Safety

Decatur Avenue Tenant’s Problems Pile Up, Black Water Emerges from Sink Plughole

By SÍLE MOLONEY, MIRIAM QUIÑONES & DAVID GREENE
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Longtime Bedford Park resident, Joy LaFontaine, told Norwood News she is fed up complaining to both 311 and her landlord about various, ongoing maintenance problems she is encountering in her Decatur Avenue building, including a lack of heat, dampness, flooding, disruptive neighbors, and alleged rat sightings, saying she has seen little in the form of results for her efforts.   Based on 311 public data, LaFontaine’s complaints are emblematic of those logged by thousands of other New Yorkers, particularly tenants on the federal housing


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Fatal Longwood Gunshot Victim, Josue Lopez-Ortega, Saves 7 People Through Organ Donation

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The 15-year-old male gunshot victim who was fatally shot in the Longwood section of the Bronx on Jan. 19, as reported,  has provided the gift of life, via organ donation, saving seven people, according to LiveOnNY. The latter is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation.   Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates transplants, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry.  


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Victims of Twin Parks Fire Tragedy Remembered on First Anniversary

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The first anniversary of the Twin Parks fire tragedy which ripped through the towering housing development in Fordham Heights on Jan. 9 2022, was marked by a somber ceremony on Monday, Jan. 9. As reported extensively at the time, the tragic event claimed the lives of 17 Bronxites, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. The cause of the fire was found to be a combination of a “malfunctioning space heater” and reportedly malfunctioning self-closing fire doors.   With legal proceedings against the Twin Parks building owners still pending, Mayor Eric Adams and other Bronx elected officials attended the private


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UPDATE “Winter Operations Advisory” in Place & Strong Winds, Coastal Flooding Expected Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 5 a.m.

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has issued a “winter operations advisory” for Wednesday, Jan. 25, beginning at 7 a.m. Department officials said a winter operations advisory is the department’s “lower level” winter weather message, as opposed to the “higher level” snow alert. Coastal flooding is also expected according to the National Weather Service.   DSNY officials said precipitation is expected to begin as wet snow as early as 7 a.m. in parts of the City, with between a half an inch and one inch of accumulation possible before the precipitation changes to rain later in the day. They


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Fordham Manor: Search for Missing 85-Year-Old Man

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating an 85-year-old man who is reported missing from Fordham Manor.   It was reported to police that Robert Cofield of 2505 Grand Avenue was last seen Tuesday, Jan. 24, at approximately 7.50 a.m. walking up the stairwell to the southbound platform [of Fordham Road subway station], located at the intersection of Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue, also in Fordham Manor.   Cofield is described as male, is around 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 165 pounds, has brown eyes and gray hair. He was last seen wearing a dark gray jacket,


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Belmont: Search for 16-Year-Old Missing Girl

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating a 16-year-old girl who was reported missing from Belmont. Police said that Taniah Gale, of 588 East 181st Street, Bronx, NY, was last seen Saturday, Jan. 14, at around 8 p.m., leaving her home. She is described as female, is around 5 feet tall, weighs 140 pounds, and has brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen wearing a black coat, beige and white pajama pants, and red, black and white sneakers. Anyone with information regarding this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS


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UPDATE Fordham Heights: Boy, 13, Arrested for Loaded Gun Possession at M.S. 363, Two Teens Shot in Longwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE
Police said a 13-year-old boy who is a student at a middle school in Fordham Heights was arrested after he was allegedly found to be in possession of a loaded gun on Thursday. Meanwhile, on the same day, in the Longwood section of the borough, two teenagers were shot, one fatally.   An NYPD spokesperson said that on Thursday, Jan. 19, at around 9.20 a.m., police were alerted that there was a gun found inside M.S. 363 (previously M.S. 399) Academy for Personal Leadership and Excellence, located at 120 East 184th Street in Fordham Heights. “Upon arrival, school safety agents stated that


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UPDATE Torres Calls for Federal Elections Commission Investigation into Santos’ Campaign Finances

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE
U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who represents parts of Bronx Community District 7, including Norwood, has called for a federal elections commission investigation into the campaign finances of U.S. Rep. George Santos (NY-03), the newly elected, controversial lawmaker who represents part of northern Nassau County on Long Island and northeast Queens, who has reportedly admitted to lying about his education and work experience.   Torres made the announcement during a news conference on Long Island on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and called on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to launch an investigation into potential illegal activity and alleged irregularities with Santos’


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UPDATE Three Corrections Officers Charged with Misconduct, Falsifying Records amid Altercation with Inmate

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Wednesday, Jan. 17, that three NYC Department of Corrections (DOC) officers have been charged with falsifying business records, official misconduct, and related charges for allegedly making false and misleading reports after one of the correction officers allegedly struck a Rikers Island inmate.   Clark said defendants, Carl Williams, 31, Roy Dewar, 58, and Jatan Das, 64, were arraigned on Jan. 17, on charges of first-degree falsifying business records, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree falsifying business records, second-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and official misconduct. She said Williams was


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