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Amtrak service between NYC and New Haven suspended due to transformer fire

Posted on by neversleep

An Amtrak transformer fire broke out near a Con Ed substation on the railroad’s Hell Gate Line Tuesday afternoon, suspending Amtrak travel in both directions along the Northeast Corridor between Penn Station and New Haven.

The fire, reported at a substation at Bronxdale and East Tremont Aves. in the Bronx, ignited around 2:30 p.m., causing a power loss for trains in the area, according to the FDNY.

The fire jumped from an overhead Amtrak transformer along the tracks to nearby brush, then to the parking lot of the adjacent substation, burning at least three cars.

Nearly 200 fire and EMS responders were deployed to the fire as of Tuesday evening, and the operations remained ongoing.

An Amtrak spokesman said Tuesday evening that the cause of the transformer fire was still under investigation.

Tuesday’s blaze is at least the third brushfire in the past week in New York City amid an ongoing drought in the city. There were two brushfires in as many days in Prospect Park this past weekend. On Saturday, a fire scorched a 2-acre wooded area as more than 100 firefighters, including special brushfire units, fought the fire for nearly three hours.

Electrification of the Hell Gate Line was completed in the 1920s, though some portions of the traction power system between New Rochelle and the East River tunnel were modernized in the 1980s.

The Hell Gate Line’s power system is scheduled to be upgraded as part of the MTA’s Penn Station Access project, which would send Metro-North trains to Penn Station via the line — but that work has not yet begun.

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NYC trio charged with hate crimes linked to pro-Palestinian vandalism of museum officials’ homes

Posted on by neversleep

November 4, 2024

Three people have been indicted on hate crimes charges in connection with red paint that was smeared on the homes of Brooklyn Museum officials during a wave of pro-Palestinian protests this summer, prosecutors announced Monday.

[They] face a range of charges including making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, criminal mischief as a hate crime, making graffiti, possession of graffiti instruments and conspiracy.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the three — along with others who have not yet been arrested — specifically targeted members of the museum’s board of directors with Jewish-sounding names in the early morning hours of June 12.

Among the homes vandalized were those of the museum’s director, Anne Pasternak, its president and chief operating officer, Kimberly Trueblood, and board chair Barbara Vogelstein.

Using red paint, the vandals scrawled phrases such as “Brooklyn Museum, blood on your hands” and hung banners with the names of the board members, along with phrases including “blood on your hands, war crimes, funds genocide” and “White Supremacist Zionist,” according to prosecutors.

The banners also included red handprints, anarchy symbols and inverted red triangles that prosecutors said are associated with Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

Prosecutors say the group spray-painted security cameras so they couldn’t be identified as they defaced the properties, but were captured in other surveillance video carrying supplies to and from [Person 1]’s vehicle.

They also said a stencil found at one of the locations had a fingerprint covered in red paint that was identified as [Person 2]’s.

The most serious charge the three face is making a terroristic threat as a hate crime.

[Person 3]’s attorney, Leena Widdi, has said her client is an independent videographer and was acting in his capacity as a credentialed member of the media. She described the hate crime charges as an “appalling” overreach by law enforcement officials.

[Person 1]’s attorney, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, has criticized the arrest as an example of the “increasing trend of characterizing Palestine solidarity actions as hate crimes.”

Hundreds of protesters marched on the Brooklyn Museum in May, briefly setting up tents in the lobby and unfurling a “Free Palestine” banner from the roof before police moved in to make dozens of arrests. Organizers of that demonstration said the museum was “deeply invested in and complicit” in Israel’s military actions in Gaza through its leadership, trustees, corporate sponsors and donors — a claim museum officials have denied.

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Person charged with vandalizing Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s Manhattan office, which displays Israeli hostage posters

Posted on by neversleep

Police have charged [someone] for allegedly vandalizing the Manhattan district office of New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat last month.

Espaillat’s office in Washington Heights was splattered with red paint by two people, in an action similar to other recent incidents of anti-Israel vandalism. The two vandals also used hammers to smash the office’s windows, which displays fliers of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The incident took place in the predawn hours of Oct. 8, less than two weeks after the office had been hit with anti-Israel graffiti.

