Posts tagged "new york"

Cops investigating after NY college student killed

Police are investigating after a New York college student was killed in an off-campus house during an early morning break-in, casting a pall over the campus and commencement ceremonies.

Police say Hofstra University junior Andrea Rebello was shot and killed early Friday during the home invasion. A masked gunman was also killed. Authorities have described it as a police-involved shooting, but it is unclear who fired the fatal shots or how many rounds were fired.

Rebello was killed during an attempted robbery in the home she shared with her twin sister and several other Hofstra students, who were unharmed.

The university says its weekend commencement ceremonies will continue as scheduled.

The 21-year-old Rebello was a junior and a public relations major at the New York college.

60 injured, 5 critical after Connecticut commuter trains collide in ‘major derailment’

Two commuter trains serving New York City collided in Connecticut during Friday’s evening rush hour, sending 60 people to the hospital, including five with critical injuries, Gov. Dannel Malloy said.

About 700 people were on board the Metro-North trains when one heading east from New York City’s Grand Central Station to New Haven derailed about 6:10 p.m.  just outside Bridgeport, MTA and Bridgeport officials said.

The train was hit by a train heading west from New Haven to Grand Central on an adjacent track, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Some cars on the second train also derailed as a result of the collision.

Lola Oliver, 49, of Bridgeport, was riding one of the trains when the crash threw her from her seat.

“All I know was I was in the air, hitting seats, bouncing around, flying down the aisle and finally I came to a stop on one seat. And I just gripped it because I felt the train sliding,” Oliver told The Associated Press. “It happened so fast I had no idea what was going on. All I know is we crashed.”

Oliver, a cardiology technician at Stamford Hospital, was treated at a hospital for cuts and bruises and released.

Investigators Friday night did not know what caused the first train to derail. Malloy said there was no reason to believe it was anything other than an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to investigate.

“We’re most concerned about the injured and ultimately reopening the system,” Malloy said from the scene about three hours after the crash.

The governor said that most people were not seriously hurt. Among those critically injured, he said, one’s injuries were “very critical.”

Passenger Bradley Agar of Wesport, Conn., said he was in the first car of the westbound train when he heard screaming and the window smash behind him.

“I saw the first hit, the bump, bump, bump all the way down,” he said.

Agar had returned to work this week for the first time since breaking his shoulder in January. And since he was still healing, he thought it would be safer to take the train than drive.

The Metro-North Railroad, a commuter line serving the northern suburbs, described it as a “major derailment.” Photos showed a train car askew on the rails, with its end smashed up and brushing against another train. Amtrak suspended service indefinitely between New York and Boston.

Malloy said there was extensive damage to the train cars and the track, and it could take until Monday for normal service to be restored. He said the accident will have a “big impact on the Northeast Corridor.”

The area where the accident happened was already down to two tracks because of repair work, Malloy said. Crews have been working for a long time on the electric lines above the tracks, the power source for the trains. He said Connecticut has an old system and no other alternate tracks.

By late evening, Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett said everybody who needed treatment had been attended to, and authorities were beginning to turn their attention to investigating the cause.

“Everybody seemed pretty calm,” he said. “Everybody was thankful they didn’t get seriously hurt. They were anxious to get home to their families.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation. The Metro-North main lines — the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven — run northward from New York City’s Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut.

20 to 25 injured as Connecticut commuter trains collide in ‘major derailment’

DEVELOPING…

A New York-area commuter railroad says two trains have collided in Connecticut. Police say that 20 or more people were injured, but that there were no fatalities.

The Metro-North Railroad says emergency workers are arriving at the scene of Friday’s accident. The rail line referred to it in a news release as a “major derailment.”

Fairfield Police Officer Matt Panilaitis says 20 to 25 people were injured. He says there were no fatalities.

The railroad says the accident involved a New York-bound train leaving New Haven. It derailed and hit a westbound train near Fairfield, Conn. Some cars on the second train also derailed.

Second person dies following I-81 crash in Silver Spring Twp.

A second person has died following a fatal crash involving three tractor-trailers and an SUV on I-81 in Cumberland County on Friday. The driver of the SUV, George Weed, 63, of Pittsford, New York, died early Sunday morning at Penn State Hershey Medical …
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Court for ex-Marine accused in Philippines murders

Authorities seeking the extradition of a former U.S. Marine arrested last month in upstate New York say they have linked him to guns used in a double killing in 2011 in the Philippines.

Police arrested 35-year-old Timothy Kaufman on a fugitive from justice warrant. He’s charged along with two other men of shooting to death a retired Irish police officer and his girlfriend.

Philippine authorities seeking his return allege a pre-meditated killing in an area known for its sometimes seamy club scene.

Kaufman’s grandfather, Sidney Kaufman, says he’s a fine person who served his country.

