Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites Walk to Find Cure for Breast Cancer

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronxites Walk to Find Cure for Breast Cancer: By Patricia McDow BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 24- Marie Barbarto, along with her Mom Dorothy are breast cancer survivors. On October 20 th ,...

Bronxites Walk to Find Cure for Breast Cancer

By Patricia McDow

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 24- Marie Barbarto, along with her Mom Dorothy are breast cancer survivors. On October 20^th, Marie joined thousands of local breast cancer survivors, volunteers, business and community members at Orchard Beach as they united to fight breast cancer and save lives at the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 3K walk. This noncompetitive, inspirational event raises awareness and funds to fight breast cancer and provides hope to all people facing the disease.

More than 229,060 women and men in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year, and more than 39,920 will die from the disease. Funds raised through Making Strides will help the American Cancer Society save lives and create more birthdays by helping people stay well by taking steps to prevent cancer or find it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking research; and by fighting back by encouraging lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight.

Many of the participants are already looking forward to next year October 19, 2014, hope you can join. If interested visit their website http://makingstrides.acsevents.org to join, donate or create your own team.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Crime Comes Back with a Bloody Vengeance

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Crime Comes Back with a Bloody Vengeance: Murder-Free Week Ends with Bloody Weekend (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 23- A rare lull in citywide h...

Crime Comes Back with a Bloody Vengeance

Murder-Free Week Ends with Bloody Weekend

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 23- A rare lull in citywide homicides ended with a weekend of gunfire that claimed the lives of four individuals across the borough.

The bloodshed began shortly after Pennsylvania resident Tyrek Singleton returned to his childhood home at the John Adams Houses on Tinton Street.

Singleton and a friend were ambushed by two assailants outside of 680 Tinton Avenue, at just after 6 p.m., of October 18.

Singleton was shot in the chest and was dead on arrival at Lincoln Hospital. His still-unidentified 26-year-old friend was shot in the leg and is recovering.

One police source stated that the surviving victim stated he did not know his assailants and no arguments took place before the shooting.

Police were once again called to reports of gunfire at 2:15 a.m., on October 19, when officers from the 42nd Precinct and PSA 7 discovered a man shot in the head outside the Arthur H. Murphy Houses, located at 1575 Vyse Avenue.

Investigators say Pablo Pagan, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene, steps away from his apartment.

Neighbors described Pagan as a dedicated father of three children who volunteered at the Castle Hill Little League.

After a third call of gunfire, police in Soundview were called to 1550 Westchester Avenue and discovered a man shot in the head and chest and lying on the ground at 4:14 a.m.

Authorities say Marco Castillo, 24, was shot after an argument with two men. According to one published report, Castillo was brawling with one of his attackers and winning the battle, when the second individual pulled out the gun and shot him.

Castillo was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, where he died.

Residents reported hearing two gunshots and police are reportedly looking for two individuals, described as male Hispanics. The hooligan who started the fistfight was wearing a blue hooded jacket, the gunman reportedly had a mouth full of gold teeth.

A fourth victim was reported at 6:40 a.m. the following morning when police say Julio Ortiz, 38, of West 246 Street was also shot in the chest as he sat in his vehicle at a gas station.

Ortiz attempted to drive away, when he rear-ended another vehicle at Boston Road and Conner Street.

Ortiz was transported by EMS, but died at Jacobi Hospital.

A week earlier the city had reported a nearly unprecedented week as the NYPD released crime statistics for the week of October 7 through October 13, in which no homicides were reported in the five boroughs.

Marching at the annual Columbus Day Parade, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters, "We had no homicides in the city, which is, I think, emblematic of how safe the city has become and what a great job the New York City police officers are doing."

Despite the bloodshed, if current trends continue the city could have the lowest murder rate in half a century. Last year the city recorded 419 killings.

Statistics show there have been 256 murders around the city in 2013, compared with 346 reported at the same time last year.

The NYPD also reports that overall gun crime is down with 879 shootings, compared with 1,145 recorded during the first ten-months of 2012.