Security footage from the Oct. 8 incident showed two masked individuals carrying out the vandalism. The NYPD told the [news source] that police were still seeking the second individual.

The suspect who was arrested was charged with criminal mischief in the 3rd degree, a felony, along with two misdemeanors – making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments. Court records showed that [the person] pleaded not guilty and has been released on bail.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force had investigated the incident, but there were no hate crimes charges in the arrest report. Espaillat is not Jewish.

Espaillat is a Democrat representing Upper Manhattan and part of the Bronx. He has voted for additional aid to Israel and has spoken out in support of Israeli hostages, security funding for Jewish institutions, and Jewish students at Columbia University.

In the two days before the incident, he shared a message of solidarity with families of those held hostage by Hamas, attended the Oct. 7 memorial ceremony in Central Park, and stopped by a neighborhood commemoration event blocks away from his district office. The office is regularly picketed by small groups of pro-Palestinian protesters.

The New York Democratic Congressional Delegation condemned the vandalism shortly after it occurred, saying it came on a day of “solemn reflection” over the Oct. 7 attacks.

In the defacing of Espaillat’s office two weeks before the Oct. 8 incident, vandals scrawled “F— Israel,” “40k dead,” “genocide lover” and “terrorist” in red paint on the storefront office’s window and door. The graffiti also had an inverted red triangle.

Other pro-Israel New York congressmen have had their offices hit with anti-Israel graffiti since Oct. 7, including Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres, both Democrats, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

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‘Zionists don’t deserve to live,’ suspended Columbia activist said. Now his group rescinds its apology and calls for violence

Posted on by neversleep

Nearly six months after Columbia University banned Khymani James, a Pro-Palestinian student activist, who said “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” the coalition that had apologized on his behalf rescinded its statement of regret – and advocated for armed resistance against Israel.

“Last spring, in the midst of the encampments, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) posted a statement framed as an apology on behalf of Khymani James,” CUAD posted Tuesday night on Instagram. “We deliberately misrepresented your experiences and your words, and we let you down.”

In a since-deleted post on X, James acknowledged in April that he had said several months earlier in an Instagram Live video: “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” In the now-deleted April post, he said, “I misspoke in the heat of the moment, for which I apologize.”

Columbia suspended James in April, and he since sued the university to get his ban overturned.

“I never wrote the neo-liberal apology posted in late April, and I’m glad we’ve set the record straight once and for all,” James wrote Tuesday in an X post. “I will not allow anyone to shame me for my politics. Anything I said, I meant it.”

CUAD helped ignite the protest encampments at Columbia in April that sparked a pro-Palestine and anti-Israel movement on campuses across America. In the months since that movement started, the group has taken an increasingly hard-line stance against Israel, advocating for violent uprisings against the country.

“We support liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance,” the group said in its statement. “Where you’ve exhausted all peaceful means of resolution, violence is the only path forward.”

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E-Bike Vandalism: A Growing Concern for Riders in Major U.S. Cities

Posted on by neversleep

A troubling trend has emerged in recent months, causing significant inconvenience and frustration for e-bike riders in major U.S. cities. Vandals are increasingly targeting e-bikes, damaging essential components and rendering them unusable. One of the most common tactics involves scratching out QR codes and tearing off e-bike numbers, making it impossible for riders to unlock and operate the bikes.

E-bike riders in New York City have been particularly vocal about the issue, reporting numerous instances of vandalism. The practice not only affects individual riders but also disrupts the entire e-bike sharing system, limiting transportation options for commuters and tourists alike.

The reasons behind the vandalism are unclear, but experts speculate that it could be motivated by a combination of factors, including boredom, frustration, or a desire to cause disruption. Some believe that the anonymity provided by e-bike sharing systems may embolden vandals to act without fear of consequences.

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Armed robbers in Mercedes steal nearly $200K in jewelry across NYC

Posted on by neversleep

Armed robbers in a Mercedes-Benz have stolen nearly $200,000 in jewelry during a weeks-long crime spree targeting people on the streets of three New York City boroughs.

