Results matching “hamilton heights”

Today's late breaking links: a 9-11 suspect gets paid, Skype in the courtroom, New York's low divorce rate, avoiding H1N1 at the office, karaoke violence, a Brooklyn Heights brouhaha, and a woman who was almost raped strikes back.

The alleged serial rapist who terrorized Upper Manhattan for over a month tried to make a break for it during his arraignment Monday night. He didn't get very far. According to the Post, an unidentified young woman—believed to be a girlfriend—was in the Manhattan Criminal Court room sobbing and blowing kisses at suspect Vincent Heyward, whose DNA matched all four victims. When Heyward saw her, he bolted for the back door of the courtroom, pursued by more than a dozen court officers.

Police believe they've apprehended the serial rapist responsible for four sexual assaults in Hamilton Heights since early August. The suspect is identified as 21-year-old Vincent Heyward, of 281 Edgecombe Avenue, just blocks from where the last sexual assault took place. According to police spokesman Paul Browne, officers approached Heyward on Tuesday around 12:30 a.m. because he resembled sketches of the rapist. Heyward agreed, telling the cops, "Yeah, that does look like me." He also consented to swab his cheek for DNA testing, then went on his way.

Police are hoping that DNA testing may link a man they picked up in Harlem this weekend to the series of rapes that have occurred throughout Hamilton Heights over the last month. A Pennsylvania ex-con was picked up Saturday for questioning and is being held on an outstanding warrant as they await to see if his DNA matches a sample recovered from a discarded soda can during one of the four sexual assault incidents in Upper Manhattan. When the man was picked up over the weekend, he told cops, "If you're looking at me for something, I have a twin brother." (He doesn't.) But three of the four victims who have made it down to Special Victims Unit have failed to pick the suspect out of a lineup. Yesterday the Guardian Angels led a rally to continue to spread the word about the rapist. Assemblyman Keith Wright said, "This community will not rest until this person is arrested, indicted, convicted, and incarcerated." Wright is proposing $100,000 in state funds be made available for increased street lighting in the neighborhood.

Police say a man who forced his way into a 28-year-old woman's apartment at St. Nicholas Avenue and 147th Street Monday night and raped her at knife point is the same perpetrator suspected in a series of Upper Manhattan sex assaults. Officers fanned out across Hamilton Heights last night to distribute fliers with surveillance photos and a police sketch of the suspect, and a $12,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. He's described as "a black male in his thirties, about 5-foot-9 to 6-feet tall, wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans, and white sneakers with red stripes on the sole." The suspect was caught on camera on August 10 after raping a 23-year-old at West 144th Street and Convent Avenue, and through DNA investigators have linked him to two other rapes, of a 69-year-old woman and a 59-year-old. Residents in the area are considerably alarmed, and Hamilton Heights local Edna Kirk tells NY1, "I feel terrible. I'm just hoping he doesn't come to me. I feel awful bad about this and I hope they hurry up and catch this guy."

Police are looking for a man that they believe has committed three sexual assaults this month in Upper Manhattan. NY1 has newly released surveillance video of the man described as in his 30s, 5-feet-9-inches to 6-feet tall with a medium build. His latest attack came last week when he followed a 69-year-old woman into the elevator of her building at 158th Street and Riverside Drive and raped her—robbing her as well. The other two assaults took place in Hamilton Heights over the past few weeks, one also in an elevator at West 144th Street and Convent Avenue and the other in an alleyway at West 148th Street and Broadway. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "I would urge women to be particularly aware and alert when they frequent 24-hour shopping locations. We've seen this in the past, where people are lurking outside and following the women from the locations." One woman told NY1, "I have pepper spray on my keychain. I think my dog will let me know before I'm aware that [an attacker's] behind me. And I have something else that I'm not supposed to carry, but I carry it. That's basically it."

