Yeshiva World News

An undercover New York Police Department detective accused of taking part in a motorcyclists-versus-SUV melee has been acquitted of the most serious charges but convicted of lesser crimes.

Detective Wojciech Braszczok and his co-defendant, Robert Sims, said they believed the SUV driver had just struck a biker and fled during the September 2013 rally. A judge on Tuesday found them not guilty of gang assault and first-degree assault but guilty of second-degree assault, coercion, riot and criminal mischief.

Eleven men were indicted. Driver Alexian Lien ran over a motorcyclist, paralyzing him, before he was pulled from his SUV and beaten.

Braszczok says he didn’t have a gun or a badge and didn’t think anyone would believe he was an officer. He says he didn’t intend to harm the driver.

(AP)

A Free Fire Safety and Home Protection Event attracted hundreds of community residents on Sunday, June 7. Sponsored by Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), the event was specifically designed to offer vital and often overlooked information to residents in the hope of making them and their families as proactive as possible with regard to preventing fires.

“The tragedy that one of our community’s families experienced impacted all of us on a very deep level,” Hikind told the crowd of several hundred men and women who had assembled in the auditorium of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park in Brooklyn. “We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to be as diligent as possible when it comes to purchasing appliances, the use of those appliances, and everything else we can do to keep our homes safe. It is our obligation to be informed and diligent in matters concerning safety.”

Assemblyman Hikind then introduced Bezalel Steinberg, a licensed electrician from Borough Park, who discussed various things to look for when purchasing appliances. Steinberg explained that all hotplates and warming trays should only be placed on a blech, stove or granite countertop because the bottom will get hot and may cause a fire. He noted that it is important to make certain that the wires are not touching the device and that the cord is not frayed and is not sticky (a sign of wear). Steinberg recommended not using extension cords with appliances unless the cord is rated for 12 Amps and that it’s always important to only allow licensed electricians to work on your wiring.

Both Assemblyman Hikind and Steinberg pointed out various features of the three warming trays that were placed on display for the crowd (courtesy of The Buzz and Duddy’s Appliances, both in Boro Park). The key differences between the three units, and other units that are on the market, is that some are tested by reputable organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories or its Canadian or European counterparts, and some are imported from China with no oversight.

Assemblyman Hikind then introduced NYC Councilman Carlos Menchaca, who spoke to the audience for a few minutes about how much he learns from Assemblyman Hikind’s events. “As a freshman Councilman, I look to Assemblyman Hikind for guidance on how we can bring our communities together,” said Menchaca. “Events like this are very important and I’m grateful to be here.”

Following Councilman Menchaca, Steve Comer of the NYC FDNY spent 15 minutes offering detailed fire safety advice. Among the items he covered, Comer explained that hotplates and warming trays are ideally not designed for 24-hour contiguous use; that using a timer to turn off the item, after it is no longer needed on the Sabbath, is advisable. “Look around your kitchen when you’re cooking,” said Comer. “Make sure things that shouldn’t be there aren’t too close to the stove. Keep a kitchen mitt handy and hold the cover of a pan so you can quickly replace it there’s a fire in the pan. Keep baking soda available because that will put out fires. Never try to put out a grease or electrical fire with water. If there’s a small fire, dial 9-1-1 then you can attempt to put it out. Emergency responders will not be angry that you called if they arrive and you’ve solved the problem… Fire extinguishers are under pressure so use them from a distance, as instructed on the unit. Keep your back to the exit when using them and never allow children to play near a stove.”

Billy Thea of Zman Technologies also addressed the audience regarding the use of his company’s state-of-the-art thermal outlets, which were being distributed free at the event. The thermal outlets are the first of their kind and are designed to protect residents from electrical fires because they automatically shut off when they reach a certain heat level (before a fire would occur).

