What’s News, Breaking: Monday, August 21, 2023

August 21, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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COPS NAB ADORABLE, ILLEGAL WALLABY AT CONEY ISLAND

CONEY ISLAND — COPS CONFISCATED AN ADORABLE BABY WALLABY from a man illegally charging tourists to take photos of her along the Coney Island boardwalk Friday night, NYPD’s 60th Precinct reports. Now she is settling in at her new home at Save the Animals Rescue Foundation on Long Island. “After an individual was spotted exhibiting a baby wallaby in Washington Square Park and on a subway earlier this month, Humane Long Island set up patrols and worked with the NYPD Animal Cruelty Investigations Squad and NYPD 60th Precinct to rescue the wallaby on the Coney Island boardwalk,” Humane Long Island reported on Facebook.

Exploiting wallabies and other exotic animals is illegal in New York City.

In the bag: Officers from the 60th Precinct responded to reports of an illegal wallaby at Coney Island and rescued the animal, @NYPD60Pct reported on Twitter X.
Photo courtesy of NYPD

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TENTATIVE AGREEMENT TO HOUSE MIGRANTS AT FLOYD BENNETT FIELD

FLATLANDS — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ON MONDAY ANNOUNCED that the Biden Administration has tentatively agreed to allow the state to use Floyd Bennett Field in Flatlands as a shelter for asylum seekers. “Once the final agreement is signed, we will work with Mayor Adams and his team to set up a Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Center at Floyd Bennett Field with the capacity to shelter more than 2,000 asylum seekers,” Hochul said in a release.

Over its 92-year history, Floyd Bennett field has contained a commercial airport, U.S. Navy air base, police helicopter base, aviation museum, drone and model airplane space, gymnasium and one of the city’s largest community gardens. The only way to reach it by public transportation is the Q-35 bus.

Runway 33 at Floyd Bennett Field.
Screengrab courtesy of Google Maps

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DISBARRED ATTORNEY CHARGED
IN IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE FRAUD,
PRACTICING WITHOUT A LICENSE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A DISBARRED CROWN HEIGHTS ATTORNEY who specialized in immigration cases has been charged with stealing from nine of his clients while continuing to practice law without a license. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez identified the defendant as Owolabi Salis, 60, of Crown Heights, who was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Heidi Cesare, and charged with multiple indictments, including first-degree scheme to defraud, first-degree immigrant assistance services fraud and unlawful practice of the law. After his Nov. 29, 2022 disbarment, at which he was ordered to cease practicing law and to advise his clients to seek new counsel, Salis violated the order and continued to operate a law office at 1179 Eastern Parkway and to advertise as “Salis Law P.C.” online.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the case. The defendant was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Oct. 11.

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ALL ABOARD!
TRANSIT MUSEUM’S PARADE OF SUBWAY TRAINS,
FEATURES RATTAN SEATS, CEILING FANS

KINGS HIGHWAY — NEW YORK COMMUTERS AND TRANSIT AFICIONADOS CAN TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME during the New York Transit Museum’s Parade of Trains, approaching the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10. Straphangers can step aboard different vintage trains from the museum’s collection from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brighton Beach B/Q platforms or the Kings Highway Manhattan-bound B/Q platform. This year’s Parade of Trains will include a number of train cars from the New York Transit Museum’s collection, including the BU Gate Cars, BRT Brooklyn Union Elevated Cars (in use 1903-1969) and the oldest cars in the Transit Museum’s vintage fleet. Shuttle rides are free with a MetroCard swipe or OMNY tap.

Although slightly older, the R1 through R9 cars (which were in use from 1930-1977), feature rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, and roll signs for passenger information — all pre-World War II subway standards.

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NAVAL CULINARY OFFICER FROM BROOKLYN
CO-PRESENTS ‘BACK-TO-SCHOOL MONTH’ CAKE

BROOKLYN TO ITALY — A NAVAL CHEF FROM BROOKLYN HELPS CELEBRATE BACK-TO-SCHOOL MONTH, all the way from Italy. Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Al-Vaughn Moe, from Brooklyn, New York (at right), and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joe Mattia, Food Service Officer, aboard at the Naval Air Station Sigonella, from Dallas, pose in front of the national back-to-school month cake at the galley on board Naval Air Station Sigonella, on Aug. 17. NAS Sigonella’s strategic location enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to deploy and respond as required, ensuring security and stability in Europe, Africa and Central Command.

