Highbridge News: Boulevard of Death?

Highbridge News: Boulevard of Death?: By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 16- Two Bronxites getting ready to celebrate the holidays were rundown in separate inci...

Boulevard of Death?

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 16- Two Bronxites getting ready to celebrate the holidays were rundown in separate incidents, just two-blocks away from each other on the Grand Concourse-- during a 25-hour period leading up to Christmas Eve. The horror highlights the traffic problem on the Concourse which some activists are calling the new “Boulevard of Death.”

The still-unidentified 26-year-old male victim remains hospitalized at St. Barnabas Hospital after being struck by a 1999 BMW SUV at the corner of the Grand Concourse and E. 198 Street, at just before 7 p.m. on December 23.

At the time, the victim was said to be in critical condition and was not expected to live. The victim has since been upgraded to critical, but stable.

Police would later charge the driver Freddie Rodriguez, 49, of Cold Spring, NY with DWI.

According to the Bronx District Attorney's office, Rodriguez was arraigned on December 24 and released on his own recognizance. He returns to court later this month.

According to the criminal complaint, Rodriguez was unsteady on his feet and slurring his words when he admitted to a witness that he'd just returned from a Christmas party, when he offered, "I only had a couple of drinks. I can't believe this happened."

The complaint also states that Rodriguez would later tell a police officer, "I never hit anybody before. I had a couple of Chivas Regals."

Less information is available on the second victim, a woman who was struck by an SUV on the corner of E. 196 Street and the Grand Concourse at just before 8 p.m. on December 24.

According to witnesses at the scene, including two family members of the victim-- the victim was collateral damage after a 2-vehicle,  chain-reaction crash that pushed the first vehicle into the crosswalk.

This victim was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital and was expected to make a complete recovery.

A section of the Grand Concourse between E. 161 Street and E. 167 Street underwent an $18 million redevelopment project that was completed in 2008. The project included widened medians and improved lighting.

After completion of the project there had been talk to redevelop the section between E. 167 Street and E. 171 Street, but that plan has apparently stalled.

Longtime Bedford Park resident Karen Mendez, a mother of four children, lives on the Grand Concourse between the two intersections where the victims were hit. She says it has been, "many years" since any work has been done on the 10-lane thoroughfare.

Asked if she felt safe crossing the Grand Concourse, Mendez replied, "Only sometimes, because the cars often pass the red light. I'm concerned for my kids. They need to try something new like the cameras... because they (the drivers) don't care."

Other recent incidents along the Concourse include a May 19, 2013 crash in which Zuleimi Torres, 16, was killed and two others were seriously injured by an out-of-control SUV at E. 172 Street and the Grand Concourse. The unidentified driver suffered an undisclosed medical condition and faced no criminal charges.

On August 31, 2012, Melanie Sasser, a 29-year old deaf mother,  was struck and killed by a livery driver as she texted and crossed the Concourse and E. 198 Street. That crash was also deemed an accident and no charges were filed.

On July 13, 2012 Juan Rivera-Quintana, 42, was killed and a 34-year old man was seriously injured when an out-of-control SUV ran them down on the Concourse at E. Mount Eden Avenue. The vehicle only came to a stop when it slammed into a responding ambulance a block away.

Richard Haberman, 37, the alleged driver was charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, DWI, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.

On March 2, 2012, a 61-year-old man was run-over along the Concourse and Field Place in Fordham Heights. Police had no description of the vehicle that fled the scene.

Evyette Diaz, 28, was struck and killed as she crossed the Concourse at E. 165 Street outside of the Bronx Museum of Art. The driver of the SUV fled the scene and remains at large.

The Grand Boulevard and Concourse as it was originally called was opened to traffic in November, 1909.   

Highbridge News: Baby, it’s COLD outside!

Highbridge News: Baby, it’s COLD outside!: Community Board News N’ Views By Father Richard F. Gorman Chairman Community Board #12 (The Bronx) “So very nice ...

Highbridge News: Baby, it’s COLD outside!

Highbridge News: Baby, it’s COLD outside!: Community Board News N’ Views By Father Richard F. Gorman Chairman Community Board #12 (The Bronx) “So very nice ...

Baby, it’s COLD outside!

Community Board

News N’ Views

By Father Richard F. Gorman

Chairman

Community Board #12 (The Bronx)

“So very nice

 I’ll hold your hands; they’re just like ice.

Baby, it’s cold outside!”

BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 8- Whether sung by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Vanessa Williams, or Lady Antebellum, these lyrics from the song “BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE!” ring all so true as I pen this initial column for the New Year of Our Lord 2014. The weather has been extreme, to say the least, more characteristic of a polar ice cap region at either the top or the bottom of the Earth rather than the City of New York. Hopefully, the current climatic conditions are merely the appetizer, and not the main course, of what Old Man Winter is serving up for us this season!