New York murder suspect thought dead after wilderness escape may be alive, police say

A 73-year-old man who police believe escaped into a vast New York forest after allegedly gunning down his daughter-in-law seven months ago and was widely believed to be dead, may be alive and on the run, authorities tell FoxNews.com. 

Eugene Palmer, of Stony Point, N.Y., is wanted in the Sept. 24 shooting death of his daughter-in-law, Tammy Palmer, in what authorities described as a “cold-blooded” and “premeditated” murder.

Palmer waited for his 39-year-old daughter-in-law to place her to two children on a school bus before shooting her three times with a bolt action shotgun as she walked up the driveway toward her home, police said. Palmer, a retired part-time park ranger, then fled into Harriman State Park — a 46,000-acre stretch of woodland filled with caves, root cellars and abandoned mine shafts that borders the man’s home, according to police. 

While Palmer’s sons claim their father — a severe diabetic — died in the woods, authorities tell FoxNews.com they suspect he escaped the park, and they’ve recently launched an international manhunt through Interpol to track him down. 

“I don’t believe he’s in that park. He’s been out of that park since September,” said Sgt. George Lutz of the Haverstraw Police Department. “We are proactively looking for Mr. Palmer using every resource we have.”

“We believe that he has weapons. We consider him to be armed and dangerous,” Lutz said of Palmer, who has been charged with murder. 

Lutz said Palmer drove to his niece’s home shortly after the alleged killing and confessed to the crime. He also left money with his sister to pay his taxes and told the woman to give him an hour before contacting authorities, according to Lutz.

Hours after the shooting, police found Palmer’s abandoned 1995 green Ford Ram pickup truck on an old fire road about a quarter mile into the park. An extensive manhunt ensued, using air and foot patrols as well as bloodhounds. A “hit” was detected by one of the dogs, leading police to a campsite within the park, but it remains unclear whether the scent belonged to Palmer.

The Haverstraw Police Department also requested assistance from state and federal law enforcement, including the FBI. They found no conclusive evidence of Palmer in the park, other than his truck parked deep into the woods. 

“He knows this park like the back of his hand,” Lutz said of Palmer, known to locals as a so-called “Mountain Man,” well-versed in the many trails and caves inside the park. 

Police say Palmer became increasingly enraged over “domestic issues” between Tammy and her estranged husband, Eugene’s son, John. Tammy Palmer had reportedly filed an order of protection against her husband, meaning John could not step foot on the 3 1/2 acres of land where both Tammy and Eugene lived in homes close to each another. 

“That’s what led up to his actions of that day,” Lutz said of the motive.     

Palmer’s two sons, John and Clarence, did not respond to requests for an interview. According to the Journal News, the family claims Palmer acted out of character and snapped that morning, suggesting the alleged murder was not planned in advance. They told the newspaper Palmer fled the scene in his slippers, leaving his breakfast uneaten on his kitchen table.

“If the police didn’t botch the hunt in the beginning, my father’s remains would be where they belong,” Clarence Palmer told the newspaper. “They were afraid of going into the woods; afraid of a man with a shotgun, supposedly. If he wanted to be found, he would have finished himself off here. He went into the woods. I think he fell into a diabetic coma.”

Lutz appeared skeptical of such claims, telling FoxNews.com, “I don’t know how you’d know what somebody was wearing unless you were actually looking at them.”

“He waited for his grandchildren to get on the bus before executing their mother,” he said. “That’s pretty cold-blooded.”

Lutz said he cannot rule out the possibility that Palmer had assistance in his getaway. He said detectives have theories about where he might be, but declined to elaborate.   

A shotgun was recently found by the family, buried under leaves near Palmer’s home, but Lutz said he does not know if that was the weapon used to kill Tammy Palmer. He said Eugene Palmer, an avid hunter, owned several shotguns. 

NY ice cream truck operators accused of harassing rival vendor

The chilly relationship between rival upstate New York ice cream truck operators got out of hand this season, with Sno Cone Joe trying to chase Mr. Ding-A-Ling out of the market, authorities said Wednesday.

Gloversville police told local media outlets two Sno Cone Joe operators face harassment and stalking charges after heated confrontations last month that included one of them yelling “This is my town!” at a Mr. Ding-A-Ling driver.

The driver told police that Sno Cone Joe owners Joshua Malatino and Amanda Scott followed his truck, playing their music at high volume and trying to lure away customers with promises of free ice cream.

Police said Malatino also called the suburban Albany headquarters of Mr. Ding-A-Ling and said “I own this town!” while claiming Sno Cone Joe controls the frozen treats market in Gloversville, a former manufacturing city about 35 miles northwest of Albany.

Capt. John Sira said Malatino was warned this spring about similar behavior last year and police stepped in after an officer saw some of the activity while on patrol.

Malatino, 34, and Scott, 21, both of Gloversville, were charged Tuesday with second-degree harassment, a violation, and fourth-degree stalking, a misdemeanor. A message left for their lawyer wasn’t initially returned Wednesday afternoon.

