of Livonia Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York around 4:30 p.m.

After striking the other vehicle, the wrong-way driver careened into an MTA bus with riders inside, police said.

A total of 17 people were hurt, FDNY officials said. All of the injuries were considered to be minor, though 11 people were taken to nearby hospitals. The other six victims refused medical attention, according to fire officials.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was hospitalized as well. Police sources said it is believed that driver may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash; the hospital was awaiting a toxicology report.

No other information was immediately available.

Nazim Berry, 37, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the 4:15 p.m. shooting on Franklin Avenue near Lincoln Place in Crown Heights. He had been shot once in the head.

The victim’s mother, Danette Hollie, said her son died over a single cigar. She said the shooter asked her son to buy him a Black and Mild and he refused. Then he left, allegedly returned with a gun and opened fire.

Berry’s mother says her son saw the weapon and the two struggled for the gun. A bullet hit Berry in the back of his head, she said.

“I knew it was senseless, I knew it was,” Hollie said. “I knew that it had to be over something stupid, because I know his heart.”

Surveillance video captured the sound of the gunshot ringing out in the mid-afternoon sun; someone is seen running east on Lincoln Place afterward. Police later released surveillance photos of the person suspected in the deadly shooting.

Denis Debranch, Berry’s former karate teacher, was at the scene among a sea of mourners who came to honor Berry. Candles and flowers honoring the victim were left outside the deli in a growing memorial.

Police on Tuesday went around the neighborhood posting signs offering a $3,500 reward for anyone with information that helps find the shooter. The United Bodegas of America is also offering a $10,000 reward in the case.

No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 47, a Rolls Royce-driving bishop, was in court as a jury was being chosen two years after a grand jury lodged charges against him including wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal law enforcement officials.

Wearing a dark navy blue suit and a navy blue button down, the so-called “Bling Bishop” listened intently as government prosecutor Jessica Greenwood delivered opening statements in the federal case.

“This is a case about a con man who told lie after lie to victim after victim. He committed crime after crime to make money,” said Greenwood. “He was a friend to the mayor (Adams) and the defendant abused that trust. He lied about how much money he had and his influence…The defendant has expensive tastes, designer clothes and a massive mansion. He’d lie, cheat and steal to keep up with that appearance of wealth.”

Prosecutors say he plundered a parishioner’s savings, promising to invest $90,000 for a house for the mother of that parishioner. Instead, prosecutors said he spent that money on Louis Vuitton and a BMW along with thousands of dollars at Foot Locker and Grub Hub. They went on to claim that he tried to extort $5,000 from a Bronx auto body shop owner whom he allegedly told the Mayor will do “whatever I need. That he (Whitehead) had the key to the city.”

Greenwood noted the defendant has never gotten any official favors from the mayor.

He also allegedly duped a businessman with false claims that they could leverage his connections to New York City officials, including Adams, to make millions of dollars. In addition, Greenwood told the jury that Whitehead produced fraudulent bank statement showing he had millions in a bank account — when in fact “he had less than $6.00.”

Miller-Whitehead has pleaded not guilty.

Miller-Whitehead has been free on $500,000 bail since his arrest, which came only months after he was the victim of a robbery when $1 million in jewelry was stolen from him by gunmen who surprised him during a church service.

His lawyer, Dawn Florio, said at the time that her client felt as if he were being turned from a victim into a villain. She told this is not an open and shut case, adding that Whitehead is “fighting these charges like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed.”

She told the jury the $5,000 request from the Bronx body shop owner was just a request for repayment for the cost of a rental car.

The first witness called to the stand was Brad Thornton, a financial advisor who began testifying about a loan application made by Whitehead for his business, Anointing Management Service LLC. On the application, Whitehead stated the average bank balance was $1 million and the annual revenue was projected to be $6 million. 

In charging documents, prosecutors made no mention of the friendship that Miller-Whitehead developed with the city’s mayor while he served as Brooklyn’s borough president before his election to the city’s top job. But an evidentiary request from prosecutors suggests the mayor’s relationship with Miller-Whitehead might become a focal point at the trial. Prosecutors are seeking to require a writer for The New Yorker to testify about a January 2023 article titled, “The Mayor and the Con Man.”

Attorney Rachel Strom, who represents New Yorker staff writer Eric Lach, argued in a letter to Judge Lorna G. Schofield that prosecutors were trying to “authenticate a generic, run-of-the-mill denial” that Whitehead made about his dealings with the mayor once Adams knew he was the target of an investigation.

“The Subpoena is highly invasive, would expose the journalist to cross-examination (potentially putting other confidential sources at risk), and make the journalist effectively an arm of law enforcement,” she wrote. The judge was expected to rule before opening statements.

At a news conference last week, the mayor was asked about legal filings in the case indicating prosecutors planned to show jurors evidence that Miller-Whitehead used the name of Adams to commit fraud and attempted extortion.

Adams responded that anyone reporting about it should “quote the documents that stated that clearly he did not have authorization and there was no connectivity to the actions of (the) mayor or borough president.”

Among pretrial evidentiary rulings, the judge has agreed to exclude mention of Miller-Whitehead’s criminal conviction for identity theft and grand larceny, which resulted in a five-year prison stint, although it could be brought up if he decides to testify.

Miller-Whitehead became a religious figure when he formed the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries in 2013.

Although he preaches in Brooklyn, he owns a $1.6 million home in Paramus, New Jersey, and an apartment in Hartford, Connecticut.

The 12-member jury and two alternates are made up of nine women and five men. Testimony continues Tuesday at  10 a.m.

Monday’s trial stems from charges alleging he bilked a parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement savings by falsely promising he would find her a home and invest the rest in his real estate business. Prosecutors say he instead spent the money on luxury goods and clothing.

He also is charged with trying to convince a businessman to lend him $500,000 and give him a stake in real estate deals by claiming his ties to city officials could earn favorable treatment for the businessman’s interests.

The businessman, Brandon Belmonte, complained to federal authorities, who initiated a half-year probe in 2022 that culminated in Miller-Whitehead’s arrest.

Some of the key evidence at the trial was expected to result from secret audio recordings made of conversations between Belmonte and Miller-Whitehead.

A woman was arraigned on a murder charge for intentionally running over another woman inside a parking lot in Brooklyn last month, the local district attorney said.

Naomi Broomes, 33 and of East New York, Brooklyn, was charged with second-degree murder, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and criminal possession of a weapon, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.

Broomes will return to court on May 17. She faces a sentence of 25 to life in prison if convicted of the top count. Attorney information was not immediately known.

Broomes charges stem from an alleged event that took place on Jan. 11 at around 7:30 p.m. It was around that time that Broomes parked her car in the parking lot of the Louis Pink Houses in East New York, according to the district attorney’s office.

Video surveillance allegedly captured the entire incident, including when a man, determined to be Broomes’s boyfriend, walking away from the car. According to district attorney, the woman, 24-year-old Shakira Serrano, who was previously romantically linked with Broomes’s boyfriend, approaches the car and starting to argue with the driver: Broomes.

Video allegedly shows that the boyfriend returned and tried to separate the two women. Subsequently, Broomes tried to strike Serrano with the car and missed. Meanwhile, Serrano struggled with the man who then shoved her to the ground, at which point Broomes ran over Serrano, before driving off and leaving her boyfriend with Serrano’s body, the district attorney said.

Serrano was taken to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

“This defendant allegedly escalated an argument by cold heartedly and intentionally killing a woman with her car then driving away. This shocking and tragic murder was completely senseless and such violent behavior cannot be tolerated. We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable for her actions,” Gonzalez said.

It happened in East Williamsburg near Metropolitan Avenue shortly before 7:30 p.m.

A car appears to have been involved as well, video from the scene shows. Footage also shows a sprawling emergency response. The front of the restaurant appears destroyed.