U.S. Navy photo by Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Samayaah Smith

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RENT-STABILIZED VACANCIES AVERAGED ONLY 5%
SAYS CITY’S INDEPENDENT BUDGET OFFICE

CITYWIDE — AFTER NEWS AGENCIES BROK STORIES OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS ABOUT THE VACANCY RATE of rent-stabilized apartments, the NYC New York City Independent Budget Office has released a study showing that actually fewer than 5% of rent-stabilized apartments — around 40,000 — were vacant at a given point in time. The study, made public on Monday, Aug. 21, was conducted utilizing data from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal from 2017 through 2022. It showed that on average, the majority of vacant apartments were rented within a year.

Property owners register an average of 880,000 rent-stabilized units annually with the state. IBO found that the vacancy rate has remained steady until it peaked at around 7%, or nearly 60,000 apartments, during 2021, with the pandemic likely driving the turnover. But two-thirds of these apartments had been rented by 2022.

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CITY LAUNCHES BACK-TO-SCHOOL VACCINE CAMPAIGN

CITYWIDE — A NEW, MONTHLONG BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched on Monday, Aug. 21, reminds New Yorkers — particularly the parents of school children —to make sure they are caught up on their routine vaccinations. Specific vaccine requirements vary based on a child’s age, grade and medical history. All students are required to receive the DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis); poliovirus; MMR (measles-mumps-rubella); varicella and hepatitis B vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine was not listed as being mandatory. The material will appear for the next month in multiple languages on radio, TV, online and social media, newspapers and subway and Staten Island Ferry digital screens.

In the past, separate shots were required for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). The chickenpox vaccine became available in 1995, as did the hepatitis B vaccine.

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ASYLUM CASEWORK PROCESS
GETS $2M FROM GOVERNOR

STATEWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ON MONDAY, AUG. 21, IMPLEMENTED A NEW $20 million investment to speed the casework filing process for more than 30,000 asylum seekers. This investment, which adds to the $1.5 billion that the State has already allocated to addressing the crisis, will connect asylum seekers with case management services to speed the process of exiting shelter and, when necessary, filing asylum claims. Utilizing a framework that the global NGO International Rescue Committee developed, asylum seekers in the City’s shelters will be triaged using a new color-coded scale: green indicates no significant barriers to exiting shelter; yellow indicates barriers to exit that have a path to resolution; and, red indicates more complex barriers to exit that require extensive resources.

The ultimate goal of these social services is to support asylum seekers as they attain legal work status, exit the shelter system and begin independent living.

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VIRTUAL MEETING ON BQE OVERNIGHT WORK SET FOR FRIDAY

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A VIRTUAL MEETING UPDATING THE ONGOING OVERNIGHT WORK on the Triple Cantilever section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be held via Zoom on Friday, Aug. 25, from noon to 12:45 p.m., according to NYCDOT’s Community Liaison Anita Navalurkar. The interim repair work, which began Aug. 18, will continue for the next four to six weeks. During working hours, only one lane will be available in the Queens-bound direction. The Queens-bound Atlantic Ave. BQE entrance ramp will also be closed when the right Queens-bound lane is closed.

To be added to the Community Liaison’s BQE notification list or to obtain a link to the Zoom meeting, contact Navalurkar at (347) 647-0876 or [email protected].

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JUDGE HALTS MARIJUANA LICENSES AFTER VETERANS’ LAWSUIT

STATEWIDE — A JUDGE ON FRIDAY ONCE AGAIN HALTED THE ISSUANCE OF NEW LICENSES FOR RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA dispensaries in New York, reports the AP, after a veterans’ rights group filed a lawsuit last week alleging that the state had unfairly restricted its first round of licenses to people formerly jailed for drug offenses, excluding other disadvantaged groups that the 2021 legalization law had defined as social and economic equity applicants, including disabled veterans as well as women- and minority-owned businesses. Current licensees who have yet to open their storefronts will be able to proceed, while other licenses may still be granted on a case-by-case basis; Justice Kevin Bryant wrote in his injunction that any losses suffered by provisional licensees are the fault of state regulators.

“It feels like we were used to getting a law passed — a good law, one that helps a lot of people, as well as the state. Then, once it was passed, we were cast aside for another agenda,” said veteran plaintiff Carmine Fiore in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

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VERNIKOV KISSED BY RANDOM STRANGER IN ‘CREEPY MOMENT’

BRIGHTON BEACH — SOUTHERN BROOKLYN COUNCILMEMBER INNA VERNIKOV WAS KISSED ON CAMERA AGAINST HER WILL by a stranger during an interview with CBS on Thursday, reports NBC News, eliciting a stunned response of “What the f*ck?!” from the councilmember. Vernikov later on X, formerly Twitter, wrote “Not the kind of love I expect from constituents! Very creepy moment,” and thanked other area politicians for speaking out against the man on her behalf.