Assemblyman Hikind and his experts remained on hand for more than 30 minutes after the event concluded, answering questions from the many attendees. The Assemblyman recognized NYC Councilman Brad Lander, who visited the event, and announced regrets from NYS State Senator Simcha Felder, who planned to attend but was unable to do so because his daughter had just given birth. Assemblyman Hikind also recognized Yanky Daskal and Motty Katz of the Boro Park Shomrim, and Baruch Moskowitz, of the Flatbush Shomrim. Hikind offered his sincere gratitude to Zman Technologies, Leviton and Sunlite for the thermal outlets and digital timers that were distributed free to attendees. He also thanked The Buzz and Duddy’s for supplying the sample hotplates, Amazing Savings for the bags to carry home the many free items in, Moisha’s in Flatbush for supplying bottled water for the attendees, and Bais Yaakov of Boro Park for offering its facility for the event.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

New York City’s oldest standing bridge designed for pedestrians and bicyclists is reopening for the first time in 45 years.

The High Bridge was built in the mid-1800s. It spans the Harlem River, connecting Manhattan’s Washington Heights and the Bronx’s Highbridge neighborhoods.

Constructed as part of the Croton Aqueduct system, it became a popular promenade that attracted hotels, restaurants and amusement parks to the area.

By the mid-1960s that all began to wane with construction of the Major Deegan Expressway and the Harlem River Drive.

The bridge was closed in the 1970s. The $61.8 million restoration began in 2012. It’s officially reopening Tuesday.

Historic sites near the bridge include Bennett Park, Manhattan’s highest point. The Little Red Light House under the George Washington Bridge also is nearby.

(AP)

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton says a slight uptick in crime last month is not because of a drop in the department’s use of the stop, question and frisk technique.

For the month of May, shootings and homicides were up. That’s prompted media reports and political hand-wringing that some of the practices embraced by Mayor Bill de Blasio were emboldening criminals.

Bratton said Monday that is not the case.

He cites 2011, when stops were at an all-time high of 685,000 but crime rose.

Last year, when there were about 48,000 stops, overall crime was down and homicides reached an all-time low.

Bratton says stop and frisk is not a significant factor in the city’s crime rate. He says he wants officers to make appropriate, lawful stops.

(AP)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that statewide smoking levels have been reduced to the lowest rate in recorded history as a result of the state’s wide-ranging tobacco cessation efforts. Data shows that in the last four years, the smoking rate among high school students has dropped 42 percent and now remains at 7.3 percent, while the adult smoking rate has dropped to 14.5 percent and remains below the national average of 17.8 percent.

“With the lowest smoking rate in recorded history, it’s clear that New York State is becoming healthier than ever,” Governor Cuomo said. “I am proud of these record results, and our administration will continue to build on this success to protect our citizens and support the public health.”

The reduction in smoking rates can be attributed to the efforts of New York’s Tobacco Control Program, the New York State Prevention Agenda 2013-17 (New York’s official health blueprint) and the state’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan. These programs focused on evidence-based strategies to promote tobacco cessation through launching aggressive public awareness campaigns, promoting policy solutions to make tobacco less accessible to youth, and widening the availability of resources for individuals looking to break this addiction.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, “Thanks to New York State’s aggressive and multi-faceted cessation efforts, our smoking rates have shrunk to their lowest levels in recorded history. This is a huge accomplishment in which we should all take pride, but our work is not done. We must stay vigilant and continue strengthening our efforts until we can rid New York of tobacco once and for all.”

The Department of Health will continue to strengthen its efforts to achieve a tobacco-free New York, with the funding of two new grants totaling more than $10 million from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first award of $9.29 million over five years will support the Tobacco Control Program’s three-pronged, evidence based approach to tobacco cessation. This approach includes local contractors who educate community and local leaders about the continuing burden of tobacco and potential policy solutions, health systems contractors who work across the state to increase and improve the delivery of evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment and paid media that motivates smokers to quit and changes social norms.

