Celebrating the Giants' Super Bowl victory might have meant cheering and high-five-ing folks in Times Square, but when you're in Bay Ridge, it means toilet paper, firecrackers, and standing in front of cars. (Tomorrow's ticker tape parade should be real!) Check out videos of some celebrations in neighborhoods including Bay Ridge, Howard Beach, the Upper East Side and Astoria. more ›

Police say they've apprehended the man who impersonated a police officer in order to lure a 15-year-old boy into his van and sexually assault him. Suspect Steven Pappas, 50, is a level 3 sex offender who was just released from prison this month after a burglary case. NBC New York reports that his sex abuse arrest was from 2000 and involved a 14-year-old. You'll recall from yesterday's report that a striking police sketch of the man (below) was released as investigators searched for him, and it looks like the sketch was right on the money. more ›

The NYPD has released this sketch of a man they say posed as a police officer and sexually assaulted a teenage boy in Brooklyn on Friday morning. According to police, the man, who was dressed as a civilian, approached the 15-year-old boy around 9:30 a.m. on a subway platform at the 53rd Street and 4th Avenue subway station in Sunset Park. After seeing the teen throw an empty bag of chips onto the platform, investigators say he produced what appeared to be a police badge and ordered the teen to accompany him. more ›

A strange scene unfolded yesterday morning at the 68th Precinct stationhouse in Bay Ridge, where a 40-year-old man allegedly walked in and yelled, “I have a bomb!" The Post likens the incident to "the set-up for a really tasteless joke" (the Post editors would know!) but to us it sounds more like the set-up for a really stupid movie, starring Adam Sandler as a fake bomb fetishist who falls hard for a foxy divorced bomb squad detective (played by Reese Witherspoon). At any rate, police "whisked" fake bomb threatener Steven Angelides outside and ordered him to place the "bomb," which was inside a bag, on the street. more ›

Hinsch's Confectionary, the 62-year-old Bay Ridge sweets shop with killer homemade ice cream and a fantastically retro decor has triumphantly re-opened after closing earlier this year due to financial woes. "We are so happy. Very very happy,” said one 82-year-old customer who was celebrating her 52nd wedding anniversary at the shop yesterday with a tuna fish sandwich and an egg cream. Marty Markowtiz was on hand, too, slurping down an egg cream with the rest of the hungry hordes, many of whom have been eating at the greasy spoon since childhood. more ›

Now that we think about it, it probably is really hard to even try and control a naked 60-year-old woman on a rampage. Especially when she is running through a Chinese restaurant in Bay Ridge or running out into the street to spread eagle on the roof of a car. Police were eventually able to control the woman, but not before a crowd of nearly 300 onlookers gathered to watch her public meltdown. more ›

Over the years, science has told many wonderful things about booze—a little tipple can help with everything from sunburns to aging—and now, a Brooklyn woman swears she shaped up with champagne. more ›

The Heartland Brewery bartender who was arrested and accused of being one of the suspects terrorizing and sexually assaulting Brooklyn woman—only for a witness to recant identifying him in a lineup—tells the Post, "This was torture... I don’t know how to deal with the situation, I’m just trying to clear my name. I’m 100 percent innocent." more ›

A group of masked ATM robbers are on the loose across Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Park Slope, identifiable only by their signature move: splashing the crime scene with bleach. Wait, where have we seen this so-called "cash'n'splash" move before? Oh, right in that Ben Affleck movie The Town! Kids really do imitate celebrities these days. more ›

In an effort to find a break in the case of an assailant (or possibly two) who police believe has raped one woman and sexually assaulted at least ten across Park Slope, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge, the NYPD is showing footage of victims being approached to prisoners as they're processed through Central Booking. "We have some videos that show victims being approached," Commissioner Kelly tells the Post. "We're asking people perhaps they recognize a trait or walk on an individual." more ›

As women in Park Slope, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge remain on edge with two, possible more, sexual assault suspects on the loose, community members are trying to reassure women by starting volunteer efforts to escort women from the subway. On the other hand, the police are telling some women to stop asking for it by wearing skirts and shorts. more ›

Last night around 9:30 p.m., a woman was fondled by a man on Prospect Avenue between 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn. According to the Daily News, "The woman told police that the pervert sneaked up behind her as she left [the subway station]... She screamed when he grabbed at her breasts, prompting him to run away." While the police have not linked the incident to the series of sexual assaults on women in Park Slope, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, a Daily News source said, "[The victim] said he looked like the guy from the posters." more ›

Last night, police officers met with Brooklyn residents at a local community safety meeting to update them about series of sexual assaults, including one rape, that have occurred in Park Slope, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge. The fears have prompted a rally, a volunteer effort to escort women to their homes (cyclists have also offered to escort women) and concerns that the police ignored a 911 call about the rapist. The NYPD, which believes there are at least two suspects, released a new surveillance video and also refuted claims they aren't being responsive. more ›

Police have released a new sketch of the man who is suspected of raping one woman and targeting four others in Park Slope, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge Brooklyn. According to the Daily News, this latest rendering comes from the description of a woman who narrowly broke free from him after he attacked her at Prospect and Sixth Avenues on August 26th. more ›

The owner of the Bay Ridge karaoke club that was the scene of a violent early-morning brawl last week finally talked about the brouhaha, and the 22-year-old is just full of gems. more ›

Oh, it's ON! As promised, Mayor Bloomberg has officially issued a challenge to the U.S. Census Bureau, and, after smacking his gloves in the face of his arch-nemesis at the Census, Dr. Robert Groves, the two will face off with pistols at dawn. (Don't worry about Bloomberg, Groves will probably miscount the bullets when he loads his gun.) At stake is some $7 billion in federal funding over the next decade, which would be cut back if the city fails to prove that the Census Bureau grossly miscounted in Brooklyn and Queens. In Jackson Heights, for instance, the Census found that the population decreased by nearly 5,200 people, or by about five percent, between the years 2000 and 2010. more ›

