Resident Asks for Better Enforcement at Park By Eric Yun - Forum News

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A Ridgewood resident is urging his community to stop the rampant abuse at Grover Cleveland Park. During the summer, the park creates traffic nightmares, and park goers trash the park and drink alcohol illegally.

John Perricone started Ridgewood Residents for Grover Cleveland Park in early August. He lives around the block from the park, and he’s tired of the antics of unruly athletic leagues and other park users.

“The park gets overcrowded, there’s noise from parties, and illegal food vendors are there,” said Perricone. “Everyone should have the right to the park.”

In the height of the summer season, athletic leagues use the fields for games. Leagues must be registered with the Parks Department, and Perricone does not believe many of the groups have registered. He also suggested Parks should give preferences to leagues local to the neighborhood.

“If I want to play ball, I’m not going to travel all the way to Juniper Valley Park,” Perricone said. “Local groups should be given preference with park permits.”

Problems with athletic leagues have led to traffic nightmares. Cars are constantly double parked on Stanhope Street and block fire hydrants and driveways. Perricone says his neighbors have been threatened when they politely asked people to move their cars.

Perricone said problems with parking could be alleviated if police removed illegal food vendors. Vendors are not allowed to operate within 75 feet of a public park. The 104th Precinct has said that police officers have issued summons to illegal vendors but many are properly licensed to sell at the park.

Perricone wishes there was a better relationship between the Parks Department, the 104th Precinct and the community. “When you contact Parks they say they are trying to get more patrol, and when you contact the police they say you have to contact Parks,” he said.

While the park is quiet during the winter months, Perricone hopes to gather enough community support to stop the illegal activity by the summer. Working closely with Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, he has started a Facebook page and contacted elected officials.

By the spring, when the permit process begins, Perricone hopes to meet with the Parks Department to discuss ways to ease the strain the community feels. The best way to accomplish the goals is to have a huge amount of community support and stories, he said.

To join Ridgewood Residents for Grover Cleveland Park, visit its website at queensprogressnow.blogspot.com

Ridgewood Residents for Grover Cleveland Park by John Perricone

Grover Cleveland Park - Photo from Forgotten-NY

My name is John Perricone and I am working with the Citizens for a Better Ridgewood Community Organization in hopes of ultimately cleaning up Grover Cleveland Park. This park has had its unfair share of illegal activity which has, unfortunately, obscured it from serving our Ridgewood community. It is finally time to see change at this location and I am asking for everyone to show their support.

Since September, there have been two meetings in which the public, the community board, and the local 104th precinct participated in. I raised the chronic issue of permit validity. The major problem at the Park deals with the fact that it is consistently occupied by athletic groups. These groups seem to be rather formal and have the look of athletic leagues, which require permits in order for them to patronize the athletic fields. Issues with food vendors are also of importance, as we found out that no food cart can conduct business within seventy-five feet of any public park as well as in a residential area. Finally, illegal double parking, garbage dumping, and noise pollution continue to plague our residents and fuel their complaints.

It is in our interest to finally arrive to a solution. Grover Cleveland Park has been under assault for years and now is the time for our residents to utilize its multi-recreational abilities. Especially now that our park has been renovated, we are all concerned that due to the constant illegal activity, it will be damaged and unfit to use. I am in full support of welcoming everyone to use the park, however it must be patronized in accordance with New York City law as well as NYC Department of Parks and Recreation rules and guidelines. Finally, I would also like to encourage everyone to support this cause. Even if you do not live in Ridgewood, remember that if this park can be abused in this matter, then any park can. We need to curb this problem now and ensure that our quality-of-life is preserved and not trampled upon.

If anyone has a complaint that they would like to address, please email me at john-perricone@hotmail.com. After I collect a significant amount of complaints, I will send them to the Parks Department in hopes of getting a daily patrol car to drive through the park. For all Facebook users, be sure to join my group Ridgewood Residents for Grover Cleveland Park.

Man Apprehended Near Cemetery with Skull in Bag: Police by Rebecca Henely - YourNabe.com

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A member of the NYC Medical Examiner's office carries what police said was a human skull out of a walkway bordering Cypress Hills Cemetery. Photo by Christina Santucci

Police responded to a 911 call for an emotionally disturbed person near Cypress Hill cemetery Thursday and found him carrying a skull in a bag, said a spokesperson for the NYPD.

