Thank You To Our Readers

March 1, 2022 Eric Klein 0

After three years of service as the only borough news outlet dedicated to local courts, crime and social justice issues, Bronx Justice News  has ceased operations.

NYC Shootings Nearly Double in 2020

December 5, 2020 Eric Klein 0

Shootings have risen nearly 96 percent this year compared to last within the five boroughs, with the NYPD reporting a 112 percent increase in November alone, according to the latest department statistics.

NYPD Crackdown in Bronx was Human Rights Violation, Says International Watchdog

September 30, 2020 Eric Klein 0

“The New York City police blocked people from leaving before the curfew and then used the curfew as an excuse to beat, abuse, and arrest people who were protesting peacefully,” said Ida Sawyer, co-author of the Human Rights Watch report. “It was a planned operation with no justification that could cost New York taxpayers millions of dollars.”

Eight-Year-Old Girl Shot at Patterson Houses

September 23, 2020 Sasha Gonzales 0

The child suffered a gunshot wound to her stomach shortly after 9 a.m. inside her family’s apartment in Mott Haven. Her mother rushed her to Lincoln Hospital, where she is recovering and expected to survive, authorities said.

Mother of Three Fatally Shot in Melrose

August 23, 2020 Eric Klein 0

At least one bullet struck Priscilla Vasquez in the back of her head as she stood with friends outside a school on East 152nd Street near Courtlandt Avenue about 5 a.m. Saturday, according to police.

Arrest Made in Murder of Trans Victim

August 13, 2020 Sasha Gonzales 0

Alpha Diallo, of Morris Heights, is charged with murder, manslaughter, and weapon possession in the fatal stabbing of Tiffany Harris, 32, who Diallo allegedly killed in an apartment building roughly a mile from her home, according to the NYPD.

Killer Sentenced to Twenty Years in 1999 Stabbing

August 11, 2020 Kevin Deutsch 0

Curtis Batchelor, 44, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of Elsa Grullon, 56, who Batchelor stabbed more than twenty times in the face, neck and chest with a knife while he raped her in May 1999, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.

Stringer: Slash NYPD Funding and Responsibilities

June 4, 2020 Eric Klein 0

The Comptroller and mayoral contender called Thursday for the city to slash $1.1 billion in NYPD funding over the next four years, shifting responsibilities away from the police— and boosting investments in communities impacted by police violence and racism.

Exclusive: FEMA Says State Made Decision to Cancel COVID Field Hospital in Bronx

April 14, 2020 Eric Klein 0

FEMA, the federal agency tasked with aiding states in times of crisis, got word from the New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services that the Van Cortland Park site – along with a handful of other “alternate care” facilities contracted for rapid construction in New York State – were “no longer needed,” a FEMA spokeswoman said Tuesday.

ICE Crackdown Underway In Bronx, Across U.S.

March 8, 2020 Sasha Gonzales 0

ICE has begun an operation targeting illegal immigrants in so-called sanctuary cities across the U.S., with agents stepping up surveillance in predominantly Latino neighborhoods—including parts of the Bronx, local immigration attorneys told Bronx Justice News.

City Parks Worker Zip-Tied, Kidnapped Bronx Woman: Feds

February 23, 2020 Kevin Deutsch 0

Owen Drain, 35, who federal prosecutors said also goes by the names “White Boy” and “Tommy, worked with an accomplice to lure the 30-year-old victim into a black SUV on Nov. 19 in Parkchester before training a gun on her, stealing her cell phones, and binding her hands and feet with zip ties, prosecutors said.

NYPD Officer Charged in Armed Robbery

February 7, 2020 Sasha Gonzales 0

Michael Latimer of the Transit Bureau was off-duty when he and an accomplice allegedly entered an Allerton apartment shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, holding one or more guns on their target, authorities said.

Homeless Man Charged in Bronx Murder

January 24, 2020 Eric Klein 0

Christopher Padin, 27, allegedly carried out the fatal the Jan. 19 shooting of Matthew Jones outside a Creston Avenue apartment building, following a dispute over money, police said.

Teen Stabbed at Bronx Subway Station

December 18, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Investigators are searching for a group of six young men responsible for attacking a 15-year-old boy in a Bronx subway station Saturday, leaving him with a stab wound to his chest and a knife slash to his elbow, authorities said.

14-Year-Old Shot in Fordham

November 1, 2019 Eric Klein 0

The teen was standing outside a building on Creston Avenue near East 193rd Street shortly after 3 p.m. when the bullet struck him, according to the NYPD.

Bill Would Outlaw City’s DNA Database

October 26, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

A proposed state law would require New York City to expunge all records stored in its municipal DNA identification index—a database that has come under scrutiny for what critics describe as illegal collection of genetic material. 