There were customers inside the restaurant at the time of the crash.

One of those individuals says she heard a “loud boom.” Then there was shattered glass and smoke everywhere.

“I’m still in shock, I’m still shaking right now,” Shelby Lewis said in the aftermath of the accident. “Both doors inside — gone.”

The truck driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. No Popeye’s customers or employees were hurt.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Officers Mark Kalwa and Vincenzo Rallo ran into the Langston Hughes Houses in Brownsville last week after driving by the complex and spotting a fire on the fourth floor.

“We heard screaming for help, calls for help out the window,” Kalwa explained.

“When you hear the screams, it’s something in you. You can’t just disregard that and wait for fire, so we went up,” Rallo said.

Officers Kalwa and Rallo went in and ran into a wall of smoke.

“It’s pretty thick — hard to breathe, hard to see. I remember a few people coming towards me as I was telling them to come towards me,” Kalwa said.

“He had a flashlight, so he went in first and directed people towards me. I was at the fourth floor stairwell door as they made their way to me, that’s when we started escorting people down,” Rallo explained.

Because of the fire, officers couldn’t take the elevator. So instead, they used the stairs to make rescue after rescue.

“The first person who came was a mother with a child and she just looked like she was going to go down, so I grabbed the baby from her, helped her down the stairs and took the baby. And that was the first one we brought down,” Rallo said.

“It was the most gratifying thing — the kid being safe was just the coolest feeling,” he added.

The video shows Officer Kalwa helping a man on crutches escape the fire. Another officer arrives carrying a teenager with a broken leg down the stairs.

“Officer Alam, he carried the kid down because, quicker he could make it out the better. he carried the kid down all three flights of stairs and out the back door to safety,” Rallo said.

There were more children stuck on the fourth floor, so Officer Rallo and a firefighter helped a father in desperate need.

“That’s when I saw the dad come down with the other two kids and he dropped down to the ground. That’s when I took the other two kids down to the car,” Rallo said.

The children were placed into an NYPD squad car. In all, 12 people were rescued.

“It’s just humbling to be there at their time of need and provide that service,” Kalwa said.

The Wat Samakki Buddhist Temple, a residential house on Rugby Road in Prospect Park South that was converted into a temple, was robbed just before 3 p.m. on Sunday, police said.

Authorities revealed that three masked men entered the temple, and one brandished a firearm. The monks, who were eating lunch, were forcibly confined to a room while the temple was ransacked. The culprits made off with cellphones and cash from a donation box.

“You have four perps wearing gloves and masks, and they’re armed with large screwdrivers. They kick in the back door of the temple,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. 

And it’s part of a disturbing trend that has stretched across multiple states.

“From working with our partners out of state, we find out that there are similar incidents in Virginia and in upstate New York, where it’s the same [motive], so we believe that Romanian nationals are involved,” said Kenny.

Collaborative efforts with Virginia law enforcement have led to the identification of two suspects, with one currently in custody. Information provided by Virginia has also helped pinpoint specific vehicles and telephones used by the suspects, confirming their presence in New York on the day of the incident.

“They’re all targeting Buddhist temples,” Kenny said, suggesting a perception among the criminals that these religious sites represent easy, non-violent targets. A temple in Kansas was also targeted.

The blaze started before 10 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Hughes Apartments on Sutter Avenue in Brownsville, the FDNY said. Fire crews rushed to the scene, where smoke was pouring out from windows of the 22-story residence.

A total of 12 people suffered injuries as a result of the flames, officials said. One person was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The other 11 suffered minor injuries.

The fire was under control before 10:30 a.m. Nearly 80 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene.

Fire marshals were investigating a potential cause of the blaze.

The incident occurred just before 12:30 p.m. on Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Sunset Park, the FDNY said. The woman was on the stoop of a three-story brownstone on the corner when video obtained by NBC New York showed bricks and other concrete chunks from the home’s decorative façade rain down on her.

She was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, police said. No other injuries were reported.

Police later identified the woman as Dale Singer, who neighbors said lived at the address. Her family later came to the scene, requesting privacy.

Fire officials initially reported there had been a small building collapse, but it appears that bricks fell from the building without any collapse.

The Department of Buildings was notified of what happened and engineers responded to the scene, inspecting the building. What caused or led to the falling bricks was not immediately clear. It was not known if the wet, heavy snow caused the façade to crumble, or if there were any prior issues to the building.

An investigation is ongoing.

A Brooklyn woman who pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with various pandemic-era relief schemes was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and $650,000 in penalties.

Prosecutors said Chanette Lewis, 32, carried out some of the schemes by leveraging her job at a call center, part of a New York program meant to provide health care workers with isolation rooms in hotels. They said she provided free hotel rooms to people she knew weren’t eligible health care workers or COVID-19 patients, including herself.

“During the pandemic, this defendant exploited a COVID-19 safe-lodging program for her personal profit; today she faces the consequences of her criminal conduct. I thank New York City Emergency Management for reporting this matter,” New York Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said in a statement.

It’s the latest example of how people are believed to have stolen an estimated $280 billion in government aid during the pandemic across the U.S., including New York. The sentencing Thursday was part of a larger case involving $400,000 of fraud in the hotel program.

Lewis admitted to defrauding the emergency programs, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement, and she separately forged legal documents purporting to come from judges, prosecutors and doctors to get 30 people into public housing or into larger public housing apartments.

Using stolen personal information from real health care workers, she and three co-defendants were accused of securing the hotel rooms and then advertising them on Facebook to rent out, according to the Department of Investigation Statement. Co-defendants in the case have admitted to getting unemployment benefits in multiple states, along with fraudulent small business loans.

The Associated Press left phone and email messages with a lawyer involved in a plea deal in the case. It wasn’t immediately clear if that was Lewis’ current attorney; requests to prosecutors and investigators for updated contact info were not immediately answered.

Lewis was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to forfeit $290,000 and pay another $360,000 in penalties. Her co-defendants received lesser sentences, or have yet to be sentenced.

The victim, Kawsheen Gelzer, 40, of Brooklyn, was reported missing by his family nearly two years prior to the discovery, according to police.

The investigation on Nostrand Avenue began after Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip on Jan. 22, Joseph Kenny, the NYPD’s chief of detectives, said in January.

The tipster indicated the possibility of a dead body being stored in the third-floor apartment’s refrigerator, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC New York. 

The woman who lives in the apartment let officers into the residence when they responded to the Crime Stoppers tip on Monday evening. Once inside, the cops’ attention was drawn to a conspicuously taped-up refrigerator, sources said.

When the officers tried to inspect it, the woman allegedly became combative, leading to her arrest and subsequent removal from the scene, sources said.

Inside the refrigerator, officers discovered black plastic bags containing what appeared to be parts of a human body, including a head, Kenny said.

Detectives from the 67th Detective Squad and Brooklyn South Homicide subsequently confirmed the presence of human remains.

The woman revealed to detectives that the body belonged to a local drug dealer who had a dispute with her husband last September, sources said.

Police are now telling NBC New York the killing stemmed from a dispute over unpaid rent.

According to the woman, her husband killed the man and stored the body in their refrigerator. She claimed she did not witness the killing and noted that her husband is currently imprisoned in Virginia on an unrelated crime, sources said.

Heather Stines, 45, was arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse.

Gelzer’s distinctive tattoos, as noted in his arrest records, matched those observed on the body, aiding in the preliminary identification process. Investigators showed the woman a photo of Gelzer while she was at the hospital and she positively identified him as the individual in the refrigerator, sources said.

Police said the hit-and-run happened Saturday afternoon in Park Slope at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Union Street. The older pedestrian was walking through the crosswalk when the sedan driver came barreling down the street around 2:30 p.m.