Frigid temperatures, snow and ice storms, and slippery streets aside, there are many “warm” circumstances that have bestowed more temperate moments upon us in the first two weeks of our New Year. We have a new Municipal Administration in place at City Hall headed by the City of New York’s 109TH Mayor, The Honorable Bill de Blasio, the first Democrat to hold this office in two decades. He is accompanied at the helm of Municipal Government by our new Comptroller, The Honorable Scott M. Stringer, whose roots are in our very own Borough of The Bronx, and by the first African-American woman ever to be elected to citywide office, Public Advocate for the City of New York Letitia A. “Tish” James. While one of our City Council representatives, The Honorable Andy Cohen, was able to have his public inauguration at Lehman College on Sunday afternoon, 5 January 2014, our other Council Member, The Honorable Andy L. King, had to give way to our opening snow blast of 2014 and postpone his formal taking of the oath of office until Sunday, 12 January 2014. We shall be keeping our fingers crossed that only welcome guests, and not Old Man Winter or Mister Snowman, show up for Council Member King’s happy occasion. By the time that you read this column, the swearing-in of The Honorable Ruben Diaz, Jr. as the Borough President of The Bronx will take place as scheduled and, please God, in slightly warmer environs on Thursday, 9 January 2014.

The sort of extreme weather that has been thrust upon us always

presents challenges, not the least of which is to be faithful to God’s commandment that we be our neighbor’s keeper. There are any number of safety steps that a responsible neighbor should keep in mind and practice, not only in self-interest, but in that of those with whom we share this planet and that portion of it that we know and love so well --  i.e., the Borough of The Bronx. Among them are the following:

GUARD AGAINST FROSTBITE: With wind chills thrusting us into sub-zero degree air temperatures, exposed skin can get frostbitten in minutes and hypothermia is a major threat. Wear mittens instead of gloves, particularly those made of leather; dress in layers of warm clothing; and anyone who becomes wet should retreat indoors immediately. Unless absolutely essential, stay home and, for those venturing into the frigid outdoors, be certain that all body parts are well covered and protected.

CHECK THE CAR BATTERY: Batteries three years of age or older may not be able to get one’s motor vehicle started or to be “jumped” after being exposed to temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit (0ºF) for an extended period of time.

TURN DOWN THE THERMOSTAT: Keeping one’s residential thermostat relatively low at sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (68ºF) saves money on one’s heating bills as well as helps to prevent a power shortage and/or blackout.

BE CAUTIOUS IN UTILIZING SUPPLEMENTAL HEATING DEVICES: Space heaters, stoves, ovens, and kerosene or propane heaters that should only be employed outdoors are an all-too-common cause of carbon monoxide poising or even death and are the origin of approximately 50,000 residential fires and some 150 fatalities per annum.

PROTECT WATER PIPES: Freezing water that expands in pipes causes the pipes to burst so pay heed to any pipes that are exposed to low temperatures (such as those in basements, attics, garages, or crawl spaces) and lines for outdoor sprinklers and swimming pools.

CHECK ON ELDERLY, INFIRM, AND CHALLENGED NEIGHBORS: Do not neglect to make certain that these most dependent of God’s Children are warm, safe, nourished, and in adequate supply of food and water.

Space and the attention span of you, dear readers and friends, prevent me from sharing some thoughts about handling snowfall and the regrettable and somewhat selfish habits and practices of too many of our neighborhood residents with respect thereto. So that they are not lost, especially on those guilty of making use of them, I shall turn attention to them the next time we meet. Suffice it to say in the meanwhile, though, that my good Friend, Commissioner of Sanitation John J. Doherty, and his team did their usual bang-up job of getting our streets salted and cleared of snow last week. Commissioner Doherty has been asked to remain for the time being at the helm of the New York City Department of Sanitation (N.Y.C.D.O.S.) and, if he is willing and Mayor De Blasio so determines, it would be a blessing to see this life-long public servant in N.Y.C.D.O.S. remain behind his desk at 125 Worth Street in Manhattan.

May God bless us all with a Healthy and Peaceful 2014!

Until next time, that is it for this time!

'Loko' Bandit at Large

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 18- Police are asking for the public’s help in trying to track down a gunman who stuck up a convenience store and a parking garage. Investigators are hoping a sketch of the suspect will spur tipsters to call.

The gunman struck most recently around 4 a.m. on December 5. Cops say the man walked into a 7-Eleven store on University Avenue and took two cans of Loko beer from the refrigerator. The suspect placed the beers on the counter, whipped out a handgun and demanded cash. The 58-year-old female clerk put $100 on the counter and the gunman fled with the cash and the beer.

Detectives from the 46th Precinct have identified the convenience store bandit as the suspect wanted for sticking up a parking garage. At around 6 a.m. on November 28, the suspect entered RG Parking Garage on Loring Place South. He went up to an employee at the garage, displayed a handgun and demanded cash. The worker forked over money and the gunman fled. 

Highbridge News: Santa Spotted in the Bronx

Highbridge News: Santa Spotted in the Bronx: BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 12- Santa had a busy time in the Bronx last week. First he attended the annual lighting of the Parkc...