Arrest Made in 2017 Murder of Bronx Woman

September 18, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Kenneth Smith, 51, was taken into custody at his Belmont residence Tuesday for allegedly killing Margarita Franco on April 2, 2017, as she spoke on her cell phone outside a Williamsbridge deli, according to police. 

Arrest Made in Death of Hog-Tied Bronx Man

September 15, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Charles Votaw, 37, is charged with assault, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with evidence in the death of the man, who was found inside a locked apartment at 2323 Creston Avenue, his body  slashed and his ankles bound to his wrists with duct tape, officials said.

Brutal Stabbing in Soundview Caught on Video

August 10, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

The 34-year-old victim was standing near Lafayette and Soundview avenues when the attacker knocked him off his feet about 8 p.m. Then he stabbed him repeatedly as as a group of frightened pedestrians ran from the the area, police said.

Teen Arrested in Bronx Cabbie Death

July 17, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Ahvier Medina surrendered to the NYPD with his lawyer Tuesday after authorities released his surveillance photo in connection with the July 14 death of Mohammad Zafrullah, 65, according to an NYPD official.

Rape, Beating of Bronx Woman Racially Motivated: Records

June 19, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 1

Temar Bishop, 23, who police charged with assault with a weapon as a hate crime—along with rape, predatory sex assault, attempted murder, and other crimes—is accused of punching, kicking, and raping the 20-year-old victim on the roof of his apartment building on Alexander Avenue in Mott Haven on June 1, records show.

3 Shot in Co-Op City: NYPD

May 20, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

At least one shooter opened fire near 100 Carver Loop around 6:30 p.m., before a suspect fled in a black Nissan, according to police. No arrests had been made as of late Monday.

In NYC’s Hungriest Borough, Hundreds Line Up For Free Produce

May 16, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Research shows more than 26 percent of Bronx residents experience food insecurity—defined as being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Among them are more than 20 percent of all Bronx children, nearly 17 percent of working adults, and almost 24 percent of seniors, according to federal data.

New Laws Would Make it Easier to Visit NY Inmates

May 14, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 1

One bill would reinstate a free New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision bus program—begun in 1973 but discontinued in 2011—that shuttles families twice a month from New York City, Albany, Buffalo, New York, Rochester, and Syracuse to New York State prisons.

Bronx Leads NYC In Fare Evasion Arrests: Data

May 13, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

The NYPD Transit Bureau’s three Bronx districts accounted for at least 345 straphanger arrests during the period covered by the data. Citywide, police made 992 arrests for fare evasion, including 142 in which a specific borough was not recorded, the data shows.

Bronx Justice News Analysis: A Move Toward Accountability, Eleven Years In the Making

May 4, 2019 Eric Klein 0

After more than a decade of taxpayer waste and mismanagement at the Bronx Hall of Justice, Councilman Ritchie Torres’ announcement of an official investigative referral doubled as a stinging rebuke—not just of the government bureaucracies responsible for building and maintaining the troubled courthouse, but also of the oversight system that allowed its myriad problems to go unchecked.

23-Year-Old Man Killed in Bronx Shooting

April 27, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

The shooting happened about 11:30 a.m. Saturday as he stood outside an apartment building on Belmont Avenue near Tremont Park, police said. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Man Uses Hypodermic Needle to Rob Bronx Cell Phone Shop

April 15, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

The unidentified robber strolled into the store at Westchester and Longwood Avenues about 3:20 p.m. Sunday, pretending to be a perusing customer. After a few moments he flashed the needle, moved behind the store counter, and threatened the female clerk, according to the NYPD.

Bronx Justice News Investigation: Eleven Years Behind Schedule, Court’s “Civic Plaza” Remains a Blight on Property, Costing Taxpayers Millions

April 14, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Eleven years after the Bronx Hall of Justice opened its doors on East 161st St., the building’s sprawling “public courtyard” remains closed to the public. The unused space is costing taxpayers millions in maintenance and repair expenditures, and is unlikely to ever see public use unless an array of safety issues are addressed, a Bronx Justice News investigation found. 

NYPD Data: Reports of Rape Up 27 Percent in The Bronx

April 3, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

There were 107 documented reports of rape in the Bronx as of March 31 – the last date for which official statistics are available – representing a 27.4 percent increase from the 84 rapes reported during the same period last year, according to NYPD Compstat data. The total represents nearly a quarter of all rapes reported citywide. 