NBC says that no report has yet been filed with police over the incident.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO GRABBED AND PUNCHED WOMAN ON SUBWAY

BUSHWICK — POLICE ARE SEEKING AN UNKNOWN MAN WHO HARASSED AND ASSAULTED A YOUNG WOMAN on the southbound platform of the Broadway and Myrtle Avenue J train station on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 17, and are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The suspect first grabbed the buttocks of the victim while standing on the platform, then followed her onto the train and engaged her in a dispute; the suspect then threatened the victim, made anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks and punched her about the face and body — causing a fracture to her nose — before fleeing from the train at the Delancey and Essex stop.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

The unknown man suspected of assaulting a woman on the J train. All calls are strictly confidential.

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MISSING SENIOR IN SUNSET PARK

SUNSET PARK — POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR MISSING SENIOR Yun Zhang, age 73, who was last seen leaving her residence near the Fort Hamilton Parkway D train station and heading in the direction of the Fort Hamilton Parkway and New Utrecht Avenue on the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 16. Zhang is described as female, 5’4′ and 150 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans and a red hat.

Missing senior Yun Zhang. All calls are strictly confidential.

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EX-SEALS, FIRST RESPONDERS COMPLETE GRUELING 9/11 MEMORIAL SWIM

BATTERY PARK — A GROUP OF MORE THAN 260 FIRST RESPONDERS, VETERANS AND FORMER NAVY SEALS joined a grueling charity swim-a-thon in honor of the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and other service members in support of the Navy SEAL Foundation on Saturday, plunging into the Hudson River from Liberty Park in New Jersey, then swimming a total of 3.5 miles to Battery Park City. The muscled-up swimmers exited the water at four stations along the way, including at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and performed 100 pushups and 22 pull-ups at each, for a total of 400 pushups and 88 pull-ups by the end, then grabbed flags for a ceremonial run to the finish line at the World Trade Center Memorial.

The Navy SEAL Foundation provides educational, professional and health support services to active and veteran Navy special forces soldiers, as well as to their families; more information about programs offered by the nonprofit can be found on their website.

Photos: Bazza J. Holmes/Navy SEAL Foundation

Participants in the NYC SEAL Swim run with flags in honor of 9/11 victims and service members.

Swimmers take the plunge into the Hudson.

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TRADER JOE’S CRACKERS RECALLED OVER POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION

NATIONWIDE — TRADER JOE’S HAS ISSUED A NATIONWIDE RECALL OF A BATCH OF CRACKERS that may contain metal, reports USA Today. The store is warning all customers not to eat any of its Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds with expiration dates between March 1 and March 5, 2025; crackers should be discarded or returned to the store for a full refund.

Customers can get more information by contacting Trader Joe’s Customer Relations department at (626)-599-3817 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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SUSPECTS IN NIGHTCLUB KIDNAPPING RELEASED WITHOUT BAIL

WILLIAMSBURG — THE SUSPECTS IN THE KIDNAPPING OF A YOUNG CONNECTICUT DOCTOR from the Brooklyn Mirage nightclub at the Avant Gardner event venue in Williamsburg were released without bail by the Connecticut courts last week, reports the New York Post, despite earlier bail amounts set at $1 million and $250,000 for the two men, who were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, respectively. The Post reports that its efforts to contact suspect Anthony Benjamin, 42, at an address given to Connecticut authorities were unsuccessful, with a resident saying they’d never heard of him; Benjamin is accused of threatening ophthalmologist Michael Bautista, 32, into footing the bill for a $6,100 spending spree through the Bronx after tricking him into a fake taxi outside the nightclub along with alleged accomplice Steve Daley.

The kidnapping is one of several disturbing events associated with the Mirage this summer; two other young professionals, 27-year-old psychologist Karl Clemente and 27-year-old financial analyst John Castic were discovered dead in the Newtown Creek in July after being last seen leaving the club.

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JUDGE HALTS MARIJUANA LICENSES AFTER VETERANS’ LAWSUIT

STATEWIDE – A JUDGE ON FRIDAY ONCE AGAIN HALTED THE ISSUANCE OF NEW LICENSES FOR recreational marijuana dispensaries in New York, reports the AP, after a veterans’ rights group filed a lawsuit last week alleging that the state had unfairly restricted its first round of licenses to people formerly jailed for drug offenses, excluding other disadvantaged groups that the 2021 legalization law had defined as social and economic equity applicants, including disabled veterans as well as women- and minority-owned businesses. Fortunately, current licensees who have yet to open their storefronts will be able to proceed, while other licenses may still be granted on a case-by-case basis; Justice Kevin Bryant wrote in his injunction that any losses suffered by provisional licensees are the fault of state regulators.