Investigators said the driver of the sedan was going west on Union Street when they hit the man and kept going down the road. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The violent hit-and-run incident came two days after a woman was killed walking in a crosswalk in Jackson Heights, Queens. Police are still trying to track down the driver of the speeding SUV in that fatality.

Neighbors back in Park Slope concerned about the incident and hoping the 83-year-old victim makes a full recovery. A handful of people in the vicinity of the crash had tried to help the man.

“We go over there to check him, he was bleeding. A lot of people called 911, us too, and tried to help,” a woman working nearby told News 4.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day in 1987, a French tourist was mugged while walking with his wife through Times Square. The man, 71-year-old Jean Casse, struck his head on the pavement. He was pronounced dead soon after.

Within days, police hauled in a pair of young Brooklyn residents, 19-year-old Eric Smokes and 16-year-old David Warren, charging them with killing Casse. While both maintained their innocence, they were convicted at trial of murder and sent to prison for decades.

Nearly 40 years later, a New York City judge and a Manhattan prosecutor have sided with the men, now in their 50s. On Wednesday, years after a judge first denied their motions, their convictions were overturned after prosecutors said they uncovered evidence that police pressured witnesses.

“Eric Smokes and David Warren lost decades of their life to an unjust conviction,” Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said in a statement. “I am inspired by the unyielding advocacy of Mr. Smokes and Mr. Warren and hope that today’s decision can finally bring them a measure of comfort and justice.”

Smokes was released from prison on parole in 2011 after serving 24 years. Warren served 20 years before his release on parole in 2007.

The two men, who grew up together and described themselves as brothers, spent years trying to clear their name. No DNA evidence linked them to the crime. The four witnesses who testified at the trial were all teenagers — some of whom later said they were pressured by police and even threatened with arrest if they did not pin the killing on Smokes and Warren.

But when the two men brought a motion to vacate the convictions in 2017, the effort was opposed by Judge Stephen Antignani and the Manhattan district attorney’s office, then led by Cyrus Vance.

Christie Keenan, an assistant district attorney, questioned the credibility of the recanted witness statements. In a 2020 ruling, Antignani denied their motion, finding the men had “failed to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that it is highly probable that they are innocent.”

Another investigation was opened in 2022 under Bragg — one that prosecutors said uncovered “significant new evidence,” including transcripts showing the teenage witnesses were pressured by police and that at least one of them was likely not in the vicinity of the crime.

With the new evidence in place, Antignani agreed to vacate the convictions this week.

Jay Henning, an attorney for the two men, said his clients were thrilled to see their names cleared. But, he added, the finding was long overdue.

“This was a case of tunnel vision riddled with police and prosecutorial misconduct,” Henning said. “This should’ve been done a while ago.”

The collapse on 50th Street between 12th and 13th avenues in Borough Park was reported shortly after noon.

One person pulled from the building died in the collapse, the FDNY told News 4. Department officials said the middle of the first floor collapsed, coming down on the victim and crushing him to death.

Two other works managed to escape without injuries.

An initial investigation into the site revealed no construction plans had ever been submitted for the building. Two complaints had previously been filed with the Department of Buildings.

The city slapped the site with a stop work order for illegal work — it should have been empty on Friday.

“There are absolutely no plans submitted to the Department of Buildings so this fatality absolutely should not have happened. They should not have been doing this work, let alone having a bobcat inside this structure,” said DOB Commissioner James Oddo.

Heavy fines and potential criminal charges are expected to come down following a full investigation.

The arrest followed a Saturday evening crash in Canarsie where police said Rayan Salmon, 45, struck a car before spinning into the teen.

An investigation of the crash determined Salmon was driving near East 81st Street and Glenwood Road when he hit a second vehicle, police said. The impact of that crash sent Salmon’s car spinning clockwise and into 14-year-old Christian Antoine, who was walking about a block from his home at the time, according to police records.

The crash happened around 6:15 p.m., roughly an hour after sunset.

Medics took Antoine to a nearby hospital, but life-saving measures were not successful and he was pronounced dead.

Police said both drivers involved in the crash were taken to hospitals as well, and were expected to survive.

It wasn’t clear if Salmon would face any additional charges. Attorney information for the man was not immediately known.

The NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad is looking into the crash.

Heather Stines is charged with concealment of a human corpse in the case, which two senior NYPD police officials is now being treated as a homicide linked to a narcotics dispute. Attorney information for her wasn’t clear.

Investigators went to her Nostrand Avenue apartment Monday after Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip, said Joseph Kenny, the NYPD’s chief of detectives. The tipster indicated the possibility of a dead body being stored in the third-floor apartment’s refrigerator, sources said. 

Stines let officers into the residence when they responded to the Crime Stoppers tip. Once inside, the cops’ attention was drawn to a conspicuously taped-up refrigerator, sources said.

When the officers tried to inspect it, she allegedly became combative, leading to her removal from the scene, sources said.

Inside the refrigerator, officers discovered black plastic bags containing what appeared to be parts of a human body, including a head, Kenny said.

Detectives from the 67th Detective Squad and Brooklyn South Homicide subsequently confirmed the presence of human remains.

Stines, who underwent a psychiatric evaluation after being taken into custody, revealed to detectives that the body belonged to a local drug dealer who had a dispute with her husband last September, sources said.

According to the woman, her husband killed the man and stored the body in their refrigerator. She claimed she did not witness the killing and noted that her husband is currently imprisoned in Virginia for an unrelated crime, sources said.

It was not immediately clear when the killing took place.

Investigators have identified the victim as Kawsheen Gelzer, who was previously arrested for offenses including dice throwing and assaulting a police officer, sources said.

Whitehead, who leads Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries and is known for his lavish lifestyle (resulting in the nickname, the “Bling Bishop”), faces a series of serious accusations that extend far beyond his role as the victim of a $1 million jewelry heist during a 2022 livestreamed sermon.

Leggette’s death concludes a tense manhunt, providing some closure to the robbery case.

New Jersey Jan 24

U.S. Marshals in NJ shoot and kill suspected robber of Brooklyn's ‘Bling Bishop': sources

NYPD Jul 29, 2022

Robbed NYC Bishop Talks Lavish Lifestyle, Alleged Huge Unpaid Loan From Parishioner

Crime and Courts Sep 28, 2022

Suspects Arrested Months After NY Bishop and Wife Robbed of Around $1M in Jewelry During Livestreamed Service

“It took a sense of relief off of us because this has been a very traumatizing experience,” Whitehead remarked, acknowledging the emotional burden of the past year.

The 41-year-old Leggette was on the run for a year before was shot and killed by U.S. Marshals Wednesday at a New Jersey hotel as they attempted to arrest him. The NYPD had been looking for him since the robbery in which Leggette and two other robbed the bishop, his wife, daughter and other congregants in the middle of a service.

“Nobody reported it, but this man was captured about maybe 15, 20 minutes away from where I live,” Whitehead said.

But Whitehead’s relief is overshadowed by escalating legal troubles, with allegations of fraud and extortion casting a pall over his ministry.

“That straight destroyed my ministry, man. A lot of people left my ministry because of, of the scandal and the lies,” he said.

The bishop’s legal woes began to mount after the robbery. A former parishioner accused him of defrauding her out of her life savings, a claim that later became part of a federal indictment against the bishop. He faces charges of lying to the FBI, extorting a businessman out of $5,000, and attempting to swindle him into a $500,000 loan and a stake in a real estate deal, falsely promising government favors he knew he couldn’t deliver.

The case is set for trial in Manhattan Federal Court in February.

Compounding these accusations, federal filings in May revealed that Whitehead allegedly orchestrated an illegal “straw donor scheme” during his failed 2021 campaign to succeed Adams as Brooklyn’s borough president. Though currently not charged in connection with this scheme, it adds another layer to his already complex legal situation.