Additionally, New York State was one of only five states to be awarded $1 million dollars over two years for an innovative project to implement and evaluate a media campaign aimed directly at health care providers who work with people with poor mental health, low incomes or low educational attainment, and who smoke at higher rates than the general public. The campaign will encourage providers to treat tobacco use for their patients, use evidence-based methods such as counseling and approved medications, and increase provider confidence in delivering this necessary treatment.

Medicaid and NY State of Health qualified health plans cover tobacco cessation services for beneficiaries who smoke or use other tobacco products. For information on or assistance in quitting tobacco use, talk to your health care provider or contact the New York State Smokers’ Quitline. The Quitline is a free and confidential service that provides effective quit coaching and services to New Yorkers who want to stop using tobacco. Call the Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) or visit www.NYSmokeFree.com to learn more.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

Three major Jewish organizations joined together Monday to push for the passage of New York’s Parental Choice in Education Act. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed legislation would offer tax credits to families sending children to private school and those contributing to scholarship funds for these schools.

In a press conference held outside the New York City Office of the Governor of the State of New York, representatives from the Orthodox Union, UJA-Federation of New York and Agudath Israel presented a united front urging the state legislature to pass the bill, which would provide $150 million in education tax credits and scholarships annually. The three groups have been engaged in lobbying efforts in Albany and community advocacy in support of the measure, which would provide incentives for those who contribute to scholarship organizations for private school students and tuition tax credits for private school students whose families meet certain criteria.

Tax credits of up to 75 percent would be available for both individuals and businesses that donate to nonprofit scholarship organizations for students at non-public schools. This would equate to, at most, $50 million a year. Additionally, tax credits of up to $500 per student per year would be offered to non-public school families earning less than $60,000 a year.

During Monday’s press conference, Allen Fagin, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union; Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York; and Rabbi David Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America, highlighted the impact the bill would have on New York’s Jewish day schools and yeshivas.

All three applauded the governor for his support for his support of school choice, with Goldstein calling on the legislature to “pass this critical measure into law” and make “faith-based education affordable.”

That the three organizations are standing as one “shows how important this legislation is to us,” said Rabbi Zwiebel. “It brings real choice into the concept of parental options for education.”

Fagin said the legislation is about “fairness and civil rights.” Parents who choose to send their children to private schools “are relieving the state of an enormous financial burden. It costs the state approximately $20,000 per child in public school,” he said. “We are relieving the state of billions of dollars in costs.”

The state also benefits from having “well-educated children. This creates jobs and people who become taxpayers,” Fagin said.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

The following is via Breaking911.com:

The NYPD says that two officers have been treated at a hospital after a man fired a gun at them in Queens.

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance identifying the following persons wanted in this incident.

On Sunday, June 7, 2015 at 1:45AM, a plainclothes sergeant and police officer assigned to the 101 Precinct were patrolling the Redfern Houses, when they observed six males standing in front of 14-30 Redfern Ave. The officers, looking to further observe the group’s activity at that location, parked their unmarked Department auto across the street from 14-20 Redfern Avenue, exited their vehicle, and attempted to enter 14-20 Redfern Avenue in order to access the roof of the location.

As they exited their vehicle and walked across the street, they observed an unidentified black male wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt on the sidewalk in front of 14-20 Redfern Avenue. The male displayed a firearm and discharged the weapon three times in the direction of the officers, before fleeing on foot to an unknown location.

The officers did not return fire, and took cover while requesting assistance.

The officers were removed to Long Island Jewish Hospital, in stable condition, where the sergeant was treated and released for tinnitus, and the police officer was treated and released for back spasms and a bruised knee.

There was no firearm recovered, however three 9mm shell casings were recovered in front of the location.

(Source: Breaking911.com)

A convict being sought by authorities after escaping from a maximum-security prison in northern New York was serving a sentence of life without parole for the 2002 killing of an upstate sheriff’s deputy.

David Sweat was one of three men arrested after 36-year-old Deputy Kevin Tarsia of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office was fatally shot on the Fourth of July in 2002 in the town of Kirkwood, near the New York-Pennsylvania border outside Binghamton.

