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Newlywed Rebecca Padro had just moved to Flatbush from Philadelphia, so when her husband Miguel, a grad student, went missing on his way to work two months ago, she got a little panicked. According to Fox News, Miguel had left the apartment on his bike to ride over to his part time job at the Prospect Park tennis center, but never made it work and wasn't returning her calls. After some hours passed, she notified Miguel's parents. His brother Juan rushed down from Massachusetts, and she called the 71st Precinct, where the person who fielded the call wasn't aware that Miguel had been arrested and booked that day in that very precinct.
Miguel's family spent the rest of the day and night freaking out, visiting hospitals and making calls, until another station near the park finally notified Rebecca that Miguel had been arrested after cops tried issuing him a summons for riding his bike on the sidewalk. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't carrying ID, so officers had to send him through Central Booking, which tends to take a while. In Miguel's case, it was 28 hours, which seems to be about average for a trip through the Tombs. During that time, he tried to use his one phone call to let his wife know where he was, but because her cell phone still has an out of state area code, he wasn't able to reach her. State law only allows for one local call.
"I've never been so relieved to hear that someone was arrested in my life," Rebecca tells Fox News. "It wasn't weird, it was absurd," Miguel explains to ABC7. "When they cuffed me, I said, 'You're arresting me for this?'" Now some state lawmakers are proposing a new law that would allow people who've been arrested one free phone call to any number in the country. Assemblyman Rory Lancman says, "What Miguel and his wife went through here was such a travesty. Hopefully, this common sense piece of legislation will pass and land on the governor's desk in the next few weeks." And at least it will give Albany something to do while the same-sex marriage bill dies on the vine.
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If he was arrested for a legitimate reason I don't see anything wrong with what happened.
I agree with you if you mean for not handing over ID / not carrying any.
Carrying ID should be common sense (most of the time).
common sense, yes... but illegal?!? and not calling a Philadelphia phone?!?
also, asking for common sense to the police or the government? Good luck with that...
carrying an ID should NOT be required in this country. that is a ridiculous notion. we shouldn't have to live in fear that the police can jail you at their discretion for almost any reason.
a "legitimate" reason can be jaywalking. that is legitimate in the eyes of the law. how could this not outrage every resident and worker in new york?
I don't think the issue is the arrest, but the inability to contact his wife. Only allowing local calls is pretty outdated in the age of the cell phone. Allowing one call to any number seems like a reasonable way to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen.
That's the central issue that they are complaining about, not necessarily that he was arrested.
I Have The Solution. Lets all get MICROCHIPS implanted then we would never have this problem.
Welcome to New York, newlyweds!
"Unfortunately for him, he wasn't carrying ID, so officers had to send him through Central Booking"
Chose to. It's policy if they can't establish his identity, but there are other ways to do that. They're a hassle, though, so it's easier to just put someone through the system.
"Carrying ID should be common sense (most of the time)."
It is. But then, anyone can walk out of the house forgetting their wallet on occasion.
I think his crime may have been "Non-threatening White yuppie-type guy commits misdemeanor and provides an excuse for lazy, disgruntled cops the time to spend a few hours back in the station house".
Not sure what the code is for that.
Rrrrright-- they handcuffed, then arrested this guy for JUST riding on the sidewalk and not having ID on him. Okay, surrrre, lol...
since when do they arrest for that? Obviously, I know they hand out tickets, but why do they arrest rather than ticket? not being a smart ass, i'm just confused, and nothing addresses this question. I have only heard of that when there are unpaid tickets and that wasn't the case here
They write you a ticket if you have ID. If you don't have ID they can bring you in if they have no way to establish your identity. It sucks, but that's just how it is.
I saw this on foxnews. Even though this guy's name is miguel padro, this dude looks and speaks like a whitebread wasp. As a white man myself, this gave me chills down my spine that we are not exempt from stupid police practices long oppressing minorities. Is this the result of the Obama administration? instead of making it easier for blacks and minorities, we'll just make it just as hard for whites, therefore creating an equality of injustices thereby making it just?
maybe he cleaned himself up for foxnews, and when the cops saw him, he was biking on the sidewalk speaking spanish and blasting reggaeton.
with a name like baby hitler i bet you're a fine example of a white citizen.
Didn't he tell them that he wasn't Puerto Rican?
He needs to chage his name to Charles Xavier or Yacov Wienstein. Nuguel is always going to get messed with. Also Jackson, and Mohammed, you guys with those last names watch out also. I love your post babyh****. Poeple here us black folks say the system is inherently racist and its disreguarded. Now we have hitler himself telling you the system is currupt.
When black people say the system is inherently descriminatory, its classified as nagging. Now we have hitler telling you. If your last name is, Miguel, Jackson, Mohamed, you better change it to Anything-stien, O'something, McAnything, Whatever-liano.
Your taxpayer dollar hard at work here.
I went thru the tombs myself and had no problem calling multiple people from the phones in the holding cells. Called a ME number and local Brooklyn ones as well. Damn Philly kid was probably scared stiff to go near the phones.....
did he go through Manhattan Central booking or Brooklyn Central booking? all I know about MCB was that whenever my old man went in for a day he brought back candy. kind of weird when you don't see your father for a day and it's because he's in jail for the night but he brings back hershey bars.
The linked ABC7 story says he "was sitting in a Brooklyn jail cell."
Stuck in with the hardcore criminals because you weren't carrying your identification papers -- is that really the only solution we have here? There's got to be a better way to verify identity for minor offenses.