Police believe that a 69-year-old woman raped in her apartment building at 155th Street and Riverside Drive was attacked by the same man who raped two other women in Hamilton Heights earlier this month. The latest victim was returning home from work at 4 a.m. to 765 Riverside Drive; WCBS 2 reports, "The victim passed mailboxes on her way in through the east entrance of the building. Then [she] proceeded down the stairs to the wood-paneled foyer where her attacker was apparently waiting. The manned elevator is unmanned after 2 a.m., so she had to use the automatic elevator nearby. She opened the door and her attacker apparently crossed the room and followed her" into the elevator, where she was attacked. There's surveillance video of the suspect and the building's shocked residents are asking for additional security and lighting. In the past incidents, the suspect raped a woman in an alleyway near West 148th Street and Broadway and inside another's building near West 144 Street and Convent Avenue.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting at 155th St and 109th Ave in Queens, a robbery on East Drive in Manhattan and a slashing at Mermaid and Stillwell Aves in Queens.
• A 69-year-old woman was raped as she returned to her apartment building on Riverside Drive and 155th Street at about 4 a.m., the latest in a series of attacks by the same suspect in Hamilton Heights.
• The city's investigation into fraudulent concrete testing has expanded; the NY Times reports the "Department of Transportation banned the company, the Casa Redimix Concrete Corporation, from serving as a supplier on a major venture, the $612 million replacement of the Willis Avenue Bridge, which spans the Harlem River."

Police released a sketch of a man who is believed to have committed two sexual assaults in Hamilton Heights this month. According to 1010WINS, "The first incident occurred on Aug 1 around 8 p.m. Police say the man grabbed a 59-year-old woman and dragged her into an alleyway near West 148th Street and Broadway where she was sexually assaulted and robbed. On Aug 10 around 2 a.m. the man followed a 23-year-old woman into an elevator near West 144 Street and Convent Avenue where he sexually assaulted her and robbed her at knifepoint." And per the Daily News, the suspected is "described as black, in his 30s, 6 feet tall and of medium build," who wore "blue jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt and white sneakers with red stripes on the soles." People with information are urged to call CrimeStoppers (800-577-TIPS [8477]), entering tips at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577.

Bhatti Indian Grill: This good-looking newcomer to Curry Hill marks the U.S. debut for chef Gaurav Anand, who comes from a culinary family in north India renowned for their catering and restaurant empire. Named for the lava-stone open fire grill originated in Punjab, the gourmet restaurant aims to make bhatti cooking more popular here. An exception is the Gilouti Lamb Kebab, which is specially prepared on a "mahi tawa" griddle and seasoned with a blend of 160 spices. Said to be so tender it doesn’t require chewing, the dish was created in honor of an old Lucknow king who refused to give up lamb after losing his teeth. The extensive menu includes a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebabs, with entrees ranging between $9 - $15. 100 Lexington Avenue at 27th Street; (212) 683-4228

Yesterday morning, a woman was struck by a SUV as she was crossing Amsterdam Avenue near West 145th Street. The victim, identified as Debbie Evans, was initially reported as dead—the Daily News reported, "The impact - which knocked Evans out of her shoes - instantly killed the mother of two, police said." However, WABC 7 says the 48-year-old woman is in a coma (the NYPD just told us, per their latest update from yesterday, that Evans was in critical condition; they are still waiting for today's update). At any rate, police are searching for the driver of a gray or silver SUV. One witness told the News, "I saw an SUV hit her, a little old lady walking across the street... The car was going faster than it should be; she never saw him. It's a travesty." Related: We're hearing some reports that a pedestrian was struck at Amsterdam near West 143rd around 7:30 a.m. this morning.

[Update: Some reports indicate that the victim is in critical condition after the crash.] Early this morning around 3:15 a.m., a woman was struck by a vehicle on Amsterdam Avenue near West 145th Street. WABC 7 reports, "According to one witness, the victim never had a chance to get out of the way of a car that was moving rapidly on Amsterdam Ave. The impact was so powerful, it sent the woman flying 10 to 15 feet in the air." The vehicle didn't stop and the police are looking for the driver. Witnesses say the vehicle was a silver or gray SUV; one of its side mirrors fell off and was recovered by the scene. The victim, who was in her 50s, had apparently been at a nearby restaurant with a friend before the incident occurred.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A stabbing at Bowery & Bayard St in Manhattan, a car vs. building at Francis Lewis Blvd & 246th St in Queens, and a man in an elevator shaft on Bedford Ave in Brooklyn.
• A Staten Island doctor found his home burglarized for the second time this month, but this time, his adult son was tied up during the heist.
• The 26-year-old injured after an allegedly drunk driving Jesey City cop struck him—and fatally struck his girlfriend—on West Street is too upset to talk about the incident.
• A Rockland County doctor wants to treat people for free: Dr. Lloyd Hamilton has formed a group called Doctors Within Borders.
• Yesterday's Metropolitan Diary featured stories about a Brooklyn Heights Promenade proposal a chimpanzee sitting next to a driver on Park Avenue.
• Boys! The male stars of Gossip Girl aren't very good about cleaning their apartment.
• The opening of the Greenwich Village High School is apparently delayed by a year. What, no one wants to pay up to $34K for high school tuition these days?
• Folks fired from WNBC celebrated at "Severance Fest 2009"—and Chuck Scarborough, Sue Simmons and Janice Huff said good-bye to their old colleagues.
• Sources tell TMZ that Rihanna's injuries are "horrific": "there is serious swelling and bruising. Her lip is split and her nose bloody. We have now confirmed there are bite marks on one of her arms and on several fingers."
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Six firefighters and one civilian were injured yesterday in a blaze that took place in the Hamilton Heights section of Manhattan. The fire started around 1 a.m. on the second floor of a building on Amsterdam Avenue near 146th Street and lasted around an hour and a half. Three dozen of the adults and children residing in the building had to evacuate their homes and stay with friends or in nearby motels. One woman feared that the fire had burned down her Christmas tree and all of the gifts she had already purchased this holiday season. All injuries were minor. While the cause of the fire isn't clear, it's a good time to remind everyone that the FDNY recommends the use of UL-approved holiday lights and to never leave lit candles unattended (always extinguish them before going to bed). Also, make sure you have a working fire alarm in your home.