The spokesperson said that at 10:44 a.m. Thursday a Hispanic male, 37, called 911 saying he was planning to kill himself.

Officers from the 104th Precinct responded to the scene in Highland Park, adjacent to the intersection of Cypress Hills Street and the Jackie Robinson Parkway in Ridgewood. When they met the man, they found he was carrying a skull in a white bag, police said.

The skull appeared to be a number of years old and the case was not an open homicide, police said. The skull was being examined by the medical examiner’s office, police said Friday.

The man was removed to Elmhurst Hospital for examination, police said.

12-year-old Luis Martinez of Brooklyn Found Stabbed on Jackie Robinson Parkway - villagevoice.com - Runnin' Scared

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Police are are questioning two teenaged suspects in the Saturday night stabbing of 12-year-old Luis Martinez of Brooklyn. Initial reports suggested that Martinez, who was found bleeding from multiple wounds on the Jackie Robinson Parkway, was thrown from a car, but police are now saying that he walked there from nearby Highland Park where the stabbing took place to find help. A passing motorist stopped and called 911.

Police sources told the Daily News that Martinez went to the park, which is near his East New York home, to get stoned with Wayne Henderson, 15, and an unnamed 14-year-old girl. Reportedly, Henderson was mad at the kid for "getting him into trouble the last time they smoked pot," and he dealt with that by stabbing him, one report says 12 times, in the neck and chest.

An ambulance took Martinez to Jamaica Medical Center, where he had emergency surgery to close punctures in his lung and kidney. His condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. Doctors plan to move him to Columbia Presbyterian for further surgery.

Henderson and the 14-year-old girl ran away from the scene, but have since been found. Henderson was arrested and charged with assault. His female companion is being questioned, but hasn't been charged.

Martinez' family, who earlier told reporters that they were concerned about gang involvement, still aren't sure what happened. They say he left the house with a friend to go to the store Saturday night and never came back. According to his sister, he was last seen wearing different clothes than the ones he was wearing when he got to the hospital.

A cousin told the News ""He's a good kid, you know. He does what all the kids do."

Glendale Bank Held Up For Second Time In Two Weeks - Crook Shows A Note To Cash In by Robert Pozarycki - Times Newsweekly

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For the second time this month, a Glendale bank branch has been held up by a note-carrying bandit, police reported.

Officers from the 104th Precinct secure the Capital One bank located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Glendale following a bank heist last Saturday, June 13. It was the second time this month that the branch was held up by a note carrying crook, according to police. (photo: Allen Epstein)

Law enforcement sources said a man swiped about $1,000 in cash from the Capital One bank located at 83-24 Woodhaven Blvd. at around 10 a.m. last Saturday morning, June 13.

Nearly two weeks earlier, police noted, the same branch was held up by a thief who used a demand note to gain a sum of money on the morning of Tuesday, June 2.

As reported in last week's issue of the Times Newsweekly, the suspect in that caper is believed to be linked to the June 5 robbery of the Chase bank branch located at 96-19 101st Ave. in Ozone Park.

Police sources could not immediately confirm a link between last Saturday's heist in Glendale to the two previous holdups.

Regarding last Saturday's caper, authorities said the suspect entered the Capital One branch located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard at around 10 a.m.

Upon arriving at the counter, police said, the suspect handed a teller a note demanding cash. After the employee complied with his request, it was reported, the perpetrator fled from the scene northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard.

Members of the 104th Precinct responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Various police units canvassed the surrounding area for the suspect involved. Despite their efforts, police said, no immediate arrests were made.

The suspect behind the heist was described by law enforcement sources as an African-American male standing 6' tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

An ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Major Case Squad and the Joint Bank Robbery Task Force, police said.

Anyone with any information regarding the heist that could prove helpful is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Information may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by text message to 274637 (followed by the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

Bandit Slips Teller Note Get Cash At Glendale Bank by Robert Pozarycki - www.timesnewsweekly.com - Times Newsweekly

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Takes Off With A Grand Of Dough

Armed with a note, a crook managed to withdraw cash from a Glendale bank during a heist on Tuesday morning, June 2, according to police.

