[UPDATED] Man Jumps Off Verrazano Bridge, Condition Unknown

By on January 7, 2013  News
Jan 072013
 
Subway fares and bridge tolls are going up in March 2013. (Photo credit: Brian Hedden)

Photo credit: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

[UPDATE] 1/8/13 A Canarsie woman who wishes to remain anonymous reportedly came forward yesterday to Denise Romano at Home Reporter. The source allegedly identified the missing man as her daughter’s boyfriend.

Less than two days into the new year, a man was seen jumping from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The incident occurred at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 2, when witnesses spotted a man stop his car in the right lane of the Staten Island-bound upper level at around the center of the span before leaping off, as reported by Denise Romano for Home Reporter.

The right lane of the upper level was closed for approximately one hour while NYPD Harbor Units and Emergency Services Units searched for the jumper. The man’s identity was not reported by media as it was not known at press time and his condition is likewise a mystery, as police have yet to recover a body.

According to Staten Island Advance, excluding Wednesday’s occurrence, “there have been five suicides on the bridge since December 2011, three thwarted attempts and one person who survived the jump.”

What About Officer Fung? MTA Police Officer’s heroic role in Verrazano suicide save downplayed at ceremony honoring NYPD colleague

By on September 20, 2012  News
Sep 202012
 

Last Wednesday at City Hall, New York City Police Officer Yi Huang received a special proclamation from City Councilman Vincent Gentile for his role in helping to save the life of a despondent man named Lin Huan Quiang, as reported by Denise Romano for the Home Reporter. Lin, an immigrant from China, had attempted to jump off the Verrazano Bridge.

The humble and undoubtedly heroic Officer Huang had responded to a call put out for speakers of Cantonese, the only language Lin is fluent in. He rushed to the scene from the NYPD’s Fifth Precinct in Chinatown, going “above and beyond the call of duty,” as Gentile proclaimed to members of the press. As wind and loud thunderstorms made the task more difficult, Huang and the other first responders were able to save Lin from a premature and needless death.

However, according to at least one account, there is another police officer who also deserves credit. Continue reading »

Home Reporter Profiles First Person To Wear Hijab With NYPD Auxiliary Uniform

By on September 12, 2012  News
Sep 122012
 

Image source: Wikipedia Commons.

In an article entitled “Breaking Barriers and Breaking Ground,” the Home Reporter’s Denise Romano spoke with a Bay Ridge woman who is reportedly the first person to wear a hijab along with her NYPD auxiliary uniform. Continue reading »

Residents Irked By Overabundance Of Traffic Lights In Dyker Heights

By on August 24, 2012  Traffic & Transit
Aug 242012
 

Image source: ericskiff via Flickr.

Whether you’re driving, riding the bus or in a car service, you’ve probably noticed that in recent years significant numbers of new traffic lights have been installed on our streets.

While ostensibly put in for pedestrian safety, some in Dyker Heights say many of the traffic signals are causing gridlock – which in turn brings increased noise from car horns, and increased pollution from idling engines – not to mention increasingly hot-tempered motorists.

The problem may be with the decision-making process behind each new traffic light – namely the fact that there really isn’t one.

Thanks to the ever-informative Denise Romano from Home Reporter, here’s how it works: Continue reading »

Home Reporter: 92nd Street Sinkhole Stink, Construction Still Affecting Businesses

By on August 22, 2012  Business
Aug 222012
 

Construction workers repair another sinkhole on 79th Street, which has since been sealed up (Image courtesy of David Tan).

A stinky sinkhole on 92nd Street – which first opened up on June 29, and isn’t expected be fixed until October, is putting off customers and slowing business down, according to several owners and managers of nearby stores who spoke with Denise Romano from Home Reporter.

“The outdoor café that we pay [the city] for yearly can’t be used,” Michael Deliso, barista and manager at Paneantico Bakery and Café [9124 3rd Ave] said, referring to the offensive odor caused by the sinkhole – which itself was the result of a ruptured sewer pipe. “We are losing money.” Continue reading »

Blog: Owl’s Head Dog Run to close Spring, Summer 2013 for renovation

By on August 3, 2012  Parks
Aug 032012
 

A dog run in Manhattan. Note the obnoxious Red Sox gear (Image by Ed Yourdon via Flickr).

According to Steve from Bay Ridge Barks, planned improvements to the Owl’s Head Park dog run announced last year by Councilman Gentile and written about more recently by Home Reporter’s Denise Romano – while making things more pleasant for dog owners and walkers in the long run – will unfortunately close the canine-friendly space during the “peak dog time” of spring and summer 2013.

The $850,000 renovation project earmarks $200,000 for new creature comforts that include gravel, benches, fences, and water fountains. Continue reading »

Bay Ridge’s Worst Neighbors: Investment properties left to languish by negligent landlords

By on July 27, 2012  Featured story, Real Estate
Jul 272012
 

Image source: Martin Cathrae via Flickr

Bay Ridge’s worst neighbors strike again.

A piece by Denise Romano for the Home Reporter revealed yesterday that local real estate investor Mousa Khalil owns two additional neglected properties on the same Ovington Avenue block where he allowed a house to collapse – including one that appears to be illegally occupied.

Meanwhile, the Daily News’ Alex Robinson reports that City Councilman Vincent Gentile is trying to guilt property owner Frank Landy to turn a 79th Street house that’s been falling apart for decades over to a good cause.

Residents of Ovington Avenue between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue say that of the three properties Khalil owns on their block, one is actually occupied, albeit illegally. They speculate that 556 Ovington Ave is serving as a home for squatters, or possibly even a hostel. Continue reading »

HOV Lane, New Upper Deck Coming To Verrazano Bridge

By on June 28, 2012  Traffic & Transit
Jun 282012
 

Image source: MTAPhotos via Flickr

Soon you’ll be able to count seven lanes on the upper deck of the Verrazano.

As the MTA plans to install a new upper deck on the nearly 50-year-old Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a new HOV lane is slated to premiere as part of the improvements, writes Denise Romano in a very informative piece for the Home Reporter.

Word of the new traffic artery came to light during an MTA Capital Construction Committee hearing on June 25. Continue reading »

U.S. Army Soldier Show Comes To Fort Hamilton This Friday

By on May 22, 2012  Events
May 222012
 

The Home Reporter’s Denise Romano is inviting readers to commence their Memorial Day Weekend by catching a performance of the U.S. Army Soldier Show this Friday, May 25, at Bay Ridge’s own Fort Hamilton Army Base.

The show, called Army Strong, is free, open to the public and set to play at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday. Meant to coincide with Fleet Week 2012, it highlights the talents of active-duty soldiers in an entertaining way. Click Here for More Details