Five people ended up in the hospital with stab wounds in an early-morning brawl at a "notorious" Bay Ridge karaoke club that residents say is a regular old den of sin. more ›

Brooklyn members of The Arab American Association of New York say they were ostracized at a July 4th picnic in Bay Ridge sponsored by state Senator Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge) and Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge). The Arab American Association of New York offered to help with the entertainment for the annual event, which raises money for local community groups. But the event's organizer, Chip Cafiero, turned them down, telling the Brooklyn Paper, "Arab Americans are more than welcome to come down, but they come down as American Arabs. If the Italian Americans wanted to come down, they can, but we’re not going to play Italian music." more ›

George Lucas took on an unexpected, unassuming foe last weekend: no, not the dastardly battle droids—think more like a group of Bay Ridge Star Wars fans who were planning a movie marathon at a local bar. more ›

A 76-year-old Brooklyn man was taken for a $300,000 ride when two women convinced him to invest his money in gold coins, but there was never any gold involved: According to the Post, "drifters...married to brothers in a gypsy clan" Reeva Johnson, 24, and Holly Mitchell, 23, were busted on charges including grand larceny when one of the elderly man's friend got suspicious. more ›

After three days of deliberations a Brooklyn jury today found 77-year-old former district leader Ralph Perfetto guilty of impersonating a lawyer. Last year Perfetto handed in a “notice of appearance” form at the arraignment of his cousin's son Anthony Martire, putting his name in the space for attorney (with “PI” for private investigator after his name) and even addressing the judge. And though the former Bay Ridge power broker said he was not trying to act as a lawyer, the jury decided that is what he had done. He now faces up to a year in prison for the single misdemeanor account. more ›

Previously when a proposed Bay Ridge Parkway bike lane [pdf] was blocked, Council member Domenic Reccia blamed it on "safety," and said that "it would make the street even more busy." Last night, CB 10 gave no specific reason for voting down the proposal besides saying that cyclists should pay insurance. "I'm embarrassed," said one CB member, "that we rejoice—that some rejoice when they get a bike lane." Haw haw! Because there's nothing more rugged and robust than car-related death and injury. What kind of hippie wants their streets to be safe? more ›

Today, the Voice pointed us in the direction of the newest nominee to the Indulgently Fatty Foods Hall Of Fame, joining other absurd Frankenstein-ian concoctions such as Meat Munchkins, Pop-Tart sushi and the Peanut Butter & Bacon Burger: the "fries sandwich," which can be found at Lebanese restaurant Man'ouChe in Bay Ridge. Now, if we can only figure out a way to snort the sandwich into our bodies, we'd truly be set. more ›

The DOT's proposal to install a 6.3 mile stretch of bike lane connecting Bay Ridge to Bensonhurst has been spiked, in no small part due to opposition from City Councilmember Domenic Recchia, whom you may recall for his cheerleading the evictions of the Coney Island Eight. The proposed bike lane [pdf] would have run along Bay Ridge Parkway from Shore Road to Bay Parkway, making it safer for cyclists throughout South Brooklyn to access the gorgeous Shore Road Greenway. But today the Post reports that Recchia put the brakes on the bike lane... for safety. more ›

Do we need to start worrying about tricky tortoises now too? On Sunday afternoon, while his owners were out, Giovani the Tortoise, a six-year-old African spurred sulcata tortoise, tried to make a run for it. But his prison break went bad when he knocked over his terrarium sending its heat lamp into a pile of flammable art supplies. Instead of tasting freedom, Giovani ended up tasting smoke and ash—and burned down his family's Bay Ridge apartment while he was at it. more ›

Some Bay Ridgers are shouting NIMBY, claiming truckers are turning the corner of Seventh Avenue and 92nd Street into a motor lodge. Cops say they are ticketing 'em, but that isn't necessarily prohibitive since its still cheaper than parking and staying in a hotel (a ticket for parking a commercial vehicle over three hours runs $65 and parking overnight starts at $265 and goes up to $515). We suspect the bad press will nudge the NYPD to ticket a bit harder, but in the meantime we don't really know what we'd do if trucks were settling in on our block. Passive-agressive notes? more ›

The Brooklyn man accused of running a $40 million Ponzi scheme out of a storefront—with many of the investors/victims coming from his Bay Ridge neighborhood—turned over papers to the feds in hopes of avoiding an indictment. But it seems one of the notes Philip Barry wrote says, "I'm just a crook running a Ponzi scheme"—and naturally he wants to keep that out of the case! more ›

An ice cream purveyor from Staten Island has landed himself in a sticky Catch-22 after allegedly trying to "palm off" less-than-quality ice cream as Häagen-Dazs in his Bay Ridge shop. The ice cream giant is suing Steven Itkin for trademark infringement and breach of contract, and is seeking a minimum of $75,000 in damages and to shut down Itkin's Häagen-Dazs franchise. However, Itkin suggests maybe Häagen-Dazs should lay off, as their expensive ice cream made it "impossible to make money with the store." more ›

In the feel-good-story of the day (week?), the Daily News profiles Salvatore Forte, owner of Bay Ridge boutique and cafe Hom (aptly pronounced "home"), who has been giving free brunch to the unemployed since October. All it takes is a phone call ahead, and this is no soup kitchen fare—the menu includes such selections as the "Oh L'Amour Sammich": thinly sliced prosciutto and fresh mozzarella topped with tomatoes and basil on peasant bread. more ›