An elderly woman lost control of her car at 78th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway in Dyker Heights this morning. The vehicle jumped a curb and hit a number of pedestrians. The victims were taken to Lutheran hospital, two victims have non-life threatening injuries while two others are in serious condition. 1010 WINS adds that there was an 8-year-old child in the car. In another incident in Brooklyn, a 91-year-old woman was killed by a n 18-wheeler while she was trying to cross an intersection.

Today, a judge sentenced Robert Williams to life in prison for the brutal rape and torture of a Columbia graduate student. Williams was convicted last month, with a jury finding him guilty of 44 counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, arson, burglary, robbery, assault, rape and sodomy. The attack occurred in April 2007, after Williams had gained access to the victim's Hamilton Heights apartment building, followed her to her floor and forced his way into her apartment.

Yesterday, a jury of eight men and four women found Robert Williams guilty of 44 counts, including, per the Post, "attempted murder, kidnapping, arson, burglary, robbery, 10 assault charges, five separate rapes and 11 incidents of sodomy," related to his 19-hour rape and torture of a Columbia University graduate student in her Hamilton Heights apartment a year ago.

A 24-year-old woman took the stand and began to relive a terrifying ordeal as she described how she was raped, tortured, and held captive in her own Hamilton Heights apartment in April 2007.

In April 2007, a Columbia graduate student was raped and tortured for 19 hours in her Hamilton Terrace apartment. More than a year later, her suspected rapist is now in court, facing 71 criminal charges including attempted murder, arson, rape and sodomy.

An off-duty police officer was raped in her Bay Ridge home last night. Police believe that the attacker entered her apartment through a window or door. The victim described him as being a white man wearing a mask; the attacker also threatened her with a knife.

Yesterday, the man suspected of raping and torturing a 23-year-old woman in her apartment pleaded not guilty to the attack. However, police say that they have DNA evidence linking ex-con Robert Williams to the scene. The victim, a graduate student at Columbia's Journalism School, remembered that the attacker wore one of her T-shirts, which was thrown into a wastebasket, and the police have DNA from Williams' spit (he spat into a station house wastebasket).

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: brush fires in Jamaica caused delays and suspensions on the LIRR west of Jamaica Station (it's okay, just booze up) - there may still be some delays; a water main break on 3rd Ave at 86th Street; and found DOA on the Belt Parkway.
• Being the head of a crime family isn't easy these days. Danny "The Lion" Leo, the reputed head of the Genovese crime family was arrested on charges of extortion and conspiracy yesterday. He pleaded not guilty while wearing a large white t-shirt worn over navy sweat pants and white sneakers. No, not a stereotype at all.
• The accused rapist of a Columbia grad student was arraigned today on 71 charges. Robert Williams allegedly forced his way into a woman's Hamilton Heights apartment and held the woman hostage for 19 hours.

Along 65th Street near Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn are a number of culinary gems: The sidewalk-sprawling Three Guys Produce, billed as “The Original Poor Person’s Friend;” Asian markets with fresh shiso and lily bulbs, and also the legendary, cafeteria-style Rocco’s Calamari. With a fledgling greenmarket in nearby Leif Ericson Park, this Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights/Bensonhurst interzone has quietly become a destination for inexpensive, quality provisions.