Police said the men had stolen rifles and handguns from a fireworks store just across the border in Pennsylvania by ramming a pickup truck into the building.

Tarsia later confronted the men in a park in Kirkwood, his hometown. Police said Sweat and another man fatally shot the deputy. Sweat and the accomplice pleaded guilty a year after the killing to first-degree murder.

(AP)

[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The following is via Breaking911.com:

The New York State Police continue to search for the two prisoners who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.

The escape of 35-year old David P. Sweat and 49-year old Richard Matt was reported to State Police early yesterday. Both were incarcerated for murder.

The State Police, in conjunction with Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Forest Rangers, U.S. Marshals, and the FBI are conducting grid searches to ensure a thorough search of the ground is completed.

More than 150 leads have been developed since the escape was reported. State Police, DOCCS, and federal investigative personnel as well as surrounding agencies are following up on each lead. Several aircraft from state and federal agencies are also being utilized.

The State Police currently have approximately 100 personnel which includes uniform, investigative and specialty units on the ground actively searching and following leads. State Police continue to coordinate with several other local, state and federal agencies. At this time, more than 250 corrections and law enforcement officers are involved in the region and additional investigative services are being applied statewide and nationally. All available assets are involved in this effort.

These are very dangerous individuals. The State Police ask that the public make no hesitation to report any suspicious activity; if you see something, say something. Contact 911, your local law enforcement agency, or the New York State Police to report any information related to this investigation at (518) 563-3761 or 1-800-GIVETIP. Tips can also be sent by email to crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.

(Source: Breaking911.com)

As an undercover detective in New York, Wojciech Braszczok’s job was to investigate members of Occupy Wall Street. Going by the name “Al,” he hung around the group, blended in and was even arrested as a protester. He didn’t carry a gun or a badge or identification bearing his real name. On the surface, he wasn’t a cop.

“Basically I had no contact with the police department, except for my handler,” he testified this week.

But that all ended when he joined a motorcycle ride on Manhattan’s West Side Highway in September 2013 that devolved into pandemonium with an SUV driver beaten bloody in front of his family. Now, the 34-year-old is being tried on charges of gang assault and other crimes for his role in the melee that burned his cover and is shedding an unwanted light on how the nation’s largest police department cultivates, supervises and protects the identities of officers assigned to undercover duty in criminal probes or surveillance operations.

“The nature of the work is secret, but at the end of the day, you’re still a police officer, you have a duty,” said Nick Casale, a former officer-turned-private eye. “You can blow your cover if a crime is about to be committed.”

The 35,000-officer department won’t reveal how many officers work undercover, but it’s believed their ranks are well in the hundreds, if not the thousands.

Supervisors often seek to recruit officers who are tough enough to deal with the stresses of living a double life, and who speak foreign languages or have other skills that would allow them to escape detection in narcotics, gun-trafficking, terrorism and other investigations. In a 2009 internal affairs investigation of a crooked officer dealing drugs out of a barbershop he owned, the department found an officer who had cut hair before joining the force and had him rent a chair there.

Recruits are taken off of routine duty and diverted into special training programs, then given a cover name and a cover story. Depending on how deep the undercover assignment, any contact with regular police officers and even high-ranking commanders can end there.

Braszczok was born in Poland and speaks English as a second language. He joined the force a dozen years ago, first on patrol in Queens before he was tapped to work narcotics as an undercover. He made more than 250 drug buys during his time there and was transferred to the department’s Intelligence Division — a unit tasked with security for the mayor but that also handles confidential informants and “infiltrates domestic groups who could cause threats to public safety,” according to testimony.

He was given a new name, Al Malokovitch, and a new investigative target: members of Occupy Wall Street, the protest movement that swarmed lower Manhattan in 2011 and sparked similar anti-wealth gap movements around the globe. When he was arrested, no one knew he was a cop. His handler, another undercover assigned as his contact to the police world, took care of the arrest.