No serious injuries were reported in the eight robberies, which stretch back to early September and span Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. In total, more than $190,000 worth of jewelry was reported stolen.

The latest robbery linked to the pair was early Monday morning in Rego Park, Queens, where a 36-year-old man was mugged at gunpoint at 95th Street and 62nd Drive shortly after 1 a.m. The suspects tried to steal his watch, but he fought back and they fled empty-handed in the Mercedes, police said.

Just two hours before that robbery, the pair targeted a 63-year-old man on Bell Boulevard in Oakland Gardens, Queens, punching him repeatedly in the face and stealing his wallet, police said.

The duo has also been linked to the robbery of a 47-year-old man on the Horace Harding Expressway in Douglaston, Queens, on the evening of Sept. 18. They stole his $20,000 watch, police said.

And on Sept. 15, they allegedly robbed a 33-year-old man of his $10,000 watch on McDonald Avenue in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

They even stormed into a 54-year-old man’s house in South Ozone Park on the evening of Sept. 13, cops said, but ultimately fled without stealing anything.

Their largest haul was on the morning of Sept. 12, when they allegedly robbed a 25-year-old man of his $90,000 watch and $200 cash in the Concourse section of the Bronx.

They also tried to break into a residence in the South Bronx on Sept. 5 by smashing a window with a rock, but they were unsuccessful, police said.

The first robbery linked to them was on the night of Sept. 3, when a 32-year-old man was robbed of a $70,000 necklace in Auburndale, Queens.

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Ancestral land returned to Onondaga Nation in upstate New York

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The Onondaga Nation has regained 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of its ancestral land in upstate New York, a tiny portion of the land members say was unjustly taken by the state beginning in the 18th century.

The heavily forested land is south of Syracuse and near the Onondaga’s federally recognized territory. The land, which includes headwaters of Onondaga Creek, was transferred by Honeywell International on Friday under a federal Superfund settlement related to the contamination of the environment, according to the Onondaga Nation.

The land is part of an expanse of 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) in central New York the Onondagas say was taken over decades by New York beginning in 1788 through deceitful maneuvers that violated treaties and federal law.

Sid Hill, the Tadodaho, or chief, of the Onondaga Nation, said Monday they were grateful to federal and state officials for working with them to return “the first 1,000 acres of the 2.5 million acres of treaty-guaranteed land taken from us over the centuries.”

“This is a small but important step for us, and for the Indigenous land back movement across the United States,” Hill said in a prepared statement.

Rebuffed in U.S. courts, the Onondagas are now pursuing their claim before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is part of the Organization of American States.

The nation’s case involves a roughly 40-mile-wide (65-kilometer-wide) strip of land running down the center of upstate New York from Canada to Pennsylvania. The Onondagas hope the case spurs negotiations that could lead to the return of some land.

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Congressman’s office vandalized as pro-Palestinian protests reignite across NYC

Posted on by neversleep

The uptown Manhattan district office of New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat and the surrounding area was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti on Thursday night.

According to security footage police viewed at the scene the following morning, the vandalism took place at around 11 p.m., on a night when pro-Palestinian protests took place around the city, on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The graffiti covered a window that, for much of the past year, has displayed fliers with the faces of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The office, which was closed Friday morning as police investigated, is regularly picketed by small groups of pro-Palestinian protesters.

By Friday morning, the graffiti had been partially scratched off, but the vandalism appeared to say, “F— Israel,” “40k dead,” “genocide lover” and “terrorist” in red paint on the window and door of Espaillat’s office in Washington Heights.

The graffiti also had an inverted red triangle, a symbol Hamas uses to mark its targets in propaganda videos that has become increasingly popular among pro-Palestinian protesters. Other graffiti on the same street and on a nearby subway entrance also featured the red triangle and read “F— Israel NYPD Cop City,” “Free Gaza” and “A terrorist in uniform is still a terrorist.”