Whitehead has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was “set up” and specifically blaming Brandon Belmonte, the Bronx businessman he’s accused of extorting. In March, Whitehead filed a lawsuit against Belmonte for libel and slander.

Belmonte himself was arrested in August on federal bank and wire fraud charges, accused of running a financing scheme through his luxury car rental business and an insurance scam.

“Brandon Belmonte lied to the FBI, just completely lied,” he said, noting that the charges not only were an indictment on him, but also targeted Mayor Eric Adams, whom Whitesaid said he considered a mentor.

“It was an assassination against the mayor of New York and a black pastor. This was a form of racism,” Whitehead said. “My relationship with the mayor of New York, him being a mentor of mine, opened up a door for a person that lied.”

Mayor Adams has previously called the allegations against Whitehead troubling and wouldn’t comment any further until the case is over.

Despite it all, the bishop has remained committed to forgiveness. Regarding Leggette’s death, he said, “I forgave him… I would eulogize him because, you know, his family shouldn’t feel that I’m upset.”

Whitehead also did not rule out a potential future in politics, saying he’s “contemplating on running for office again, to help my community.”

All the shootings happened within a four-window in neighborhoods including Park Slope, Clinton Hill and Crown Heights. Police haven’t said whether they believe any of the gun violence may be connected.

Gunfire first erupted on Schenectady Avenue in Crown Heights. Cops were called to the scene shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday and found a 37-year-old man had been shot in the neck. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. One person of interest is in custody, though that is the only individual detained in any of the shootings at this time.

Less than a half-hour later, just before midnight, the NYPD responded to a 911 call about a man shot at Atlantic and Rockaway avenues in Brownsville. They encountered a 28-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. He also was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Next, officers responded to 2nd Street in Park Slope just after 1 a.m. Thursday. A 34-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were found shot in the head. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. A gun was found near the man, and authorities say that case is being investigated as a murder-suicide.

Yet another person was killed in the borough shortly before 3 a.m., this time in Clinton Hill. Cops responding to a 911 call found a 35-year-old man shot in the head on Hall Street. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

None of the victims have been identified. Each of the investigations is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Police say Desmond Francis was shot in the chest at the Sutter Avenue location Monday.

The circumstances remain under investigation, but the NYPD says the shooter called 911 to express remorse. The individual still hasn’t been caught.

According to police, the incident started as some sort of misunderstanding. There was a playful altercation, police said, and the shooter apparently mistook Francis’ actions for those of someone else.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

The investigation on Nostrand Avenue began after Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip on Jan. 22, said Joseph Kenny, the NYPD’s chief of detectives.

The tipster indicated the possibility of a dead body being stored in the third-floor apartment’s refrigerator, sources said. 

The woman who lives in the apartment let officers into the residence when they responded to the Crime Stoppers tip on Monday evening. Once inside, the cops’ attention was drawn to a conspicuously taped-up refrigerator, sources said.

When the officers tried to inspect it, the woman allegedly became combative, leading to her arrest and subsequent removal from the scene, sources said.

Inside the refrigerator, officers discovered black plastic bags containing what appeared to be parts of a human body, including a head, Kenny said.

Detectives from the 67th Detective Squad and Brooklyn South Homicide subsequently confirmed the presence of human remains.

The woman, now in police custody and undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Brookdale Hospital, revealed to detectives that the body belonged to a local drug dealer who had a dispute with her husband last September, sources said.

According to the woman, her husband killed the man and stored the body in their refrigerator. She claimed she did not witness the killing and noted that her husband is currently imprisoned in Virginia on an unrelated crime, sources said. It was not immediately clear when the killing took place.

Investigators have identified the victim as Kawsheen Gelzer, who was previously arrested for offenses including dice throwing and assaulting a police officer, sources said.

Gelzer’s distinctive tattoos, as noted in his arrest records, matched those observed on the body, aiding in the preliminary identification process. Investigators showed the woman a photo of Gelzer while she was at the hospital and she positively identified him as the individual in the refrigerator, sources said.

Investigators are awaiting a search warrant for the apartment.

The motive is suspected to be a dispute over narcotics, sources said.

The Material Girl will make a second appearance at Madison Square Garden Tuesday. It wasn’t clear exactly what time she got on stage the prior evening, but she did lead the audience in a resounding rendition of “Happy Birthday” for her daughter, Mercy, who turned 18.

The two fans suing her — Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden — say she didn’t take the stage in Brooklyn until after 10:45 p.m. for her Dec. 13 show, though the tickets for her “Celebration” tour show indicated the performance started at 8:30 p.m. It was a Wednesday, and Fellows and Hadden were angry because they had to get up early the next day.

The men claim that by the time they left the venue at 1 a.m., they were “stranded” due to limited public transportation options and had to pay more to order a ride-share, which was also experiencing surge pricing due to demand.

Fellows and Hadden are suing Madonna and Live Nation for “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices.” Barclays Center is also listed as a defendant.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, seeks class-action status, alleging the 65-year-old popstar has a “years-long history” of starting concerts late, including at other “Celebration” tour stops.

Representatives for Madonna and Live Nation did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC New York. Multiple outlets reported her reps blamed “sound check issues” for her lateness last month.

Investigators said an emotionally disturbed man slashed the sergeant after 3 p.m. while on New York Avenue near Beverly Road in East Flatbush. The 40-year-old was armed with a machete and slashed the right side of the sergeant’s face, police said.

The NYPD member was taken to the hospital, and is expected to recover.

Two other officers were also hurt, suffering minor injuries to the wrist and shoulder, respectively. They too are expected to recover.

The person of interest in the attack was taken to Brookdale Hospital. It was not clear what charges the individual may face.

The Borough Park couple – Jacob Sperber and Rachel Sperber, both 75 years old and loved by the community – died at Maimonides Hospital after being discovered in their apartment Saturday evening. Law enforcement sources allege their son Meyer Sperber was the culprit.

Neighbor Schlomo Antin said the father was a cherished member of the Orthodox community, calling him a holy man with a big heart.

“He feed so many poor people. He could see somebody in the street who doesn’t have a place to stay, ‘come to my house,’ it doesn’t matter who you are,” Antin told News 4.

A source said neighbors reported hearing screams coming from the family’s apartment on 45th Street. Around 5:30 p.m., police responded to the 1100 block and quickly set up a crime scene. Neighbors also reported hearing the son threatening police. Authorities haven’t speculated on a possible motive.

“We all knew the son is weird, he always, I don’t know exactly what happened – he was sometimes depressed, sometimes high,” Antin said.

A wave of disbelief and shock crashed over the tight-knit community of Borough Park after the details of the killings spread.

“This isn’t human, this is just beyond,” Schmiel Weiss said.

“I can’t believe myself to this tragedy, we live over here, we never heard crime, no crime,” Antin said.

Video taken from the scene shows a man strapped to a gurney with his hands restrained.

A man who served 14 years in prison for a deadly 1990s shooting was exonerated Thursday after prosecutors said they now believe the killer was an acquaintance he has implicated for decades.

“I lost 14 years of my life for a crime that I didn’t commit,” Steven Ruffin told a Brooklyn judge after sighing with emotion.

Although Ruffin was paroled in 2010 and has since built a career in sanitation in Georgia, he said that getting his manslaughter conviction dismissed and his name cleared “will help me move on.”

“If you know you’re innocent, don’t give up on your case — keep on fighting, because justice will prevail,” Ruffin, 45, said outside court. “That’s all I’ve wanted for 30 years: somebody to listen and really hear what I’m saying and look into the things I was telling them.”

Prosecutors said they were exploring whether to charge the man they now believe shot 16-year-old James Deligny on a Brooklyn street during a February 1996 confrontation over some stolen earrings. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said after court that charges, if any, wouldn’t come immediately.