The handler, known in court only as Undercover 7047, testified that Braszczok was required to check in at the beginning and end of his shift. And if he witnessed a crime, he had a duty to report it and to get involved if necessary, even if it meant identifying himself as a detective.

“We all have a duty to take action,” the undercover testified.

On his day off, Braszczok decided to join in the motorcycle ride, which had nothing to do with Occupy. He texted his handler that it was going to be “mayhem.” Prosecutors have suggested Braszczok and the other bikers had made the West Side Highway a personal playground, popping wheelies, slapping car hoods and terrorizing SUV driver Alexian Lien and his wife and toddler, who were headed to New Jersey to shop.

Stopped on the road, Lien says he feared for his life so he drove off, running over a biker. Prosecutors say Braszczok barreled after Lien and was among the bikers who forced his Range Rover to a stop on a side street. The detective eventually drove away while Lien was pulled from the car and attacked on the street.

Braszczok testified that he followed Lien because he wanted to “stop the car from running more people over.” When he got off his bike, he intended to tell Lien to stop driving, but he heard a bang and saw the SUV window break, and then started to fear for his safety, so he left.

“I should have called 911, but I didn’t,” he said. He said he regretted the decision, adding he believed the police were on their way.

The handler said Braszczok should have called in right away to report the incident, but he didn’t call for two days, and he didn’t come clean that he’d been at the scene of the assault until even later — after helmet-camera videos were posted online.

Braszczok and co-defendant Robert Sims opted to have a judge, not a jury, determine the outcome. Eleven men were indicted in the melee; the others have pleaded guilty to charges including assault and riot and received or are facing sentences ranging from probation to up to four years in prison. Lien was not charged. The biker Lien hit, Edwin Mieses, was paralyzed.

Braszczok is also facing a departmental trial where he could be fired.

(AP)

Investigators are looking into whether civilian employees or private contractors helped two convicted killers obtain the power tools they used to break out of a maximum-security state prison near the Canadian border, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Cuomo said during a round of appearances on television morning news shows that he’d be shocked if a prison guard was involved in the escape from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, 20 miles south of the border.

Officials said David Sweat, 34, and Richard Matt, 48, cut through steel walls at the back of their adjacent cells and steel pipes while making their “Shawshank Redemption”-style breakout, which guards discovered early Saturday. Sweat and Matt were still on the loose Monday.

Investigators are interviewing hundreds of civilian employees and the contractors who have been doing extensive renovations at the 150-year-old facility, Cuomo said.

“We’re going through the civilian employees and private contractors first,” he said on NBC’s “Today” show. “I’d be shocked if a correction guard was involved in this, but they definitely had help, otherwise, they couldn’t have done this on their own, even from the equipment point of view.”

Cuomo said the escape was a “sophisticated plan” and announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to men’s capture.

Sweat was serving a sentence of life without parole for the 2002 killing of a sheriff’s deputy. Matt had been sentenced to 25 years to life for kidnapping, killing and dismembering his former boss in 1997.

“These are killers. They are murderers,” the governor said. “There’s never been a question about the crimes they committed. They are now on the loose, and our first order of business is apprehending them.”

Officials gave no details on how the men managed to avoid detection while cutting their way out. “They had to be heard,” Cuomo told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Sunday.

After the search is over, “we’ll go through the exact details of what they did and how they did it to ensure this never happens again,” Cuomo said later.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out around the prison, following up on dozens of tips. Authorities set up roadblocks and brought in bloodhounds and helicopters.

Dubbed “Little Siberia” by locals, the prison houses nearly 3,000 inmates, guarded by about 1,400 correction officers. Surrounded by farmland and forests, the prison is about a 45-minute drive by car to Montreal.

Cuomo said the escapees may have crossed into Canada or headed to another state or Mexico, where Matt served time for killing a man in 1998.

“This is a crisis situation for the state,” he said. “These are dangerous men capable of committing grave crimes again.”

