UPDATE Nine Rikers Island Inmates & Alleged Bloods Gang Members Charged with Assault of Six Other Inmates

By SÍLE MOLONEY

MAKESHIFT WEAPONS RECOVERED from an assault carried out between rival gang members in Rikers Islands prison on August 18, 2022. Video courtesy of The Office of the Bronx District Attorney Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Feb. 9 that nine Rikers Island inmates were charged with assault for carrying out what was described as a vicious attack against six other inmates in the jail using makeshift weapons and leaving the victims bloody. According to the prosecution, the attack lasted 15 minutes, and the victims needed hospital treatment for their wounds. In the context of the announcement, Clark

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Three building contractors were indicted on Wednesday, April 12, in the first Bronx case to bring charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for a construction fatality which took place, as reported by Norwood News at the time, at 94 East 208th Street in Norwood in 2019. The victim, a father and 46-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant worker, Segundo Manuel Huerta Mayancela, was crushed by 1,000 pounds of debris in what was described as an egregiously dangerous building site, a joint investigation by NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) and the Bronx District Attorney’s office found. Builders also allegedly falsified credentials/permits and flouted safety

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES & SÍLE MOLONEY

Two people were injured following a two-car collision at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Van Cortlandt Avenue in Jerome Park on Tuesday, April 4, emergency services said. An EMS representative said they received the call at 2.46 p.m. on the day of the collision. (At this time, most of the world was tuning in to watch former President Donald J. Trump being indicted in Lower Manhattan.) They said one of the injured parties refused medical attention at the scene and the second was brought to St. Barnabas Hospital. The cause of the accident is under investigation, according

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Fire department officials said one elderly female resident was hospitalized following an “all hands” fire at 2364 Tiebout Avenue in Fordham Heights on Tuesday, March 28. An FDNY spokesperson said the department received a report of smoke and a fire on the 4th floor of the 6-story, multiple dwelling at 1:16 p.m. on the day of the blaze. Twelve fire units, comprising 60 personnel arrived at the scene, according to the FDNY. “One civilian in serious condition [was] transported to Jacobi Hospital,” the spokesperson later said, adding that the fire was brought under control at 2.22 p.m. and the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Kingsbridge Armory Survey The working group behind the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, Together for Kingsbridge, is requesting the public to provide their input on what they would like to see in place in the armory by completing a survey which can be found here, and which is available in both English and Spanish. See also our latest story on the armory. Tours of the army are ongoing also, as below. Yankee Youth Leadership Award The New York Yankees and Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) are looking for youth leaders who reside within the boundaries of Bronx Community District

By SÍLE MOLONEY

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

By DAVID GREENE

A fire that destroyed a small outhouse office for a parking garage in Bedford Park as well as a truck parked next to it remains under investigation according to the FDNY, while one car owner alleges 40-mile-per-hour winds brought down a powerline in the area, sparking the fire. Fire officials were called to 2 J’s Parking Lot, located at 2768 Webster Avenue, between East 198th Street and Oliver Place at 7.52 p.m. on Monday, March 13, for a reported “shed / trailer fire” in the back of the lot. The “all-hands” fire brought 12 fire units, comprising 60 firefighters

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 7,250 units of Chinese-manufactured RELiON InSight Series® lithium batteries, due to “thermal burn and fire hazards,” the commission announced on March 2. Meanwhile, following a number of Bronx and New York City fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined other elected officials on Monday to announce the signing into law of the latest package of City fire legislation regulating the sale of lithium-ion batteries, as well as a new action plan targeted at education around the use of such batteries and the prevention of future fires caused by

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Fordham Heights resident, Jose Gonzalez, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday, March 8, of the murder of FDNY Emergency Medical Technician, Yadira Arroyo, who he ran over with her ambulance nearly six years ago, according to the Office of the Bronx District Attorney. Darcel Clark, Bronx district attorney, announced the news the same day. As reported, after years of waiting, the family of the victim received news that Gonzalez was finally fit to stand trial on Sept. 21, 2022. In the context of the conviction announcement, Clark said, “Jose Gonzalez was convicted today of first-degree murder in

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FIres & Accidents

UPDATE Nine Rikers Island Inmates & Alleged Bloods Gang Members Charged with Assault of Six Other Inmates

UPDATE Three Building Contractors Charged in First Bronx Manslaughter and Criminally Negligent Homicide Case

Jerome Park: Two Injured in Two-Vehicle Car Crash

UPDATE Woman Hospitalized after Fordham Heights Fire that Petrified Small Dog

UPDATE Neighborhood Notes: Kingsbridge Armory Survey, Elections 2023, Summer Youth Employment Extended & More!

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

Office & Truck Burn at Webster Parking Lot

Feds Recall Chinese-Manufactured Lithium-Ion Batteries as Mayor Devises New Plan to Curb E-Bike Fires

Jose Gonzalez Found Guilty of Killing EMT Yadira Arroyo