Yeshiva World News

[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Two people were arrested in Monsey for shooting a paintball gun at passing cars on Wednesday night.

The Ramapo Police tells YWN that they received a call on Wednesday evening around 10:17 from Rockland Chaverim who reported that there was a person shooting paintballs at passing cars on Suzanne Drive near Vincent Road in Monsey. Additional sources tell YWN that the suspects had also fired the gun at a 15-year-old Yeshiva student. Thankfully, he was not injured. Chaveirim told police that they were following the two suspects from a safe distance.

Ramapo Police quickly responded and arrested two suspects at the scene and recovered a paintball gun. One suspect was charged with reckless endangerment 2nd and criminal tampering – both are misdemeanors. The other suspect was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Both suspects names were being withheld due to age. After processing, both subjects were released to their parents.

This is not the first time the Monsey Jewish community was attacked by a paintball gun. In August 2013, YWN reported an incident where two Rockland Chaveirim members were shot by a paintball gun from a passing vehicle. Three teens were charged with multiple crimes in that incident, but only one was sentenced to two months in jail. The charges were dropped against the other two suspects.

(Chaim Shapiro – YWN)

Ramapo’s Aron Wieder fell just short in his attempt to win the Democratic primary for the 98th state Assembly District seat after absentee ballots were counted, election officials said Wednesday.

In last week’s primary, Wieder, who is a Rockland County legislator, trailed Elisa Tutini of Monroe by 107 votes.

Election officials in Orange and Rockland counties counted all outstanding votes Wednesday. Though the margin was narrowed, Wieder lost by 61 votes.

Wieder said he was grateful for the opportunity.

“I thank every single voter who participated in this election even those who did not vote for me,” Wieder stated in an email. “It is an absolute honor to be on the ballot and get the support of fellow citizens.”

Tutini now faces Republican Karl Brabenec, the Deerpark town supervisor, in November.

READ MORE: LOHUD

State police say a New York City police officer was drunk when he drove the wrong way on the state Thruway last month and crashed head-on into another car, killing both drivers.

They say toxicology tests from an autopsy found that Officer Richard Christopher’s blood-alcohol content was 0.21 percent, more than twice the legal level.

Christopher was off duty when his pickup truck, going south in the northbound lanes in Rockland County, crashed into an SUV driven by James DeVito of Airmont on Aug. 12.

The state police also say two witnesses reported seeing Christopher, of Suffern, driving in the correct direction, then making a U-turn to go the wrong way.

The state police say no drugs were found in Christopher’s system and no drugs or alcohol in DeVito’s system.

(AP)

On September 7, 2014 Ramapo Police were notified by a a few parents that a few students, ages 6 through 9, from the Cheder Chabad Boy’s School on 246 N. Main St., Spring Valley, were dropped off on September 5, 2014 after school approximately 30 minutes later then their designated time – and at a location approximately one mile from their designated stop. The parents also reported that the students appeared dehydrated and scared.

Upon further investigation the Ramapo Police Department charged the bus driver of the East Ramapo Central School District Bus Co., Floyd James, age 53, of Chestnut Ridge, NY, with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor.

James was arraigned before Judge Simon in the Town of Ramapo Justice Court and released on recognizance for a future court appearance on October 7, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.

(YWN Monsey Newsroom)

Authorities are investigating after a swastika was spray-painted in a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Rockland County.

The graffiti was found Sunday along Morris Road in Spring Valley.

A rabbi told the Journal News that several residents witnessed a least two men spray-painting the message on the sidewalk Saturday morning.

The graffiti was scrawled inside a Star of David.

Many Holocaust survivors live in the area.

It’s not the first time recently that Nazi symbols have been found in Rockland County.

At the end of July, racist and anti-Semitic graffiti were spray-painted on a private property in Pearl River. A week later, Van Houten Farms in Pearl River was defaced with anti-Semitic and vulgar graffiti. Police continue to investigate those incidents.

(AP)

A nuclear power plant near New York City says a faulty sensor led to the automatic shutdown of a reactor that produces power for about a million homes.

Indian Point in Westchester County says Unit 3′s safety systems kicked in around noon Wednesday after a sensor detected a reactor pressure change.

Spokesman Jerry Nappi says there was no change.