Prison officials found the inmates’ beds inside their separate cells stuffed with clothes on Saturday morning in an apparent attempt to fool guards making their rounds. On a cut steam pipe, the prisoners left a taunting note containing a crude Asian caricature and the words “Have a nice day.”

Officials said the inmates cut through the steel wall at the back of their cells, crawled down a catwalk, broke through a brick wall, cut their way into and out of a steam pipe, and then sliced through the chain and lock on a manhole cover outside the prison.

To escape, the inmates had to cut into the steam pipe then shimmy “some distance,” Cuomo said, before cutting themselves out again. Their path brought to mind “The Shawshank Redemption,” the 1994 adaptation of a Stephen King story about an inmate’s carefully planned escape.

It was the first escape from the maximum-security portion of the prison, which was built in 1865.

Cuomo said investigators were confident the men obtained the tools inside the prison. Acting Corrections Commissioner Anthony Annucci said an inventory of prison tools had so far shown none missing and he was in contact with contractors who were doing or had done work at the prison.

Martin Horn, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction and a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said prison breaks are not common.

“Prison escapes are a relatively rare event,” said Horn, who is not involved in the probe of the Clinton escape. “That tells you that a great deal of planning is involved because it’s not an easy thing to accomplish.”

Horn, a former secretary of corrections for the state of Pennsylvania and a prison warden in New York state during the 1980s, said the two inmates had to “obtain some fairly sophisticated tools,” either from the prison, which he said maintains an inventory of their tools — “every pair of scissors, every wrench, every power tool” — or from an outside contractor.

But he said many questions remain, among them how long it took to prepare for the escape, the kinds of tools used, what powered them, why no one heard the noise and how the prisoners hid the holes they made.

“Clinton is as secure a prison as you’ll find anywhere in the United States,” said Horn. “If it can happen at Clinton, it can happen anywhere.”

(AP)

Two murderers who used power tools to escape from prison must have taken days to cut through steel walls and pipes and break through the bricks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday as a $100,000 reward was posted for information leading to their capture.

Authorities were investigating how the inmates obtained the power tools they used in the “Shawshank Redemption”-style breakout over the weekend.

“It was sophisticated plan,” Cuomo said. “It took a period of time, no doubt, to execute.”

David Sweat, 34, was serving a sentence of life without parole for the 2002 killing of a sheriff’s deputy. Richard Matt, 48, had been sentenced to 25 years to life for kidnapping, killing and dismembering his former boss in 1997.

“These are killers. They are murderers,” the governor said. “There’s never been a question about the crimes they committed. They are now on the loose, and our first order of business is apprehending them.”

Officials gave no details on how the men managed to avoid detection while they were cutting their way out. Cuomo said someone must have heard at least some of the noise.

“They had to be heard,” Cuomo told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

After search is over authorities will conduct a full review of the escape, Cuomo said later Sunday.

“We’ll go through the exact details of what they did and how they did it to ensure this never happens again,” he said.

Authorities set up roadblocks and brought in bloodhounds and helicopters. Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out across the area around the prison, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, following up on dozens of tips.

But authorities acknowledged they did not have a good idea where the convicts could be. They may have crossed into Canada or headed to another state, Cuomo said.

“This is a crisis situation for the state,” he said. “These are dangerous men capable of committing grave crimes again.”

Prison officials found the inmates’ beds inside the 150-year-old Clinton Correctional Facility stuffed with clothes on Saturday morning in an apparent attempt to fool guards making their rounds. On a cut steam pipe, the prisoners left a taunting note containing a crude Asian caricature and the words “Have a nice day.”

Officials said the inmates cut through the steel wall at the back of their cell, crawled down a catwalk, broke through a brick wall, cut their way into and out of a steam pipe, and then sliced through the chain and lock on a manhole cover outside the prison.