“You have to be able to convict someone beyond a reasonable doubt, and we have to make sure that that evidence is sufficient to do so,” said Gonzalez, who wasn’t DA when Ruffin was tried. “You have a lot of factors working against us procedurally, but also factually — unfortunately, this is 30 years ago.”

Ruffin’s conviction is the latest of more than three dozen that Brooklyn prosecutors have disavowed after reinvestigations over the last decade.

Over a dozen, including Ruffin’s, were connected to retired Detective Louis Scarcella. He was lauded in the 1980s and ‘90s for his case-closing prowess, but defendants have accused him of coercing confessions, engineering dubious witness identifications and other troubling tactics. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors said in their report on the Ruffin case that they “did not discover any misconduct by Scarcella” in the matter. A message seeking comment was sent to his attorney.

Prosecutors said the police investigation — and their office’s own at the time — “were wholly inadequate” and tunnel-visioned, failing to look into the person they now believe was the gunman.

The mistaken-identity shooting happened as Ruffin and others were looking for a robber who had just snatched earrings from Ruffin’s sister. In fact, Deligny wasn’t the robber, authorities say.

Tipsters led police to Ruffin, then a 17-year-old high school student, and the victim’s sister identified him in a lineup that a court later deemed flawed. Scarcella wasn’t involved in the lineup, but he and another detective questioned Ruffin.

The teen told them, twice, that he saw but wasn’t involved in Deligny’s shooting, according to police records quoted in prosecutors’ report.

Then Scarcella brought the teen’s estranged father — a police officer himself — to the precinct. The father later testified that he told his son to “tell the truth,” but Ruffin said his father leaned on him to confess.

And he did confess, saying he fired because he thought Deligny was about to pull something out of his jacket. Ruffin told the detectives they could retrieve the gun from his sister’s boyfriend, and they did, prosecutors’ report said.

Ruffin quickly recanted to his father, who didn’t tell the detectives his son had taken back his confession, according to prosecutors’ report. The teen went on to testify at his trial that he didn’t shoot Deligny but saw and knew the killer — his sister’s boyfriend, the one who’d given police the gun, broken up into parts and stuffed into potatoes.

Jurors at Ruffin’s trial heard from the boyfriend, but only about his relationships with the defendant, his sister and others in the case. When the jury was out of the room, the boyfriend invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer other questions, including where he’d been on the night of the shooting.

Prosecutors didn’t release the boyfriend’s name Thursday, and the names of lawyers who have represented him weren’t immediately available. He told prosecutors during their recent reinvestigation that he had nothing to do with the shooting and didn’t give detectives the gun. He also said he never confessed to anyone, though prosecutors say Ruffin’s stepfather, sister and late mother all have said he made admissions to them.

Asked Thursday about the boyfriend, Ruffin’s lawyers noted that the prospect of any prosecution now is uncertain.

“We only wish that in 1996, Detective Scarcella and others had performed the investigation they should have and been able to get this right the first time,” attorney Garrett Ordower said, noting that Deligny’s family may now never have the finality of a conviction in his death.

As for Ruffin, he’s focused on his future, including promotion opportunities at his job in Atlanta. His now-voided conviction, he said, “never defined me.”

“This never really spoke of the person I was or the man I was going to become,” he said. “So this, to me, is a great closure of a chapter my life, but my life is still going up.”

Investigators responding to a call at an East 14th Street home in Midwood around 6 a.m. found the baby unconscious inside a bathroom. He wasn’t breathing. Officers who arrived at the home found a furnace leaking steam, the NYPD said.

The child was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.

Investigators from the Department of Buildings were on scene Friday morning.

No other details were immediately available and the investigation is continuing.

Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden wanted to get into the groove and purchased tickets for Madonna’s Dec. 13 concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

According to the lawsuit, the tickets for the “Celebration” tour show stated the performance would start at 8:30 p.m. However, Madonna did not take the stage until some time after 10:45 p.m., a habit that appears to be en vogue for the pop superstar.

The men claim that by the time they left the venue at 1 a.m., they were “stranded” due to limited public transportation options and had to pay more to order a ride-share, which was also experiencing surge pricing due to demand. The concert was held on a Wednesday, and are hung up over the fact that they “had to get up early to work” the next day.

Fellows and Hadden are suing Madonna and Live Nation for “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices,” claiming a breach of contract. Barclays Center is also listed as a defendant.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, seeks class action status, alleging other the 65-year-old popstar has a “years-long history” of starting concerts late, including at other “Celebration” tour stops.

Representatives for Madonna and Live Nation did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC New York.

The shooting took place after 3 p.m. on Bergen Street near Saratoga Avenue in the Brownsville neighborhood. Two uniformed officers responded to a domestic violence call from a mother who said she was being attacked by her son, police said at a press conference. She had a head injury when officers arrived.

The officers were trying to apprehend the suspect when a struggle ensued and gunfire broke out. Police said that during the struggle, the suspect was able to get ahold of the gun belonging to one of the officers, with multiple shots then fired.

One officer was shot in the hand and the other was struck in the leg, according to police. Both were taken to Kings County Hospital, law enforcement sources tell NBC New York, and are expected to recover.

The suspect, later identified as Melvin Butler, was shot in the leg and stomach and was taken to Brookdale Hospital with critical injuries, sources said.

The officers were wearing body cameras at the time, the footage of which was being reviewed by police commanders.

The 39-year-old Butler had six prior arrests in New York City for domestic violence before Tuesday’s incident and also served time in prison for attempted murder.

Additional information was not immediately known.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

The shooting happened on a Manhattan-bound No. 3 train inside the Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College station around 8:15 p.m.

Law enforcement sources said there was a dispute over loud noise between two people and the victim intervened.

The victim, later identified as Richard Henderson, was then shot multiple times in the back and shoulder before being taken to NYC Health + Hospitals / Kings County, where he was pronounced deceased, according to the NYPD.

Police said the have been no arrests in the case.

Transit passenger advocates said they would like to see more police in stations and onboard subway trains.

“Remember the subway system has 472 stations, you could be attacked, you could be killed, you could be mugged anywhere in the subway system right now,” said Charlton D’Souza of Passengers United.

NBC New York asked the NYPD if there was a camera onboard the train but investigators would only say the investigation is ongoing.

Police say 14-year-old Alam Reyes was hit by a train at the F train station in Midwood. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation remains ongoing but law enforcement officials believe the teen was subway surfing near the Avenue N station.

“Our thoughts are with the teenager’s family. Subway surfing kills,” MTA President Richard Davey said in a statement. “Another innocent life has been lost, and it should not happen, I implore parents to talk with their children and teachers to speak with their students – riding on top of subway trains is reckless, dumb, and the consequences can be lethal.”

With the rise of subway surfing incidents, some of which have led to the deaths of young New Yorkers, state and city officials announced a new public campaign last year that aims to dissuade people from the dangerous act.

Part of the campaign “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive” involves the NYPD deploying officers to stations on elevated lines and doing home visits with youths who have been observed riding outside of trains. 

Data shows that subway surfing — the practice of riding outside the subway trains — takes place predominantly during the warmer school months during the afternoon, showcasing it as a popular, yet dangerous after-school activity.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The incident took place at around 2:30 p.m., as a southbound F train was nearing the Avenue N Stop in the Midwood neighborhood.

The unidentified teen fell onto the tracks and was struck by an oncoming train, per police sources.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police investigation remains underway, as law enforcement officials believe the teen was subway surfing near the Avenue N station.

“Our thoughts are with the teenager’s family. Subway surfing kills,” MTA President Richard Davey said in a statement. “Another innocent life has been lost, and it should not happen, I implore parents to talk with their children and teachers to speak with their students – riding on top of subway trains is reckless, dumb, and the consequences can be lethal.”

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Police said the girl had last been seen leaving school around 2:30 p.m.