Leaders of Blood Hound Brims, Gang That Controlled Bronx Drug Markets, Convicted in Federal Court

March 30, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Latique Johnson, 39, the set’s founder, as well as Brandon Green, 36, and Donnell Murray, 39, were instrumental in the gang’s drug trafficking operations –  the Blood Hound Brims sold crack, powder cocaine, and heroin across New York City – as well as acts of gun violence regularly carried out by set members to control Bloods’ territory and intimidate enemy gangs, officials said. 

Man Who tried To Rape 83-Year-Old Arrested In Subway: NYPD

March 14, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Gary Mallette, 51, whose criminal history includes more than 50 arrests and several completed prison terms for robbery, allegedly posed as a NYCHA repairman to get into the elderly victim’s apartment – then ripped her clothes off and beat her. She suffered numerous broken ribs and other injuries from being punched, police said. 

Bronx Murder Case Solved After 10 Years: Officials

March 13, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Jamal Brissett, aka “Trigger,” 30, of the Bronx, is charged with murdering Leshaun Gordon, 19, on June 30, 2009. He allegedly shot and killed the victim inside a car “in the course of a drug-trafficking crime and a robbery in the vicinity of Mickle Avenue and Chester Street,” officials said.

Exclusive: Family of Man Who Hanged Himself In Bronx Precinct Wins $775,000 Settlement

March 7, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Samuel Reyes, 49, used a piece of drawstring to commit suicide in November 2015 after NYPD officers from the 49th Precinct arrested him on suspicion he’d been involved in two armed robberies. His family filed a wrongful death suit in Manhattan federal court the following year, alleging it took officers at the station house nearly half an hour to notice Reyes hanging from a bar in one of the holding cells – located 25 to 30 feet, and within plain sight, of the front desk, records show.

Jury Won’t Hear Dramatic 911 Call in Case of Wounded 5-Year-Old Jaheem Hunter

March 5, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Unable to speak, walk, or breathe on his own in the weeks after the June 2017 shooting – which happened on his fifth birthday – the little boy fought valiantly to stay alive, making what his family called a “miraculous” recovery. Authorities credited the quick thinking of his sister, Aja Holmes, and father, Charles Hunter, who cradled the bleeding child en route to the hospital, with saving his life.

Woman’s Killer Arrested 19 Years After Her Own Mother’s Murder

February 27, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Police have arrested the man they say fatally shot a 36-year-old woman in her head last year – nineteen years after her mother died the same way, officials said. Amere Bryant, 25, is accused of murdering Shaquana Button, of The Bronx, in front of a bodega on East 149th Street in Mott Haven on Jan. 15, 2018, according to the NYPD.

Bronx District Attorney to End Marijuana Prosecutions in Single-Charge Cases

February 27, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 1

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark has instructed her office to decline prosecutions of marijuana arrests when a defendant faces only a marijuana charge, according to a statement provided to the city council. In the fourth quarter of 2018 alone, around 90 percent of people arrested for marijuana possession in the Bronx were either Black or Hispanic, the DA said.

FBI: Three DNA Labs Reported CODIS Software Glitch; Inaccurate Genetic Information Displayed Due to “Synchronization Issue”

February 26, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

The FBI says a software update to its national DNA database caused incorrect genetic information to display at a handful of local crime labs, but that no offenders were misidentified as a result. Three crime labs in the United States told the FBI they were impacted by the CODIS software glitch, which caused incorrect genetic profile information to be displayed.

Amid Falling Crime Totals, Rapes Surge in Bronx: NYPD Data

February 26, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Reports of rape in the Bronx have surged during the first weeks of 2019, even as overall violent crime totals in the borough continue to fall, NYPD data shows. There were 64 documented reports of rape in the Bronx as of Feb. 17–the last date for which official statistics are available–representing a 64 percent increase from the 39 rapes reported during the same period last year, according to NYPD Compstat data.

Bronx Backlog Nightmare: Seven Years After Their Arrests, Two Jailed Men Are Still Awaiting Trial

February 24, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Two men accused in a 2012 murder have spent nearly seven years on Rikers Island and other pre-trial detention facilities–their incarceration a striking example of the case backlog plaguing the Bronx judicial system. Craig Whitefield, 44, and Alonzo Johnson, 41, are accused of killing Jose Andujar and robbing Angel Mangual at the Edenwald Houses, the Bronx’s largest public housing project, in April 2012.

Exclusive: NYPD Plans to Use Controversial “Rapid DNA” Technology as Early as 2019

February 22, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

The NYPD plans to begin using Rapid DNA—a controversial technology that provides near-instantaneous test results on human genetic samples without the need for laboratories—as early as this year, Bronx Justice News has learned. The department is working closely with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to implement the plan, NYPD officials recently told a state subcommittee.