He says the 1,000-megawatt reactor remains offline while workers determine the cause of the false signal. He says they’ll fix the sensor before it’s restarted.

Nappi says the plant’s other reactor is still operating and the shutdown shouldn’t cause outages since demand isn’t at peak levels.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the shutdown happened as workers were testing safety systems. An agency spokesman says there were no health or safety risks.

(AP)

The New York State Police would like to speak with members of the public who were in the vicinity of Tuesday’s wrong way crash in the Village of Suffern on the New York State Thruway.

One witness has reported seeing a vehicle fitting the description of Richard Christopher’s vehicle parked facing southbound in the median of I-87 shortly before calls were received that a vehicle was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes.

Other witnesses have since reported observing a vehicle fitting the description of Christopher’s vehicle make a u-turn on I-87 northbound in the area of the I-287 overpass, approximately 1/2 mile north of the accident scene.

Anyone who witnessed the vehicle parked in the median, make a u-turn or witnessed events leading up to the crash are asked to contact investigators at SP Haverstraw at 845-364-0200.

At approximately 6:54 AM on August 12, 2014, NYS Thruway communications received calls of a blue pickup truck traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-87 in the area of exit 15 in the Village of Suffern. Immediately following, Thruway dispatch received calls for a two vehicle accident at mpm 29.5.

Troopers immediately responded and encountered a two vehicle collision at that location with the drivers and sole occupants deceased.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that a 2002 Dodge Dakota operated by Richard E. Christopher, age 32, of Suffern, NY was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-87 for unknown reasons.

Christopher’s vehicle struck head-on, a 2003 Honda CRV operated by James B. DeVito, age 59, of Airmont, NY. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.

State Police can confirm Richard Christopher was a member of the New York City Police Department who was off-duty at the time of the accident.

The investigation into the accident is continuing with the assistance of the New York State Police Collision reconstruction unit, as well the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

(YWN Monsey Newsroom)

State Police are currently on the scene of a double fatal accident on the New York State Thruway.

The crash occurred shortly before 7:00 am Tuesday, near mile marker 30 northbound in the village of Suffern.

Two vehicles were involved in the crash and both drivers are deceased. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

At this time it appears one of the vehicles was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of the Thruway.

The Thruway was closed for at least two hours, but the shoulder has reopened. Traffic is currently moving slowly and drivers should expect delays.

YWN had no further information available.

(YWN Monsey Newsroom)

Pointing to recent hate crimes in Rockland County, Legislature Chairman Alden Wolfe Tuesday called for a commission to study anti-Semitism and racism in the county.

Rockland is a very diverse county and Wolfe said he was “shocked and disappointed” over two recent incidents where two locations were vandalized and defaced with swastikas and racist slogans.

“It’s really important that hate is often caused by ignorance and bringing a group of concerned people together and try to get to the bottom of why such hate exists and perhaps build bridges rather burn them I think would do a lot of good for the county,” he said.

Wolfe said it must be “crystal clear that our county has no tolerance for racism and anti-Semitism, because people who hate don’t differentiate between race or religion. They just hate.”

(Source: MidHudsonNews)

The mayor of a suburban New York village remains jailed over a dispute involving a children’s day camp.

Mayor Demeza Delhomme was jailed Friday on a contempt of court charge.

The Journal News says he’ll remain behind bars until he satisfies a judge’s order to open a summer day camp for Spring Valley children.

The camp’s youth director had gotten into a conflict with the mayor and was suspended. The village attorney said that meant camp couldn’t be held.

But state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Loehr (LOHR) ordered Delhomme to open the civic center building for the camp; Delhomme assured him he had. But two trustees said some office doors were still locked and Delhomme was arrested.

The attorney says he was stunned by the judge’s decision.

(AP)

The following was published in YWN Monsey 2 weeks ago:

All motorists are advised that North Airmont Road, between Route 59 & NYS Thruway (Exit 14B) will be closed from Friday, July 18, 2014 at 10:00 AM until Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 4:00 PM. This closure will expedite the upgrade of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad Tracks on North Airmont Road. Local traffic and businesses will have full access to the roadway up to the work zone. Full access to the NYS Thruway via detour will be available.

(YWN Monsey Newsroom)