12 Injured as SUV's Crash into Jerome Avenue Shoe Store

 

 

By David Greene

 

A dozen people were injured when two out-of-control SUV's jumped a busy sidewalk and plunged into a Norwood shoe store.

Rescue crews were dispatched to the Payless ShoeSource, located at 3457 Jerome Avenue, at just after 7 p.m., on Friday, August 24.

One young man with fresh blood on his pants leg, recalled, “There was a worker who was pinned under one of the vehicles and a bunch of us went in there and we got her out."

A second witness claimed one driver was making a broken U-turn when the driver of a Ford Expedition crashed into it at a high rate of speed. One witness reported that the

driver of the Expedition claimed he was suffering from a stroke.

However, police say the second vehicle was parked, when the driver swerved, hitting the parked car and forcing both SUV's to be catapulted into the store. Most of the injuries were described as minor and all are expected to survive.

Police say the driver and three passengers were injured in the Expedition and one victim was injured in the parked car. The seven additional victims were either walking along Jerome Avenue at the time of impact or inside the shoe store.

Employees at Payless were busy cleaning up debris the following day. Workers at the store were still not answering the phone the following Monday.

While no one was killed in the crash, a quarter-mile stretch of Jerome Avenue from Mosholu Parkway to E. Gun Hill Road is quickly becoming the most deadly road in the city.

On March 28, Justin Bravo, 28, a teacher at MS 244 in Kingsbridge was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into the wall of an overpass at Mosholu Parkway at Jerome Avenue.

On February 29, Norwood cab driver Kwame Awtwi, 51, suffered a heart attack and crashed into a pole at the corner of E. Gun Hill Road and Jerome. Awtwi died a short time later at Montefiore Hospital.

On February 19, two men were seriously injured when their Chevy Impala struck a subway pillar on Jerome Avenue at Van Cortland Avenue. The two men in this crash were critically injured but are said to be recovering.

Detectives continue to hunt for the hit-and-run driver who mowed-down 23-year old Josbel Rivera, 23, who was killed on December 26, as he crossed Mosholu Parkway at Paul Avenue. Days later the car was set ablaze in Kingsbridge.  

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): CRIME WAVE?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): CRIME WAVE?: Fatal Shooting the Latest in Violence Plaguing Pelham P’kway Houses (Detectives stand over the body of a young man shot dead aft...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): CRIME WAVE?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): CRIME WAVE?: Fatal Shooting the Latest in Violence Plaguing Pelham P’kway Houses (Detectives stand over the body of a young man shot dead aft...

CRIME WAVE?

Fatal Shooting the Latest in Violence Plaguing Pelham P’kway Houses

(Detectives stand over the body of a young man shot dead after a dispute on Pelham Parkway.--Photo by Boris Kaykov)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 28- One man is dead and another was wounded after an early morning dispute led to gunfire in the Allerton section.

Police say the two victims were drinking and sitting on a bench outside of the Pelham Parkway Houses, at just after 1 a.m., on Sunday, August 26, when the pair got into an argument with a group of men.

One of the men pulled a gun and shot the two victims before the group fled the scene.

One of the men, later identified by police as Adrian Garcia, 25, was shot in the neck and was declared dead at the scene.

The second victim who remains unidentified, described as a 20-year old man, was shot in the leg and was transported to Jacobi Hospital. That victim was expected to recover. Police have made no arrests at this time.

Police are still actively hunting for the killer of longtime Pelham Parkway Houses resident Evelyn Shapiro, 88, who was beaten to death inside her apartment, her body was discovered back on June 16.

A $12,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Shapiro's killer.

In May, 2009, Jimmy Butler, 22, and Jimmy Robinson, 20, were gunned down inside the complex, their killers also remain at large.

In response to Shapiro's brutal murder, Councilman Jimmy Vacca secured $4 million for the purchase and installation of security cameras at the Pelham Parkway and Throgs Neck Houses. Installation of those cameras are to begin in 2013.

One resident of the complex who declined to be identified, stated, "The young hoodlums think their bad with their little gangs," adding that the Bloods and the Crips have a stranglehold on the complex as they peddle their drugs.

The resident said of the new security system, "I don't understand why its taking so long."

As of August 19, the NYPD recorded six homicides during the first eight-months of 2012, compared with just two reported during the same time period last year. 

No Civility in Parking

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 27- Alien space ships hovering over the City may well conclude that life on earth is in the form of four wheeled metallic bodies that are sometimes invaded by walking parasites. The parasites so annoy the metallic bodies that they scoot away until they get rid of the parasites at another location. The aliens would not be far wrong. Indeed there seem to be as many cars as are humans.

