Bronx News (Bxnews.net): More questions than answers in teen's fatal plunge...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): More questions than answers in teen's fatal plunge...: More questions than answers in teen's fatal plunge By David Greene   BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 14 - A Mott Haven Teen has died two days ...

More questions than answers in teen's fatal plunge

More questions than answers in teen's fatal plunge

By David Greene

 

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 14- A Mott Haven Teen has died two days after falling from the roof of a building-- after fleeing police officers and possibly a minor arrest for smoking marijuana in public.
 

Police sources say that a group of officers from the 52nd Precinct were on routine patrol, when a fed-up resident alerted cops to teens smoking pot in the lobby of 2685 Valentine Avenue in East Kingsbridge, at 7:35 p.m. on April 2.

 

As the group scattered, a pair of teens headed to the roof, where the victim apparently attempted to climb onto the adjacent roof-- and fell more than 60 feet to the courtyard below.

 

Rigoberto Morales, a resident of the building recalled, "As soon as my friend opened the door, the police ran in and started chasing the kids and I knew that was going to happen."


 

Minutes later Morales and several friends were sitting in his living room, when Morales continued, "I hear a boom and I thought (it's) those people throwing garbage out the window again."
 

Morales would soon learn that a former neighborhood resident, Hakeem Kuta, 17, a student at Bronx Envision Academy High School on Boston Road, had fallen from the roof and was critically injured.

 

In the confusion to offer assistance to Kuta and keep the tense crowd at bay, officers apparently allowed the still-unidentified 14 year-old to disappear in the crowd.

Morales says the front door to the building is kept locked, but stated, "Lately they (the teens) started to hang out in there and smoke marijuana and throw stuff on the floor, and the tenants don't like that."

 

Asked about the 14-year-old friend who police say was trying to save the doomed teen along with one of the officers, replied, "They are looking for his friend, but they haven't found him. They want to talk to him because obviously, people are saying that the police threw him off."

 

Morales added, "But I don't believe that."

 

Fellow resident Kevin DeJesus added, "Some kids do dumb things, that's why their kids. He shouldn't have to pay for this mistake with his life.

 

Kuta died less than 48 hours later at St. Barnabas Hospital.

 

A week after Kuta's death the building's porter revealed, "The door is alarmed, but the kids are still going onto the roof."

 

As a memorial, the porter would stick a tiny teddy-bear within a crack of cement that overlooked the debris-strewn courtyard where Kuta landed.

 

A new NYPD policy allows an individual to carry up to 25 grams of the drug, but smoking in public is still considered a crime. Police recovered a small amount of marijuana in the lobby.

 

Detectives from the Internal Affairs Bureau continue to investigate the incident.  

 

#NYPD #Teen #Plunge #Marijuana #Bronxnews 

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Classic Stars Wrestle in the Bronx

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Classic Stars Wrestle in the Bronx: Classic Stars Wrestle in the Bronx (Photos by Robert Press) By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 13- ECPW Wrestling came to St. Fra...

Classic Stars Wrestle in the Bronx

Classic Stars Wrestle in the Bronx

(Photos by Robert Press)

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 13- ECPW Wrestling came to St. Francis Xavier School for the Annual Wrestling event on Saturday. 

It may not have been Hulk Hogan or John Cena, but the wrestlers who fought did their job as good as any other wrestlers. Hacksaw Jim 

Duggan, Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine , and others like 'Crazy Ivan, Ghetto Brown, Frankie Flow, and the tag team 'The Disrespectors to name only a few of the many wrestlers who appeared.

#Wrestling #HacksawJim Duggan, #GregThe HammerValentine

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Yanks lose 3 straight

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Yanks lose 3 straight: Yanks Lose Third Straight By Howard  Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 11- The opening week  homestand  of the Yankees has been a big d...

Yanks lose 3 straight

Yanks Lose Third Straight

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 11- The opening week homestand of the Yankees has been a big disappointment to their fans. New York lost its four of the first five games of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Red Sox triumphed, 8-4.

Although the returning from injury Yankee starting pitchers appeared to be the focus of Hot Stove League discussions this winter, the lack of hitting has been the biggest Yankee weakness during the first five games. The team currently has a .193 batting average.

Each of the two teams, the Yankees and Red Sox, used 21 players during Friday night’s marathon that lasted 6 hours and 49 minutes, but only the Yankee batters seemed to exhibit the tiredness that each player must have felt.

Boston’s manager talked to reporters of his ability to use bench players like Brock Holt, Allen Craig and Daniel Nava with effectiveness to replace his starters on Saturday, “It speaks to the depth of our roster.” His words were echoed by catcher Ryan Hanigan, “It was huge. These guys had awesome days. They had big hits.” 