Espaillat is a Democrat representing upper Manhattan and part of the Bronx. He has spoken out in support of Israeli hostages, security funding for Jewish institutions, and Jewish students at Columbia University in recent months. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other pro-Israel New York congressmen have had their offices hit with anti-Israel graffiti since Oct. 7, including Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres, both Democrats, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

Anti-Israel protests reignited around the city this week, after a lull during the summer, when many students were home for summer vacation. A protest against Netanyahu marched from Bryant Park on Thursday, and demonstrators gathered outside a hotel on Park Avenue on Thursday night where they believed Netanyahu was staying. The protests come amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace said actress Rowan Blanchard from the “Spy Kids” movie series had been arrested along with 24 other activists affiliated with the group.

The hardline pro-Palestinian activist group Within Our Lifetime released a map illustrated with dripping blood that urged followers to target the offices of Israel-focused groups including the Friends of the IDF, AIPAC, Birthright and the “Zionist consulate,” as well as Grand Central Station. The group published a similar map last year.

Anti-Israel protesters targeted New York Mayor Eric Adams at a Thursday rally after he was indicted for corruption. Columbia University students announced a Friday campus protest focused on Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

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Activists target Brooklyn home of NYPD cop they say aggressively handled protest

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Activists targeted the Brooklyn home of an NYPD cop, accusing him of aggressively handling a protest over a police-involved shooting in a Brooklyn subway station a day earlier.

The protesters showed up at the cop’s home in Sunset Park about 9:45 p.m. Monday and began yelling at him from the sidewalk after spotting him on his front porch.

“We want justice! We want Justin!” the protesters screamed, using the cop’s first name after he retreated into his home.

The officer called 911 as the protesters set fire to an American flag and threw objects at the aluminum-sided home. When on-duty cops arrived, the crowd quickly dispersed and no arrests were made, officials said.

The NYPD’s Threat Assessment Unit was notified of the protest at the officer’s home and cops have been sitting outside his house keeping watch since Monday, a police source said.

On Sunday, the targeted officer, who joined the NYPD in January 2023, helped handle a protest outside 73rd Precinct stationhouse over the Sept. 15 subway shooting that left four wounded, including a fellow officer, by police bullets.

An activist who felt the officer was overly aggressive in his response to the stationhouse protest took a picture of him. No arrests were made at the Sunday night protest.

“An individual took a photo of an officer and posted their personal address on social media,” an NYPD spokesman said. The targeted officer was not part of the Sept. 15 subway incident.

In a social media video, one of the protesters who showed up outside the cop’s home recaps the incident, accusing the targeted officer of being “very aggressive” against protesters the day before, saying the officer “put his hands” on a few of them outside the stationhouse.

“You all shot the subway up — we didn’t do it. Now we’re going to start doing house visits to everyone in that goddamn (police) station. It’s all about making them feel it. It’s all about making them scared of us. It’s all about making them quit their f—ing job.”

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Eric Adams indictment alleges decade of corruption, bribery by foreign nationals

Posted on by neversleep

Prosecutors unveiled a five-count indictment [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YiOHVNs_eoxyN-ykHUCdO2DTSQtTCmmW/view] of New York City Mayor Eric Adams on corruption charges.

The 57-page indictment charges Adams with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, one count of wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, and one count of bribery.

It alleges a 10-year pattern of corruption.

“In 2014, ERIC ADAMS, the defendant, became Brooklyn Borough President,” it read. “Thereafter, for nearly a decade, ADAMS sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish govermennt official seeking to gain influence over him.”

Some of the charges are in connection with contributions to Adams’s 2021 mayoral campaign, “including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”

Adams was indicted Wednesday night following a federal corruption investigation, making him the first mayor in the city’s history to be indicted while in office. The morning after the indictment, federal agents raided Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor’s mansion, before sunrise.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Department of Justice, FBI, IRS, and the city Department of Investigation all have investigations into Adams, though in most cases it isn’t clear what crimes they are focusing on.

Investigations and accusations of corruption have plagued Adams since November 2023, when the FBI raided the homes of two of his associates. Numerous close associates have since been investigated, raided, and arrested, some as recently as this month, presenting a chaotic image of his administration.

Adams’s phone and iPad were seized in November, one of the first indications of a major investigation. In July, the mayor was served two grand jury subpoenas. The past month has seen a slew of new revelations, raids, and resignations.

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