A spokesperson for the police department confirmed the girl had been found unharmed late Friday.

New York building officials have issued emergency work orders to stabilize a historic synagogue and its neighboring structures after an illicit underground tunnel was discovered at the sanctuary earlier this week.

An investigation by the city’s Department of Buildings uncovered a tunnel that was 60-foot-long, 8-foot-wide and 5-foot-high located underneath the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights, an important Jewish site. It extends under several buildings in the vicinity.

“As a result of this extensive investigation, we have issued emergency work orders to stabilize the buildings above the tunnel, vacate orders in parts of the buildings to ensure occupant safety, and enforcement actions against the property owners for the illegal work,” Andrew Rudansky, a spokesperson for the buildings department, said in an email.

The property is a deeply revered site that each year receives thousands of visitors, including international students and religious leaders. Its Gothic Revival facade, immediately recognizable to adherents of the Chabad movement, has inspired dozens of replicas across the world.

Officials and locals said young men in the community recently built the tunnel in secret. When the group’s leaders tried to seal it off Monday, supporters of the tunnel staged a protest that turned violent as police moved in to make arrests.

A spokesperson for the buildings department said the tunnel did not have approval and permits from the city. City inspectors found dirt, tools and debris inside.

Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesperson for Chabad, characterized the tunnel as a rogue act of vandalism committed by a group of misguided young men, and condemned the “extremists who broke through the wall to the synagogue, vandalizing the sanctuary, in an effort to preserve their unauthorized access.”

Those who supported the tunnel, meanwhile, said they were carrying out an “expansion” plan long envisioned by the former head of the Chabad movement, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Rundansky, of the building department, said the excavation work to create the tunnel caused structural issues at two single-story buildings, resulting in orders to partially vacate them for safety reasons.

The agency also issued a full vacate order at a two-story brick building behind the synagogue. Seligson said the building, which houses offices and a lecture hall, had been vacated prior to the city’s order.

There was inadequate and rudimentary shoring used in the tunnel, the investigation found, as well as in basement-level wall openings created in adjacent buildings.

The owners of the buildings have already engaged an architect, engineer and contractor to do the needed work, Rudansky said.

The department has also cited the synagogue for the illegal excavation work that created the tunnel, he said.

The derailed train near West 8th St-NY Aquarium had been removed before 6 a.m. and the elevated tracks were inspected to ensure safety. The MTA said trains were running again between Avenue X and Stillwell Avenue, though northbound trains were set to run slower near the incident site to allow ongoing repairs.

Transit officials say one car of the northbound F train derailed between the Neptune and 8th Street stations around 12:20 p.m. They say there are no known reports of injuries. Thirty-seven people were removed from the train by 3 p.m.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the derailment.

New York City Transit and MTA officials responded. The Office of Emergency Management is assisting, as is the NYPD.

The Brooklyn incident comes less than a week after a minor collision between trains led to a derailment on the Upper West Side — and commuter headaches for days. Twenty-six people suffered minor injuries in that Jan. 4 case. The NTSB is investigating.

Visit @NYCTransit for the latest information.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The search for 23-year-old Mohamed Habachi started after the Nov. 22 attack in Williamsburg. Police say Habachi is the man seen on video hurling a rock from his bicycle near Montrose Avenue and Broadway.

The rock struck a 45-year-old Orthodox man, striking him in the leg and leaving a laceration, the New York Daily News reported. His attacker also allegedly yelled “Free Palestine.”

The NYPD obtained and released surveillance video and images of the alleged attacker back on Dec. 10, hoping to get public help identifying the unknown assailant.

Habachi was picked up by police on Tuesday morning. The NYPD says he faces almost half a dozen charges, including assault as a hate crime and menacing as a hate crime.

Attorney information for the 23-year-old was not immediately known.

A historic Brooklyn synagogue that serves as the center of an influential Hasidic Jewish movement was trashed this week during an unusual community dispute that began with the discovery of a secret underground tunnel and ended in a brawl between worshippers and police.

The conflict erupted in the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights, a deeply revered Jewish site that each year receives thousands of visitors, including international students and religious leaders. Its Gothic Revival facade, immediately recognizable to adherents of the Chabad movement, has inspired dozens of replicas across the world.

But on Tuesday, the synagogue remained closed off by police barricades as New York City building safety agents inspected whether a tunnel dug without official permission may have caused structural damage to the famed property.

Officials and locals said young men in the community recently built the passage to the sanctuary in secret. When the group’s leaders tried to seal it off Monday, they staged a protest that turned violent as police moved in to make arrests.

The exact purpose and provenance of the tunnel that incited the altercation remained the subject of some debate.

The passageway is believed to have started in the basement of an empty apartment building behind the headquarters, snaking under a series of offices and lecture halls before eventually connecting to the synagogue, according to Motti Seligson, a spokesperson for Chabad.

He characterized its construction as a rogue act of vandalism committed by a group of misguided young men, condemning the “extremists who broke through the wall to the synagogue, vandalizing the sanctuary, in an effort to preserve their unauthorized access.”

Those who supported the tunnel, meanwhile, said they were carrying out an “expansion” plan long envisioned by the former head of the Chabad movement, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Schneerson led the Chabad-Lubavitch for more than four decades before his death in 1994, reinvigorating a Hasidic religious community that had been devastated by the Holocaust.

Supporters of the expansion said the basement synagogue had long been overcrowded, prompting a push to annex additional space that some in the community felt was taking too long. Many of those supporters subscribe to the messianic belief that Schneerson is still alive.

“That’s what the rabbi wants, that’s what everybody wants,” said Zalmy Grossman, a 21-year-old Brooklyn resident. He said the tunnel project began late last year as a way to connect the synagogue with “the whole empty space” behind it.

Chabad leaders declined to say when they discovered the underground connection. But several worshippers said word of the tunnel’s existence had spread through the community in recent weeks.

The situation came to a head Monday, when a cement truck arrived to seal the opening. Proponents of the tunnel then staged a protest and ripped off the wooden siding of the synagogue. CrownHeights.info provided photos.

A police department spokesperson said officers were called to the building in the afternoon to respond to a disorderly group that was trespassing and damaging a wall.

For several hours, police pleaded with the young men to leave the entrance to the tunnel, according to witnesses. After they refused, the officers covered the area with a white curtain and entered the dusty crevasse with zip ties to detain the protesters.

“When they took the first person out with zip ties, that’s when the outburst happened,” said Baruch Dahan, a 21-year-old studying at the synagogue who videotaped the congregants fighting. “Almost everyone was against what they did, but as soon as people saw the handcuffs there was confusion and pushing.”

Footage posted to social media shows scores of onlookers, mostly young men, jeering at the NYPD’s community affairs officers. Some lifted wooden desks into the air, sending prayer books scattering. In response, an officer appeared to deploy an irritating spray to disperse the group.

Nine people — between the ages of 19 and 22 — were ultimately arrested on charges that included criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and obstructing governmental administration, according to police. Another three received summonses for disorderly conduct.

A spokesperson for the Department of Buildings said the inspection results were pending on Tuesday evening.

While the building remained closed, some worshippers completed their prayers outside in the drizzling rain.

“The community feels terrible,” Dahan said. “It’s a disgrace, instead of expanding, they destroyed.”

The migrants are being evacuated to a nearby high school Tuesday afternoon.

“The health and safety of migrants in our care is always a top priority, which is why we are currently overseeing the relocation of 1,900 guests from the humanitarian emergency response and relief center at Floyd Bennett Field due to an updated forecast with increased wind speeds estimated to be at over 70 MPH tonight,” a city hall spokesperson said in a statement. “To be clear, this relocation is a proactive measure being taken out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals working and living at the center.”

The city said about 500 families will be bused to the James Madison High School, about 20 minutes away, and be housed in the auditorium.