Ex-hedge fund boss seeks leniency at NY sentencing

A former hedge fund manager convicted of insider trading charges for making as much as $50 million on a tip about Dell earnings is seeking leniency at a New York sentencing.

Lawyers for Manhattan resident Anthony Chiasson (chee-AY’-suhn) say he made less than a half-million dollars from illegal trades. The government has said he earned more than $50 million on a tip received about Dell Inc. stock in 2008.

The defense arguments were submitted to the sentencing judge Tuesday. The government will file a response. Sentencing is set for May 13.

Chiasson is the founder of Greenwich, Conn.-based Level Global Investors. He was convicted last year.

When the charges were first announced, prosecutors said the Dell trades represented the largest insider trading transaction ever prosecuted in Manhattan.

Last pieces of One World Trade Center spire are rising

One World Trade Center already is New York’s tallest building.

And when the last pieces of its spire rise to the roof — weather permitting — the 104-floor skyscraper that replaces the fallen twin towers will be just feet from becoming the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the spire pieces plus a steel beacon will then be lifted at a later date from the rooftop to cap the building at 1,776 feet.

Installation of the 800-ton, 408-foot spire began in December, after 18 pieces were shipped from Canada and New Jersey.

The spire will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna.

With the beacon at its peak to ward off aircraft, the spire will provide public transmission services for television and radio broadcast channels that were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, along with the trade center towers.

Overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the high-rise is scheduled to open for business in 2014.

The tower is at the northwest corner of the site, which is well on its way to reconstruction with the 72-story 4 World Trade Center and other buildings.

Monday’s celebration of the reconstructed trade center comes days after a grisly reminder of the terror attack that took nearly 3,000 lives: the discovery of a rusted piece of airplane landing gear wedged between a nearby mosque and an apartment building — believed to be from one of the hijacked planes that ravaged lower Manhattan.

As officials prepared to erect the spire, the office of the city’s chief medical examiner was working in the hidden alley where debris may still contain human remains.

The new tower’s crowning spire is a joint venture between the ADF Group Inc. engineering firm in Terrebonne, Quebec, and New York-based DCM Erectors Inc., a steel contractor.

The world’s tallest building, topping 2,700 feet, is in Dubai.

New York officials seek human remains amid debris from Boeing jet

The medical examiner’s office plans to search for Sept. 11 human remains in an alley behind a mosque near the World Trade Center where landing gear from the type of Boeing jet used in the attacks was suddenly discovered.

The chief medical examiner’s spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, said the area first will be tested as part of a standard health and safety evaluation for possible toxicity. She said sifting for human remains is to begin Tuesday morning.

Police said Saturday that detectives had been in contact with officials at Chicago-based Boeing Co. who confirmed the wreckage was from a Boeing 767. Police have said the landing gear had a clearly visible Boeing identification number.

The American Airlines and United Airlines planes hijacked by Islamic extremists in 2001 were Boeing 767s. Boeing spokesman John Dern said he could not confirm whether the ID matched the American Airlines plane or the United Airlines plane.

Workers discovered the landing gear part on Wednesday between a luxury loft rental building and a mosque that in 2010 prompted virulent national debate about Islam and freedom of speech because it’s just blocks from ground zero.

On Saturday, yellow police tape blocked access to a metal door that leads to the hidden alley behind the planned Islamic community center, known as Park51.

Retired fire department Deputy Chief Jim Riches, who lost his son in the terrorist attacks, visited the site on Saturday. He said the latest news left him feeling “upset.”

“The finding of this landing gear,” he said, “just goes to show that we need federal people in here to do a comprehensive, full search of lower Manhattan to make sure that we don’t get any more surprises,” as happened in 2007 when body parts were discovered in nearby sewers and manhole covers.

Of the nearly 3,000 victims, Riches noted, about 1,000 families have never recovered any remains.

The New York Police Department has declared the alley a crime scene where nothing may be disturbed until the medical examiner’s office completes its work. It’s unclear how long that may take, Borakove said.

The piece of wreckage was discovered by surveyors inspecting the planned Islamic community center on behalf of the building’s owner, police said.

The twisted metal part — jammed in an 18-inch-wide, trash-laden passageway between the buildings — has cables and levers on it and is about 5 feet high, 17 inches wide and 4 feet long, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Friday.

“It’s a manifestation of a horrific terrorist act a block and a half away from where we stand,” he said after visiting the alley.

The commissioner noted that a piece of rope intertwined with the part looks like a broken pulley that may have come down from the roof of the Islamic community center.

When plans for the center became public in 2010, opponents said they didn’t want a mosque so close to where Islamic extremists attacked, but supporters said the center would promote harmony between Muslims and followers of other faiths.

The building includes a Muslim prayer space that has been open for three years. After protests died down, the center hosted its first exhibit last year. The space remains under renovation.