“It feels like we were used to get a law passed — a good law, one that helps a lot of people, as well as the state. Then, once it was passed, we were cast aside for another agenda,” said veteran plaintiff Carmine Fiore in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

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VERNIKOV KISSED BY RANDOM STRANGER IN ‘CREEPY MOMENT’

BRIGHTON BEACH – SOUTHERN BROOKLYN COUNCILMEMBER INNA VERNIKOV WAS kissed on camera against her will by a stranger during an interview with CBS on Thursday, reports NBC News, eliciting a stunned response of “What the f*ck?!” from the councilmember. Vernikov later on X, formerly Twitter, wrote “Not the kind of love I expect from constituents! Very creepy moment,” and thanked other area politicians for speaking out against the man on her behalf.

NBC says that no report has yet been filed with police over the incident.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO GRABBED AND PUNCHED WOMAN ON SUBWAY

BUSHWICK – POLICE ARE SEEKING AN UNKNOWN MAN WHO HARASSED AND ASSAULTED A YOUNG WOMAN on the southbound platform of the Broadway and Myrtle Avenue J train station on the afternoon of Thursday, August 17, and are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The suspect first grabbed the buttocks of the victim while standing on the platform, then followed her onto the train and engaged her in a dispute; the suspect then threatened the victim, made anti-LGBTQIA+ remarks and punched her about the face and body – causing a fracture to her nose – before fleeing off of the train at the Delancey and Essex stop.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

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MISSING SENIOR IN SUNSET PARK

SUNSET PARK – POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR MISSING SENIOR Yun Zhang, age 73, who was last seen leaving her residence near the Fort Hamilton Parkway D train station and heading in the direction of the Fort Hamilton Parkway and New Utrecht Avenue on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 16. Zhang is described as female, 5’4” and 150 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans and a red hat.

Anyone with information in regard to the whereabouts of this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.

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EX-SEALS, FIRST RESPONDERS COMPLETE GRUELING 9/11 MEMORIAL SWIM

BATTERY PARK – A GROUP OF MORE THAN 260 FIRST RESPONDERS, VETERANS AND FORMER NAVY SEALS joined a grueling charity swim-a-thon in honor of the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and other service members in support of the Navy SEAL Foundation on Saturday, plunging into the Hudson River from Liberty Park in New Jersey, then swimming a total of 3.5 miles to Battery Park City. The muscled-up swimmers exited the water at four stations along the way, including at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and performed 100 pushups and 22 pull-ups at each, for a total of 400 pushups and 88 pull-ups by the end, then grabbed flags for a ceremonial run to the finish line at the World Trade Center Memorial.

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TRADER JOE’S CRACKERS RECALLED OVER POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION

NATIONWIDE – TRADER JOE’S HAS ISSUED A NATIONWIDE RECALL OF A BATCH OF CRACKERS that may contain metal, reports USA Today. The store is warning all customers not to eat any of its Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds with expiration dates between March 1 and March 5 of 2025; crackers should be discarded or returned to the store for a full refund.

Customers can get more information by contacting Trader Joe’s Customer Relations department at (626)-599-3817 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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SUSPECTS IN NIGHTCLUB KIDNAPPING RELEASED WITHOUT BAIL

WILLIAMSBURG – THE SUSPECTS IN THE KIDNAPPING OF A YOUNG CONNECTICUT DOCTOR from the troubled Brooklyn Mirage nightclub at the Avant Gardner event venue in Williamsburg were released without bail by the Connecticut courts last week, reports the New York Post, despite earlier bail amounts set at $1 million and $250,000 for the two men, who were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, respectively. The Post reports that its efforts to contact suspect Anthony Benjamin, 42, at an address given to Connecticut authorities were unsuccessful, with a resident saying they’d never heard of him; Benjamin is accused of threatening ophthalmologist Michael Bautista, 32, into footing the bill for a $6,100 spending spree through the Bronx after tricking him into a fake taxi outside the nightclub along with alleged accomplice Steve Daley.

The kidnapping is one of several disturbing events associated with the Mirage this summer; two other young professionals, 27-year-old psychologist Karl Clemente and 27-year-old financial analyst John Castic were discovered dead in Newtown Creek in July after being last seen leaving the club.