The man suspected of raping a 23-year-old woman last weekend was aware people were looking for him. Robert Williams, who was arrested after trying to rob a Queens apartment, was charged with rape, attempted murder, kidnapping and more in connection to the violent 19-hour rape and torture of Columbia graduate student in her Hamilton Heights apartment at West 141st and Hamilton Terrace (building pictured). Today, the Daily News reports that Williams tore down wanted posters with a police sketch of himself on them, according to someone who saw him take the poster and stuff it into his pocket.

While boldly trying to rob an apartment in Hollis, Queens on Thursday, Robert Williams was arrested after a scuffle with residents. And when police brought him to the station, a sergeant realized he was the prime suspect in the Hamilton Heights rape case, where a 23-year-old Columbia graduate student was raped and tortured for 19 hours last weekend. Williams was charged with kidnapping, arson, attempted murder, rape, robbery and sex abuse.

The police have revealed that their suspect in the brutal 19-hour rape and torture of a 23-year-old Columbia journalism student is William Roberts, a 30-year-old man with a criminal history. According to WABC 7, Roberts has been charged with attempted murder twice - once in 1993, once in 1996 for shooting a man in the back. Last year, he was charged with assault as well as fare jumping.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired early this evening on Blake Ave. in Brooklyn, a homicide/suicide on 225th St. in Queens this afternoon, and a sexual assault early this morning on West 120th St. in Manhattan.
• City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants black activist Sonny Carson stricken from the list of nominees for proposed street names because she thinks he was divisive and anti-white. Former Black Panther and current Brooklyn Council Member Charles Barron disagrees with the exclusion, noting that Brooklyn is full of streets named after racists and slaveholders, and calls Carson a hero.
• City Council members will vote on a proposal to restrict the growth of pedicabs in the city the day after Earth Day (Sunday the 22nd). Opponents hope the proximity of the two events will sway Council Members in favor of the pedicabs.
• The founder of the Zone Chefs diet service plead guilty along with several mobsters of running a boiler-room stock scheme designed to thin investors' wallets.
• Mayor Bloomberg reactivated a portion of the Staten Island Railroad in order to shift waste transfer from New York to New Jersey away from trucks and towards rail transport.
• Rep. Jerrold Nadler and City Councilwoman Gale Brewer are two more politicians who wrote letters in support of a class trip to Cuba, that wasn't actually a school event and that no one knew anything about at the time.
• Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff says the plan for a Santiago Calatrava-designed gondola is still in the works. The elaborate cable car system would transport passengers to and from Manhattan and Brooklyn via Governors Island.
• Despite pouring boiling water all over his victim to destroy DNA evidence, the Washington Hamilton Heights rapist did leave some at the scene and the police are in possession of it.
• The Tom Cruise-hosted fund-raiser to support a 9/11 rescue worker detoxification program isn't until tomorrow, but the City Council has already issued a proclamation honoring the late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard for contributing his vitamin and sauna therapy program to the world.

The Post gives more detail about the brutal attack: Apparently the attacker rushed her when she opened the door to her apartment Friday and beat her. Then he tied her to a futon with coaxial cable, beating and sexually assaulting her. He poured boiling water on her in an attempt to remove DNA evidence and set the futon on fire Saturday afternoon before leaving. But the fire "melted the plastic covering of the coaxial cable" and she was able to escape. A building resident tells the News that the woman "keeps blaming herself" for letting him in.

Police are still looking for a man who raped and tortured a 23-year-old woman in her apartment on Hamilton Terrace off West 141st Street Friday night through Saturday afternoon. The attacker had tied up the woman and set her apartment on fire when he left, but Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "It appears she was able to escape as a result of the fire. She was tied, and the flame was used by her to break the bond."

The police are looking for a man who raped, beat, and burned a 23-year-old woman in her Hamilton Heights apartment Friday night. The attacker followed the woman into her apartment building around 9:30PM and terrorized her for 19 hours, repeatedly raping and beating her. He left only after throwing a chemical on her and setting her apartment on fire. The woman managed to escape, and the Post reports that the police got there Saturday afternoon: "Cops responded to a 911 call of a fire and a sexual assault and found the dazed and shaken victim near her superintendent's basement apartment on Hamilton Terrace, off West 141st Street."