By the way, I never carry my ID when I run, so I'm often out of the house without it. But I may be an outlier -- do most people have their IDs with them when they run or ride a bike?
The "hardcore criminals" don't go through the tombs. It's mostly drunks and people caught driving with outstanding bench warrants for unpaid speeding tickets or suspended licenses.
Ah -- good to know. (Can't say I've ever found myself there.) Still, we shouldn't need to send people to jail for this.
I carry an ID while biking in the event I get hit and am unable to identify myself. I don't want my family to have to track me down.
Why is a grown ass man riding a bike on the sidewalk? This must be addressed.
Perhaps he found himself on a street with no bike lane and crazy drivers (think Tillary St or Flushing Avenue or Parkside ave... where the Tennis Courts this guy works at are)
Perhaps he felt unsafe and went onto a fairly desolate sidewalk for his own safety.
I have received two summons for riding on the sidewalk, both times I went on the sidewalk because I suddenly felt unsafe.
I will do it again. Feel free to put me in jail if I ever hit someone... sue me for negligence... I'll take responsibility for anyone I hurt.
But taking someone to jail for simply riding on the sidewalk is dumb.... really dumb.
I'm on a bike!
Nothing like police being douches.
did Miguel get any fresh ink during his time in the big house?
Was he sodomized by a plunger or baton while in police custody?
Sweet!!
Miguel: You've been served (and protected) by NYPD.
You're welcome.
The Tombs refers specifically to the Manhattan Central Booking facility...not Brooklyn.
I ride without my ID all the time, never really thought it mattered....
This is insane for two reasons:
1. No one should be jailed for not having ID. That is a ridiculous waste of money and time for our courts/police.
2. The NYC law is very clear on riding a bike on the sidewalk. It is illegal, but Police officers are not the body that writes those tickets. That responsibility falls on the Environmental Control Board, and any cop giving a summons to appear in a criminal court for that is well out of his/her jurisdiction.
This guy should sue the city so he can be compensated for the time he had to spend in JAIL for no reason and to raise awareness among cops about the law. It is a shame to spend more money on this, but something has to be done.
Know your bike rights: http://www.bicycledefensefund.org/bikelaw.html
1. You realize if you couldn't be brought to booking wanted people would never carry any id, right?
2. Know your proper bike rights (from">http://times-up.org/index.php?page=bnc-legal-faq> Times Up ):
Is it legal to ride on the sidewalk?
No, it is illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk. The police can seize your bike if you are riding on the sidewalk.
What happens if my bike gets seized?*
1. The police officer will issue you a ticket and take your bike to the local police precinct where it will be stored for a week or so. If you wait too long you will need to call New York City Police Department at (646) 610-5410 to locate your bike.
2. The day after you bike is taken, you can go to the Environmental Control Board or ECB and have a hearing between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm. You will need to bring a photo identification and your ticket. Call the ECB at (212) 361-1400 for information on their closest location.
3. At the hearing you may or may not be issued a fine for riding on the sidewalk.
4. Pay any fines required by the ECB and get a receipt.
5. Take the receipt and your ticket to the precinct that has your bike and ride home.
* This information is particular to bikes seized while the rider was riding on the sidewalk. If your bike was seized under other circumstances, you may find http://www.beeduul.com/bike/ to be helpful.
"That responsibility falls on the Environmental Control Board, and any cop giving a summons to appear in a criminal court for that is well out of his/her jurisdiction."
Nothing in the linked stories indicates that he was ordered to appear in a criminal court for the sidewalk violation. NYPD has the power to ticket cyclists for riding on sidewalks; the ticketed cyclist then must appear at the ECB to answer the summons.
This is a joke. People ride on the sidewalks all the time. The cops were obviously on an unsucessful fishing expedition, as they usually do.
Technically, this would be a successful fishing expedition.
Isnt it amazing how a van can go 50 mph down a 25 mph street, endangering people's lives, and nothing happens, and this grad student oops, rides down the sidewalk for a moment and spends the night in jail. Makes me feel REALLLLLLY confident and grateful for our wonderful NYPD.
NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
(idiots)
As one of the earlier commenter said, if you ride your bike in this city I think it's hard to always stay on the street with your bike. A lot of the times people are double parked (especially in Bklyn) therefore giving you about .5 inches to somehow maneuver your bike through without getting killed. It can be downright terrifying, especially if you are going through any major intersections with high traffic.
Don't know what was up with this, but as a biker who is constantly terrified of the people flying out of driveways and plowing through stop signs combined with the double parking...well I drive my bike on the sidewalk too sometimes. Feel bad for the guy.
I was reminded today, after biking on the sidewalk, again, that, yeah, sometimes it's necessary. I try to coast through those areas, ready to stop, but I take the sidewalk if my life is at risk. I acknowledge, however, that it's illegal in the city for a pretty good reason--lots of bikers are a hazard on a sidewalk. However, mixed bike/people/skater paths work on the Greenway. Why not make sidewalk riding the default and just zone certain areas/streets as "street only biking"? Large swaths of the city might ban bikes on sidewalks. However, in most of the city is seems like reasonable sidewalk biking should be allowed. I know it's an old saw, too old, but, yeah, the more reasonable biking rules are for bikers, the more bikers will follow the law.
Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect!
Of course, if you allow your van to go on the sidewalk, killing children, the police don't have a problem with that.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/child-is-killed-in-traffic-collision-in-chinatown