Only Alex Rodriguez, the oldest man in the Yankee lineup in terms of age and longevity with the team, hit safely and also scored a run against Red Sox starting pitcher Joe Kelly. 

The 39 year-old led off the second with a single to left. He moved to third on a walk and a wild pitch and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to right by DidiGergorius. 

The second was the only inning of the seven pitched by the Red Sox starter in which he allowed a baserunner. The righty has won all three of his starts against the Yankees. He is the first Boston pitcher to hurl a one hitter against the Yanks in the Bronx since Pedro Martinez on September 10, 1999. In each of his three victories over New York he has received strong offensive support from his teammates. They scored at least seven runs in each game. 

Boston skipper John Farrell expressed gratitude for Kelly’s performance, “He was outstanding. He helped us, especially after last night’s game. You’re looking for a starter to go deep. He wasn’t taxed, except in the second.”

Kelly spoke about his desire to remain in the game as long as possible, “Starters take pride in trying to save the bullpen.” He ended his day on a strong note by retiring the last 17 batters he faced. 

The only offensive show of force by the Yankees came in the eighth inning off reliever Alexi Oguendo. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, the reliever yielded singles to Gregorio Petit and Brett Gardner and a three-run homer to Chris Young. 

The Yankee starter Adam Warren was only making his fourth start in the majors, his first since September 27, 2013. He gave up only one earned run and five hits in 5.1 innings and should earn another starting opportunity. 

Masahiro Tanaka (0-1) and Clay Buchholz (1-0) will be on the mound to start the final game of the three game series on Sunday night.

#Yankees #RedSox #Bronxnews

Walking Dead at Yankee Stadium

Walking Dead at Yankee Stadium 

Cold Pitching, Bats Fail to Heat up Sparse Crowd

Red Sox Win Marathon Encounter

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, APRIL 11- Yankee Stadium looked like Zombieland last night as the Yanks slept walked through 19 innings to a small crowd that thinned by each yawning inning.

The newest addition to the starting rotation of the New York Yankees in Nathan Eovaldi. The righthander was obtained from the Marlins in December 2014 for two players who contributed mightily to the Yankees last year, David Phelps and Martin Prado. It was hoped by the Yankee brass that the 25 year-old would add youth and talent to its much injured staff of starters.

Eovaldi, born in Houston, resides in Alvin, Texas, the hometown of Hall of famer Nolan Ryan, which the Yankees hope is more than a coincidence. As a teenager, Eovaldi was chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

His first major league start came in late in the 2011 season for the Dodgers. After 10 starts with Los Angeles in 2012, he was traded to Miami with Scott McGough for Hanley Ramirez and former Yankee hurler Randy Choate. 

Eovaldi had a losing record in each of his four previous seasons in the majors. He began his Yankee service after losing his last eight decisions with the Marlins in 2014. 

Eovaldi, like new teammate Michael Pineda, has been the victim of a lack of run support by his teammates. Last year, his run support, 2.70, during his starts was the lowest in the majors for a pitcher with at least 20 starts. That year was not an aberration as since 2011 his run support, 2.78, is the lowest for a pitcher with 75 starts for more. 

Eovaldi and the Yankees hope this streak of bad fortune will end now that he is in the American League and has new teammates. 

His first start of 2015 was on Friday night at Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox.

Eovaldi, the only pitcher in the current Yankee starting rotation who has given up more hits than innings pitched, saw this weakness do harm in the first inning. Three singles by Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval accounted for the first run of the game.

A second multi-hit inning in the sixth led to two additional Red Sox runs and Eovaldi’s departure. He left the game trailing, 3-0, after surrendering eight hits. He walked one batter and threw two wild pitches in his final frame.

Another unfortunate similarity with his starts in the National League was his lack of run support from his teammates at bat. The Yankees did not score a run while the starter was in the game. They only managed to hit safely twice, a double by Brett Gardner in the fourth and a single by Brian McCann in the fifth.

Yankee batters only awoke from their slump after Eovaldi left the field. A single by Alex Rodriguez drove in the first Yankee run in the bottom of the sixth. A solo home run by Chase Headley with two out in the bottom of the ninth knotted the score at 3 and saved Eovaldi from getting his ninth straight loss. 

There were no additional runs scored until the 16thwhen David Ortiz homered to put Boston in front.  Mark Teixeira, celebrating his birthday, hit a solo shot in the bottom of the tie inning to tie the score at 4. 

Each team scored a single run in the 18th, so the game continued. The game ended after 6 hours and 49 minutes in the 19th frame with a Red Sox win.

#Yankees #RedSox #WalkingDead