To escape, the inmates had to cut into a steam pipe then shimmy “some distance,” Cuomo said, before cutting themselves out again. Their alleged path conjured images of “The Shawshank Redemption,” the 1994 adaptation of a Stephen King story about an innocent man’s carefully planned prison escape.

It was the first escape from the maximum-security portion of the prison, which was built in 1865.

The men may have had assistance outside the prison, perhaps meeting up with someone who helped them leave the area, investigators said.

Cuomo said investigators were confident the men obtained the tools inside the prison. Acting Corrections Commissioner Anthony Annucci said an inventory of prison tools had so far shown none missing and he was in contact with contractors who were doing or had done work at the prison.

Steven Tarsia, brother of slain sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Tarsia, said that finding out his brother’s killer had escaped “turns your world upside-down all over again.”

He said that just the other day, he found he couldn’t remember the names of the men responsible for his brother’s death.

“All of a sudden, I remember them again,” he said.

Tarsia said he couldn’t imagine how the men could have gotten power tools and escaped without help, but “I don’t know why anybody would help them.”

(AP)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of escaped Clinton Correctional Facility inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat. Both individuals are considered to be a danger to the public and anyone with possible information or with knowledge of unusual activity should immediately contact the State Police at 518-563-3761. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 250 law enforcement and corrections officials are actively searching for the inmates.

“Today we are asking for the help of the public as we continue our search to arrest these two individuals,” Governor Cuomo said. “They are convicted murderers and our first order of business is to ensure they don’t inflict any more pain on the community. We are urging anybody who sees them or knows anything that may assist our investigation to contact the State Police as soon as possible. With the public’s help, we will return these men to where they belong – behind bars.”

The Governor made the announcement earlier this afternoon on a conference call with New York State public safety officials providing an update to members of the media.

In total, $50,000 will be awarded for information directly leading to the apprehension and arrest of each inmate, Richard Matt and David Sweat.

As of Sunday afternoon:

· More than 250 law enforcement and corrections officials are actively engaged in the search, including more than 100 New York State Police investigative and specialty unit personnel.

· Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers are assisting to ensure a thorough grid search of the ground is completed.

· New York State Police are continuing coordinate with local, state and federal partners including the FBI and U.S. Marshals.

· The New York State Police aviation unit is assisting in the search from the air.

Matt and Sweat were first unaccounted for during a 5:30 a.m. bed check on Saturday, and executed an elaborate escape plan to penetrate the prison walls and security that includes cutting through metal pipes and walls using power tools. Governor Cuomo toured the escape route on Saturday afternoon; video and photos of the Governor’s tour are available here.

Information from the New York State Police describing the two fugitives is below.

Richard Matt, 48 years old, a white male, 6’ tall, 210 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. He has tattoos on back “Mexico Forever”, a heart on his chest and left shoulder, and a marine corps insignia on his right shoulder.

David Sweat, 34 years old, white male, 5’11” tall, 165 pounds, brown hair and green eyes. He has tattoos on his left bicep and his right fingers.

Sweat is serving a sentence of life without parole following his conviction in Broome County for one count of Murder 1st Degree after he caused the death of a Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy on July 4, 2002. Sweat was transferred to Clinton Correctional on October 30, 2003.

Matt is serving a sentence of 25 years to life following his conviction in Niagara County for three counts of murder, three counts of kidnapping, and two counts of robbery after he kidnapped a male victim and caused his death by beating him on December 3, 1997. Matt was transferred to Clinton Correctional on July 10, 2008.

Both are considered to be a danger to the public. If located DO NOT approach them. Contact 911 or the New York State Police immediately at (518) 563-3761.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York’s governor says two convicted murderers “had to be heard” as they cut through steel and escaped from a maximum-security prison.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that Richard Matt and David Sweat broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in “a really elaborate, sophisticated operation” that involved shimmying through a steam pipe.

The men were reported missing from their beds at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

Roadblocks were set up in the area of the prison, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. Bloodhounds and helicopters were being used to track down the men.

Cuomo said officials were reaching out to the families of the men’s victims.