Despite the statistics detectives have yet to make a single arrest in any of the most recent Bronx killings. Anyone with any information in any of the cases are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Elderly Man Killed Along Schuylerville's 'Devil's ...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Elderly Man Killed Along Schuylerville's 'Devil's ...:   (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene   BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 22- An elderly man visiting a doctor's office was struck a...

Elderly Man Killed Along Schuylerville's 'Devil's Curve'

 

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

 

BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 22- An elderly man visiting a doctor's office was struck and killed as two or possibly three cars hit the victim as they sped past a busy intersection.

 

According to storefront surveillance video, Angel Luis Figueroa, 74, was crossing E. Tremont Avenue where Whittmore Avenue meets Puritan Avenue, at 7:32 a.m., on October 21.

 

Investigators say Figueroa, who had just moved his car for the alternate-side street cleaning rules to the opposite side of the road, where he put quarters in the meter-- when he was plowed into by a 1999 Dodge Durango heading east.

 

Figueroa was then thrown into oncoming traffic in the west bound lane where police were still investigating if he was hit by a Silver Nissan SUV, driven by a woman who briefly stopped, but kept going. Figueroa was then run over by a 2013 Nissan Altima.

 

Good Samaritan Louis LaMorte, 22, who called police and attempted to give aid, recalled, "When I got over to him he still had a pulse and I was calling 911, but when I called 911, they were having trouble finding where Puritan Avenue was."

 

LaMorte estimates the delay took three to four precious minutes, and an EMS ambulance arrived four-minutes later. Figueroa died at the scene.

 

"As soon as I got to him," LaMorte continued, "his mouth was open and he was bleeding out of the back of his head and his ear. I was checking his pulse on his wrist and right on his neck and he still had a pulse and then it lightened-up and that was it, he was gone."

 

Livery taxi driver Jose Perez who works for DAT Car Service was driving the black Nissan that eventually ran over Figueroa, told reporters at the scene, "I saw the guy crossing the street and somebody was coming from the opposite direction and hit him."

 

Perez claimed to have been cut-off by the female driver who eventually left the scene. Perez, who apparently had a passenger in his vehicle, grimly recalled, "I just ran over him, pulled over to the right."

 

After several hours, police would eventually place handcuffs on the still-unidentified driver of the Durango, for reportedly driving with a suspended license. It's believed the female driver who fled the scene was also being questioned by police, but as of Tuesday, October 22, no charges had yet been filed.

 

According to Anna Diaz, 33, one of Figueroa's three daughters, he had worked for 40-years at the Manhattan Psychiatric Hospital before his retirement. He continued to stay busy, taking care of his blind wife, transporting his grandchildren to school and volunteering at the Jasa Senior Center in Pelham Bay.

 

The distraught Diaz recalled, "He was a very good husband, a very good provider. He took care of us very, very well."

 

When told that one of the driver's may have been operating without a valid drivers license, Diaz asked, "Why would you put somebody's life at risk? You (the driver) took somebody away from me that I need and now is no longer there."

 

Diaz continued, "If you’re not supposed to drive, don't drive. I don't wish him any harm, or anything, because I'm not that kind of person, but you just took away my life right now, he was all I had."

 

Besides now having to make funeral arrangements, the family was wondering how to break the news to Figueroa's two grandchildren, ages 5 and 8.

 

Diaz stated that Figueroa had an appointment at the Throggs Neck Medical Care facility and had moved his car for the street-sweeper and had moved the car to the opposite side of the street, adding, "He was worried about getting tickets."

 

Area residents call the three-block stretch of E. Tremont Avenue, from Baisley Avenue to Waterbury Avenue, 'The Devil's Curve," because of the winding roadway that has claimed at least two other lives in the last decade.

 

Meanwhile, a group of cyclists called, 'Right of Way,' have begun spray-painting street corners, drawing outlines resembling the chalk outlines once used by police, in an effort to bring attention to the number of children who are struck and killed on city roadways.

 

Currently the eight markers around the city also include the first name and age of a child and many also have the words, "No criminality suspected." Apparently referring to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, they are also writing the words, "Why, Ray, Why?"  

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Man Gunned Down on His Birthday

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Man Gunned Down on His Birthday: Came Back to Bx to Celebrate Will Leave in a Coffin (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, OCTOBER 21- A young man retu...