New York’s emergency management commissioner said the tent panels at the field are rated for extreme weather.

“We’re doing this out of an abundance of caution,” said OEM Commissioner Zachary Iscol.

The city is also housing migrants in tents on Randall’s Island and Creedmoor. The migrants housed in those locations will not have to leave because those tents are staked into the ground, while the tents in Brooklyn are not staked.

“It’s a historic runway. That’s where we couldn’t do it. So we had to use ballasts,” Iscol said.

Iscol added buses will be at Floyd Bennett Field throughout the night in case people return from work and need to be moved to the school.

The crash happened on Irving Avenue in Bushwick, according to police, when a Kia Sportage and Toyota Yaris collided around 1 a.m. Monday. The force of the crash appeared to total both vehicles.

Police said there were four people inside the Toyota at the time of impact. A 30-year-old man died from the injuries he sustained in the crash; two others, 29 and 34, were taken to the hospital with critical injuries; the fourth man was also hurt, but expected to recover.

Cops were searching throughout the morning for the occupants of the Kia who reportedly ran from the area. The NYPD said a 26-year-old man had been arrested by late morning and was expected to be charged with driving while intoxicated.

A second person who had been inside the KIA was still being sought by police.

The area had been closed off for several hours for the police investigation. The scene was ultimately cleared by the morning.

The police investigation is ongoing.

Cops say the school told them the boy went out an emergency side door at PS 369 on State Street in Boerum Hill around 12:30 p.m.

The Department of Education released a statement: “The safety of all of our students, especially our students with disabilities, is our top priority, which is why every school building has alarms on our doors and school safety agents at our front doors. After a student exited the building through an emergency exit, the school immediately responded, and are working closely with NYPD and this student’s family to ensure their safe return home.”

Anyone who saw the missing student was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

No other details were immediately available.

The Bay Ridge sinkhole opened up near 68th Street and Sixth Avenue. Roads were closed in the area through early afternoon.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, nor was it known what caused the sinkhole.

Investigators had the area cordoned off as they worked to secure the scene.

The flames broke out around 7 p.m. Sunday near an apartment building under construction on Schenck Avenue in East New York, according to police and fire officials.

Investigators said the scaffolding caught fire and quickly spread within minutes. The glow from the flames and the smoke could be seen from blocks away.

At least seven people suffered minor injuries, including two young children, and two firefighters were also hospitalized with smoke inhalation. Multiple families have been displaced.

People in the neighborhood said the fire started with a bang.

“I was watching the game and I heard an explosion, and the next thing you know the whole apartment was full of smoke,” one witness said. “I had to get out, I couldn’t breathe.”

Another man said he saw kids playing with fireworks just before the explosion went off. An empty fireworks box left behind was discovered at the scene.

“When I was coming in, some kids was playing with fireworks here,” Anthony Robinson said. “One of the things went over and went inside where the construction guys left the equipment at.”

Once the first started, it spread quickly. FDNY officials said that was largely due to construction equipment being left behind at the NYCHA building currently being renovated.

“Two seconds from the fireworks, the whole storage bin went up in flames. The back of the building, all of those apartments, the flames went right into their windows,” Angela Robeson said.

The fire was brought under control within a couple hours, but 12 apartments on multiple floors suffered fire damage. Man others in the building were evacuated.

Officials said it was too early to definitively put the blame on fireworks, but said that angle was part of their investigation.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed police responded to Coney Island Avenue around 2:15 p.m. for reports of a man shot in the leg. Emergency crews transported the injured man to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn; he’s expected to survive.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, two men got into some kind of heated dispute before one of them, the retired NYPD captain, shot in the other man in the leg.

The retired captain was being questioned, the sources said. A police spokesperson added that no arrests had been made and the investigation is ongoing.

The captain just retired in October after 18 years due to a disability pension, according to a senior law enforcement official.

This story is developing.

New York City officials are banning vendors from the popular landmark starting Wednesday, Jan. 3.

The new year is bringing about new rules for the busy bridge: as of next week vendors will not be allowed to sell their goods on any city bridge.

The City made the announcement Friday, saying pedestrians, tourists and cyclists are all competing for space because vendors have turned the iconic plate into an unauthorized bazaar.

“Vending on Brooklyn Bridge impedes pedestrians’ movement and creates security risks,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said Friday.

DOT staff have been handing out flyers in multiple languages to let vendors know about the new rules and where they can move to instead.

“The Brooklyn Bridge is America’s Eiffel Tower, and these rules will make sure millions of New Yorkers and visitors can safely enjoy,” the commissioner added.

The City says visitors to the bridge have doubled in the last year.

Many tourists packing the bridge on Friday, like every other day, could feel the congestion on the landmark — where some spots can be as narrow as five feet.

“We got half way up and it took us an hour,” Jason Jay said. “There’s too many people.”

One vendor said he’s been selling from his food car on the Brooklyn Bridge for the last 15 years.

“I don’t make millions of dollars here. I make $50 a day, I try to pay my bills,” he told News 4.

The home invasion occurred around 6 p.m. on Dec. 23 in the area of 59th Street and 9th Avenue where police said two men forced their way into the victim’s home. One of the men raped the 49-year-old victim before the two suspects left the house, according to authorities.

A suspect, 22-year-old Mohammed Izzeddin of Brooklyn, was arrested Thursday and faces numerous charges in connection with the case, including rape, robbery, sex abuse, and unlawful imprisonment, the NYPD announced.

Police released photos and asked the public for information in identifying the men pictured.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people travel to the Brooklyn neighborhood — otherwise known as “Dyker Lights” this time of year — to see the over-the-top displays.

But according to a report, the holiday spirit isn’t quite as strong (or at least bright) this year compared to past shows. The Wall Street Journal reported that there are fewer homes all decked out in lights.

The outlet talked to residents who live in the area, who said a lot of the families who started the tradition in the 1980s — and took off in the early 2010s — just aren’t there anymore, having either passed away or moved to other areas, especially during the pandemic.

And while a lot of new neighbors are excited about joining in the fun, the Journal found, others said they didn’t have the time, money or inclination to create the same elaborate displays.

He allegedly was angry because they had stopped paying rent and refused to leave.

Rafiqul Islam, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was ordered held without bail after his arraignment on the 59-count indictment. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count, first-degree attempted murder, and also faces several endangerment-related charges, as well as attempted assault.

According to prosecutors, Islam had allegedly been battling with the family, who lived in a Cypress Hills rental property he owned, about failure to pay rent. He allegedly once threatened to burn down the house before he was accused of doing it Sept. 26. The two-story, two-family home on Forbell Street has no fire escape and only one entrance.

According to investigators, a second-floor tenant noticed a burning smell from outside the family’s apartment early that late September morning. The tenant went to evaluate the situation and saw smoke and flames coming up from the interior stairwell, which was the only means of getting in or out of the building.

As the fire spread, the entire family, including six children, ages 1 to 8, were forced to climb out of a back window and onto the roof. From there, two adult tenants were able to drop the children into the arms of neighbors waiting about 20 feet below. The two adult tenants then jumped off the roof onto the ground. One of them called 911.

Video surveillance captured immediately before that call allegedly shows Islam leaving the building. Other surveillance allegedly showed him enter the building wearing a mask, and carrying a bucket and a garbage bag.

The dispute began earlier in the year. Three prior complaints were lodged between Islam and the tenants dating back to February. In them, the tenants alleged Islam threatened to cut off their power and later, set fire to the building. Islam also allegedly used a dead cat to intimidate the family.

None of the eight family members were seriously hurt in the fire.

“This defendant allegedly set fire to an occupied home, forcing an entire family, including six small children, to climb onto the roof and escape from the blaze in fear of their lives,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “It’s a miracle no one was killed or more seriously hurt. We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable for this allegedly deliberate and unconscionable act of arson.”