(AP)

Councilman David G. Greenfield is partnering with the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to host his fourth free bike helmet fitting and giveaway this Sunday in Midwood at Friends Field (Avenue L & East 4th Street). The event is open to everyone, with helmets for all ages. If interested in a helmet, you must stop by Friends Field between noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Helmets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Only one helmet per person and adults must be present for a child to get a helmet. Last Sunday, Greenfield hosted a wildly popular helmet giveaway in Borough Park where over 500 helmets were given out at the Shomrim Annual Bike Registration event on 18th Avenue.

“Bike riding is an extremely popular activity for residents of all ages. Helmets literally save lives. I am thrilled to partner with DOT to encourage safe cycling. I encourage everyone to come out on Sunday and get correctly fitted for a free helmet,” said Councilman Greenfield.

Councilman Greenfield is a leader in street safety. Greenfield has been a staunch advocate for Vision Zero, a citywide initiative aimed at lowering pedestrian deaths citywide. Greenfield has long encouraged the use of bike helmets on a citywide basis. Studies show that helmets may reduce head injury by as much 85% in case of bicycle accidents.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is sponsoring a Free Fire Safety and Home Protection Event that offers community members valuable and potentially life-saving information regarding the use of every-day products, as well as a number of free safety devices.

“The tragedy that one family experienced in Flatbush impacted our entire community,” said Hikind. “All of us must experience this not only as a deep loss but also as a wake-up call to do anything and everything necessary to protect our homes and our loved ones. It is our obligation to be informed and diligent in matters concerning safety.”

Hikind’s event will include presentations from the FDNY as well as a licensed electrician. The first 300 community members who arrive will receive free state-of-the-art wall outlets, courtesy of Zman Technologies and Leviton Mfg., as well as free digital timers, courtesy of Sunlite Timers.

The Fire Safety and Home Protection Event is co-sponsored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYS Senator Simcha Felder, NYS Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, and NYC Council Members Chaim Deutsch and Brad Lander, who are all scheduled to attend.

The event will begin promptly at 11 am, this Sunday, June 7, at the Bais Yaakov of Boro Park Auditorium, 1371 46th Street, Brooklyn.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has made a rare appearance on a call-in radio show.

De Blasio took four questions from listeners Friday as part of a half-hour appearance on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show.”

Three of the callers were from Queens, the other from Manhattan.

Much of the discussion was about the fate of the mayor’s affordable housing agenda in Albany and a recent uptick in city crime.

De Blasio was pressed about his reluctance to embrace a City Council proposal to hire 1,000 new police officers.

He praised the NYPD and outlined other priorities that need funding, such as homelessness, struggling schools and the jail system.

The mayor has received criticism for not regularly engaging with citizens at town halls or radio appearances.

(AP)

The longtime leader of New York City’s largest police union has been re-elected after drawing national attention for clashing with the city’s mayor.

Four-term Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch faced a challenge from trustee Brian Fusco. Fusco conceded Friday.

Lynch was first elected president of the 24,000-member union in 1999. He became a national figure during a public battle with Mayor Bill de Blasio last winter, after a grand jury declined to indict an officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.

When two police officers were killed weeks later, Lynch said there was “blood on the hands” of the mayor, suggesting he had given anti-police protests too much leeway.

Tensions have since cooled.

The PBA remains the lone police union without a contract. It’s in arbitration.

(AP)

A majority of New York voters in a recent survey say they don’t think the state’s current elected officials are capable of ending political corruption and should all be voted out of office.

The Quinnipiac University Poll of more than 1,200 voters between May 28 and June 1 shows 55 percent believe it’s time to restart the state government with a clean slate.

While 28 percent say they think the current group is capable of ending Albany corruption, the remaining 17 percent say they don’t know.

The poll claims a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

Albany has continued to be plagued by scandals. Federal indictments this year of the state Senate and Assembly leaders, separately accused of influence peddling, cost both their leadership posts.

(AP)