Police guard the Capital One bank located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard in Glendale on Tuesday morning, June 2 shortly after a robber swiped an undetermined amount of cash from the branch. (photo: Joseph Epstein)

Reportedly, the robbery occurred at the Capital One Bank branch located at 83-24 Woodhaven Blvd. near Myrtle Avenue.

Law enforcement sources said the suspect—described as a 35- year-old African-American male standing between 6' and 6'2" tall and weighing 225 pounds who was wearing a blight blue shirt, blue jeans and mirrored sunglasses— walked into the branch at around 9:05 a.m. and handed a note demanding money to the teller.

Police later determined that the suspect displayed no weapons during the theft.

Moments later, authorities noted, the employee handed the bandit more than $1,000 in cash. The suspect reportedly took the money and fled from the scene on foot northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard.

Officers from the 104th Precinct responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Police units conducted a search of the surrounding area for the suspect. No immediate arrests were made despite their efforts.

The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the NYPD Major Case Squad and the Joint Bank Robbery Task Force, police said.

Anyone with any information regarding the heist that could prove helpful is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Information may also be sent to Crime Stoppers by text message to 274637 (followed by the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

Man, 22, Killed in High-Speed Car Wreck - WPIX

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A 22-year-old man is dead after he and two of friends crashed their vehicle into a pillar early Wednesday morning in Rego Park.

According to authorities, the three men were caught swiping rims from a parked car at the corner of 59th Road and 68th St. before 2 a.m. The trio then made a run for it, jumping into what police believe was a stolen black Lincoln Town Car, and raced from the scene.

The getaway vehicle reportedly reached speeds of up to 105 mph eastbound on Eliot Avenue. Cops say when it attempted to make a turn onto Woodhaven Blvd, it crashed into a Long Island Railroad support pillar.

The driver, who was not immediately identified, was pronounced dead at the scene while the two others are said to be seriously injured at Elmhurst Hospital.

Unconfirmed reports state that the ages of these two teens are 14 and 16.

Police Blotter - Thanksgiving Tagedy - The Queens Courier

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Investigators at the scene of a fatal one vehicle accident in Richmond Hill early Thanksgiving morning. The vehicle was traveling south on 111th Street and lost control just before 103rd Avenue, striking a pole and nearby garages. The victim was pronounced DOA at Jamaica Hospital.

Photo by Vic Nicastro

Pedestrian Struck

A 39-year-old man was allegedly hit by a white SUV that fled the scene of the accident at Myrtle Avenue and 67th Street.

According to police, on November 30, the SUV had been traveling eastbound on Myrtle Avenue when it struck the victim, who was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition. The vehicle fled the scene. An investigation is ongoing.

5-year-old Queens Girl Recovering After Gang Shooting by Colleen Long -- Newsday.com

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A 5-year-old girl walking with her parents along a residential street in a neighborhood rife with gang-related violence was shot in the back after she was caught in a rumble, police said Tuesday.

The girl suffered a collapsed lung and was hospitalized in stable condition after the incident Monday evening in the Ridgewood neighborhood in Queens.

About 10 members of the notorious Bloods gang walked up behind the family, possibly to brawl with members of a rival gang known as the Trinitarios, police said.

The girl's father saw a man on a stoop in front of them draw a machete, and he started to run for cover with the family when the girl was struck in the back, police said.

A 28-year-old man also was wounded in the shooting and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at least two guns were used in the attack.

There have been previous gang disputes between the Bloods and its offshoots and the Trinitarios in the area and in bordering neighborhoods, Kelly said. Additional police patrols have been set up, and detectives and narcotics officers are watching the area.

"The gang division is focused on that area," Kelly said.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy who supposedly are members of the Trinitarios and were involved in the dispute. Police said they believe a member of the Bloods gang shot the girl, but they didn't release the person's identity.

Crime remains 3 percent lower this year than last year, but there was a slight increase in crime from last year in the three precincts where the gang violence is occurring, police statistics show.

The New York Post reported last week that a new offshoot of the Bloods gang known as the Pretty Boy Goonies has been clashing with the Trinitarios since September, fighting for turf in Rodney Park under the Brooklyn- Queens Expressway near the Williamsburg Bridge, not far from Ridgewood.

City Councilwoman Diana Reyna said the groups have been fighting in broad daylight, wielding machetes and screwdrivers. The Trinitarios are a Dominican gang, and the Bloods were founded in Los Angeles.