Information on an attorney for Islam wasn’t immediately available.

Khamidjon Murodov, 46, of Bay Terrace, was arrested inside the 68th Precinct on December 12th, nearly a month and a half after the November 1st altercation – and just days after the video went public.

Court records show Murodov pleaded not guilty. No one answered his door when the I-Team visited seeking comment.

Manhattan Sep 8, 2023

88-year-old woman run down by Access-A-Ride van killed in Chinatown

Brooklyn Sep 1, 2022

‘Call the Police!' Video Shows Access-A-Ride Toss 78-Year-Old Woman Into NYC Street

Kisha Jones, the passenger who was attacked, applauded the arrest, but her attorney, Nicholas Liakas said the investigation shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, blaming the MTA which administers the Access-A-Ride program.

“This is someone who assaulted a woman in broad daylight, and it was a dead end until the I-Team got involved,” Liakas said. “Not everyone has their story told on the news and it seems up until that point this was just going to go away for Access-A-Ride.”

Jones has filed notice she intends to sue the MTA for failure to ensure her Access-A-Ride driver was safe and properly vetted.

The MTA declined to comment on Jones’s legal filing, citing the pending nature of the claim. But prior to that filing, Chris Pangilinan, the MTA’s Vice President of Paratransit, condemned the driver’s conduct and confirmed the transit agency ordered its contracted dispatcher to terminate his Access-A-Ride eligibility.

“I was horrified by what I saw. That is not customer service, that is the opposite of customer service,” Pangilinan said.

Though Pangilinan said Kisha Jones could reach out to the MTA in order to obtain her driver’s identity and vehicle information, Jones says she was still waiting for those details when she learned the driver had been arrested.

“No one ever got back to me,” Jones said. “Access-A-Ride clearly didn’t try to help us.”

The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, which licenses Paratransit drivers, said it has also taken action against Murodov.

“As soon as we learned about this disturbing incident, we worked to identify the driver and suspend him, and we are now seeking revocation of his TLC license,” said David Do, the TLC Commissioner. “Safety is our fundamental tenet, and violence against passengers or drivers is illegal and totally unacceptable.”

One week ago, Kenny DeForest was involved in a serious collision in Brooklyn while riding an electric CitiBike, according to police. The 37-year-old performer struck a car Dec. 8 in Crown Heights just before 9 a.m.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene near St. Marks Avenue and Rogers Avenue, and rushed DeForest to Kings County Hospital where doctors had to remove part of his skull to try and relieve the pressure from a brain bleed.

According to a GoFundMe page created for DeForest, he died the following Wednesday.

“Kenny died on Wednesday December 13th at Kings County Hospital surrounded by his parents, family, and friends. Kenny’s final moments included some of his favorite songs, stories of his childhood, and memories of his extensive positivity and joy for life,” comedian Ryan Beck wrote on the page.

DeForest made it onto a number of the late night shows, including “The Late Late Show With James Corden” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He also had a special posted to his YouTube page.

Tributes from his peers have poured out across social media all week, honoring the performer for his talent and kindness shown on and off stage.

“No matter how close you were or the last time he saw you, he always treated you like you’d hung out everyday for years. Dude was hilarious on stage and even better off. RIP,” Mike Drucker posted.

“Kenny deforest, we were so lucky to have you as long as we did ❤️❤️❤️what an absolute joy of a human being and comedian,” comedian Aparna Nancherla wrote.

“Kenny’s impactful life will continue on through the gift of organ donation. Even in death he will continue to make meaningful improvements in the lives of others,” Beck wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Fire officials said at least seven people sustained minor injuries, mostly from smoke inhalation, after their Williamsburg building went up in flames around 4 a.m. on Kingsland Avenue. The fire wasn’t just contained to the one building — flames extended to the right and left of the two-story, multi-family home.

More than 130 firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to the 4-alarm fire as tenants waking up to thick black smoke scrambled to make it out in time. Two firefighters were hurt while battling the flames.

“One of my neighbors, she escaped to the roof, and I think she got the worst smoke inhalation,” resident Sherry Wasserman said. “I was in bed and then I heard my neighbor screaming ‘fire! fire!'”

Videos that captured the fire’s intensity showed flames shooting out of the building’s windows. Early morning drivers posted to social media that they could see the fire and thick smoke from the BQE.

Other people living in the neighborhood were advised to close their windows to keep the smoke at bay. Surveillance video captured the first plume of smoke escape the home in the middle of the night. After about two minutes, someone came out the door and tried to flag down a driver, but the car kept going.

Two more minutes passed by before the fire reached the home on the left. Embers could be seen in the surveillance video falling from the night sky, hitting parked cars — all while families were still not yet seen evacuating.

A minute later, neighbors across the street spotted the flames and dialed 911. Those neighbors then crossed the street to get people out. Nearly 10 minutes after the first plumes of smoke was spotted, fire crews arrived at the scene.

One man from Poland, in town visiting his family, lost his passport and other important documents in the fire. Tenants like Wasserman lost everything in the fire.

“I lost all of my belongings. I don’t have renter’s insurance, which I know is one me,” she said.

The Red Cross is said to be helping at least seven people in need of housing assistance.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but investigators believe it was sparked on the first floor of the structure.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The brief outage just before midnight Thursday affected most of the city, officials said. Con Ed said a piece of equipment at the Con Edison Farragut substation on John and Gold streets in Dumbo short-circuited, leading to a dip in power felt throughout the five boroughs.

“A fault on a high-tension transmission line occurred at a Con Edison substation in Brooklyn at approximately 11:55 pm last night,” the power company said in a statement. “Customers may have experienced a dip or surge in power at that time. Crews are investigating and working to make necessary repairs.”

Power was restored to all customers by 3 a.m., Con Ed said. But the outage caused a number of problems across New York City.

The Office of Emergency Management said it performed around 10 elevator rescues around the city. The FDNY said the department responded to 137 calls for stuck elevators, most with people inside, between 11 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday. The average number of calls about stuck elevators in a three-hour period is 15, the spokesperson said.

Zachary Iscol, the city’s commissioner of emergency management, said elevators went out at nine city Housing Authority buildings.

Wegmans confirmed, through a spokesperson, that a security guard at the Brooklyn location was stuck in an elevator for about an hour before FDNY was able to get him out.

“An employee was in the elevator when the power went out. He was in immediate contact with our security team, and within an hour, was released from the elevator by FDNY. There were no medical or safety concerns at any time. We appreciate FDNY’s quick response,” a Wegmans spokesperson said in a written statement.

The elevators and escalators at Grand Central Terminal were out of service around midnight due to a loss of power, but they were back functioning by 3:30 a.m.

MTA said 178 elevators or escalators were impacted and two people were stuck in elevators within its system.

“Everybody was rescued quickly and safely,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.

The 4 and 6 subway lines had delays in both directions earlier in the morning.

“Basically, [the equipment] short-circuited, that caused a large flash that was seen by some residents around the neighborhood,” said Con Edison New York President Matt Ketschke.

Ketschke said the protection, like circuit breakers in a house, activated and isolated the faulty equipment, leading to the brief voltage dip.

“There was a voltage dip, essentially people saw a flicker in their lights for a second before midnight, and then voltage recovered and went back to normal,” he said.

Mayor Eric Adams said he noticed the power issue.

“I was finishing up a meeting and saw the lights flicker,” Adams said Friday.

Though inconvenient for scattered transit and elevator passengers, the episode rates as barely a flicker in the history of New York City outages.

Widespread vandalism followed a July 13, 1977, blackout that was confined to the city and its immediate surrounding area. Twenty-six years later, New Yorkers were among the 50 million people across the Northeast who lost power on Aug. 14, 2003.

Much of the city was again dark for days when Superstorm Sandy ravaged the East Coast on Oct. 29, 2012.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.