This may be fact and not fancy especially at night when one is trying to find a parking space. The streets are tightly packed with cars except for the occasional driveway which has been overlooked by civility-deprived individuals. Today's so-called citizens have no respect for rules, laws or regulations. They know that to have one's car towed for parking at a driveway is a rare occurrence. So what if the homeowner in front of whose driveway he is parked has to get to work or has an emergency? He can always take a cab. One wonders whether the blame can be placed on the incivility of the perpetrator or the inefficiency of the police. Even so, ticketing these individuals will not solve the parking situation.

It is during the daylight hours that one confronts the parking problem. We have often noted that many families have a car for each member of the family. When houses were built in the past, and even today, the assumption was and is one or two cars for each family. No single family house in an urban setting has room for a six car garage. So, two cars are placed in the garage and four are parked in the street. That, of course depends on whether the two-car garage has not been converted into storage space or an illegal apartment. (There are blocks and blocks in Wakefield and CB 12 where garages have been converted into illegal apartments enriching their owners.) So now it is all six cars parked in the street.

But that is only the beginning. When dad goes to work, his son moves his own car in such a manner as to take two spaces so that when dad returns, he can move the car to make room for dad. This ploy is used by friends and relatives. Some groups can use six cars to occupy half a block. One observes the same cars in the same spots day after day.

Nor can we omit the innocent but sloppy parkers who leave too much space between their car and another parked car, or who haven't the good sense to park their car as close to the proximate driveway so that another car can park behind them. Essentially, these drivers also are taking two spaces.

We note that many drivers don't give a fig about parking in front of a hydrant. They gamble that the police will not see the hydrant. They also know that a patrol car rarely stops to issue a summons for such an occurrence. But, there is one place these civility-deprived drivers will not park and that is at a cross walk because it can easily be spotted and the fine is $100.

We have already offered two ideas to help the parking situation. One is to permit more angle parking especially at night. This would not make money for the City nor cost drivers at all. Another is to issue one free parking permit to each family, but place a charge for parking permits for a second or third car.

Now we offer another money making idea to our cash strapped city. Mark parking spaces on each block so many feet apart. Cars must park within those spaces or face steep fines. It may not solve the problem, but it would help.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronx Native DeFrancesco gets First Win as Astros ...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Bronx Native DeFrancesco gets First Win as Astros ...: By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, August 27- A four-game sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies this week at Citi Field made it ...

Bronx Native DeFrancesco gets First Win as Astros Manager

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 27- A four-game sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies this week at Citi Field made it a miserable week for the New York Mets and their manager Terry Collins. In come the Houston Astros Friday night with the worst record in baseball and 47 games under .500.

So, one has to figure that New York would gladly welcome the Astros to their home park. However, the way things have been going for the Mets, the Astros welcomed their trip to Citi Field. As so it went Friday night as interim manager Tony DeFrancesco of the Astros got his first win and the Mets dropped a season tying sixth straight, 3-1.

DeFrancesco, who took over managerial responsibilities last week when Brad Mills was dismissed, was born in the Bronx and spent most of his youth up in nearby Rockland County and played college ball as a catcher at Seton Hall University.

After spending a few congratulatory moments with his team, DeFrancesco was greeted by 25 members of his family, including his mother, father and relatives in the visitor’s manager’s office.

“A great win for these guys and I am happy for the team the way they’ve battled back,” said DeFrancesco before his mother could come in and say, “Where’s my son?”

The night belonged to the Astros and it made for a perfect homecoming for DeFrancesco. He told his team to keep the momentum going Saturday afternoon. Starter Jordan Lyles, (3-10), the youngest pitcher in baseball won his first game in two months.

“We’re going to change momentum,” he said. “We’re going to change the attitude. I know it’s only one win, but the guys are at a good place. Even though it’s been a rough season, we’ve got a long way to go here and hopefully we can turn this thing around.”

New York took two of three games in the series, including the finale Sunday afternoon. DeFancesco came out to argue a bang-bang play at home plate in the ninth Inning. Ben Francisco got a single through the hole at shortstop, and a throw from left by the Mets’ Lucas Duda nailed Marvin Gonzalez at the plate. Had the run scored, the Astros would have taken a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

“It was a hell of a play by their catcher,” said DeFrancesco who would know something about a play that was handled well by the veteran Kelly Shoppach.

The Astros got five hits off Mets starter and winner Jeremy Hefner. At one point, Hefner was cruising and retired 12-straight Houston batters. “He was good at changing speeds,”  commented DeFrancesco.

In his office the congratulatory bottle of champagne from Friday night was still sitting on a shelf behind the desk. He was planning to put it in the luggage for the trip back to Houston.

Mom and dad met him again before boarding the team bus to nearby LaGuardia Airport. The 17-year minor league manager has a week in the big leagues and enjoying every minute of it.

“One thing I am pleased with is the way they are playing,” he said about his team.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com  Watch and listen to Rich every Thursday live @ 10:30pm  on Keep it in the Ring: www.inthemixxradio.com