Results tagged “cellphone”

A 75-year-old man perished in a Queens house fire yesterday when he ran back into the blaze to get his cellphone. Air Force veteran Nathan Lagree had already helped his wife and his eight-months-pregnant daughter escape from their single-family home in Springfield Gardens at around 6:20 am when he realized he forgot his phone.

From the Post: "A driver distracted by her ringing cellphone smashed into a tractor-trailer in Brooklyn early yesterday -- injuring her two adult passengers but remarkably leaving her baby boy unscathed, witnesses said. 'I looked away, and the car went out of control,' said Carmen Natel, 31, who'd been driving two female co-workers home from a party at their boss' house." The incident occurred at Humboldt and Greenpoint—and a security guard "pulled 10-month-old Jaydi from the mangled wreck."

The 24-hour crackdown on drivers using handheld electronic devices ended last Friday at midnight with 7,529 tickets issued. That total edges out the number of tickets issued in August (7,432) but still falls short of the record 9,016 tickets written during the March sting. Is the NYPD phoning it in, or are New Yorkers getting the message?

Opera singer Gabriela Pochinki, whose loud cellphone speakerphone conversation at an Upper West Side restaurant led to a row last week, is relieved that she can avoid jail if she stays out of trouble. So now she's telling the Post and the Daily News why she got so carried away on the phone (hint, it was because of Michael Jackson!).

The Argentinian opera star who was nearly arrested after throwing a tantrum at an Upper West Side restaurant had her day in court yesterday. Soprano Gabriela Pochinki had been carrying on a noisy cell phone conversation via speakerphone at restaurant Nice Matin when a manager asked her to pipe down. When Pochinki blew her off, the manager asked her to leave—four times, and then Pochinki allegedly flew into a rage, shoved her, and refused to pay her bill.

A sexy South American opera singer who behaved like a real diva in an Upper West Side restaurant is due in court today to face charges of trespassing, theft of service, and disorderly conduct. It all started when diners at restaurant Nice Matin complained that soprano Gabriela Pochinki was carrying on a noisy cell phone conversation via speakerphone. And when a manager had the nerve to tell Pochinki—a Fulbright scholar who was the toast of Vienna for her portrayal of Maria in West Side Story—to pipe down, she got quite an earful!

It's time for the city to come back to the well and conduct another cell phone ticket blitz. Why, it seems like only yesterday that the NYPD last cracked down on drivers using cell phones, but it was actually mid-August. New York State just wrapped a lucrative four-day cell phone crackdown on the Thruway, issuing 903 tickets to drivers in a mission called, no joke, "Operation Hang Up II.'' Not to be outdone, the city's sting will start at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and last 24 hours.

After yesterday's announcement that the TLC will be cracking down on cellphone using cabbies, people on both sides of the plastic partition are not happy. Many drivers insist they use their cellphones responsibly and should not be punished. "My wife is home with cancer," one driver tells the New York Times, "If my cellphone rings, I’m going to pick it up." The new rules would forbid drivers from using any device capable of non-emergency phone calls, even if they were to pull over. One driver tells the Daily News "I understand that we can't talk on the phone while we're driving, but to say we can't pull over to take an emergency call...It's like a form of slavery."

It's already illegal for cab drivers to use cell phones while driving—even hands-free—but that law's even more scoffed at than the city's futile jaywalking prohibition! So now the Taxi and Limousine Commission is taking on the seemingly impossible task of separating hacks from their phones, by proposing heavy new punishments for gabby cabbies.

Days after the NYPD announced plans to expand their anti-terror surveillance network to a huge swath of midtown, it's been revealed that the department is also quickly amassing a vast database of cell phone users. Officers have been instructed to remove suspects' cell phone batteries when making an arrest, for the twofold purpose of "avoiding leakage" and also documenting the phone's International Mobile Equipment Identity number [IMEI]. The IMEI number is registered with the service provider whenever a call is made, and can be used to connect the dots between suspects. Naturally, the NYCLU is pissed.

Filmmaker Vincent Gallo isn't finding one man's obsessive prank very funny. Page Six reports that when he changed his New York number to a California one, the man who received his old digits began impersonating him. He says, "When the guy would get calls that were for me, instead of telling them they had the wrong number, he'd play along and pretend to be me." To be fair, who wouldn't do that?

[Update: Now the Nassau County DA says the student lied about the rape.]

Round Two of the NYPD's smackdown on drivers using cell phones for phone calls, texting and emails fell short of the over 9,000 tickets that went out during March's one-day sting. But the city almost certainly cracked the seven-figure mark once again during Thursday's 24-hour ticket blitz, issuing 7,432 tickets at $130 a piece ($200 for cab drivers). Could a 15% drop mean that New Yorker drivers have begun to curb their cellphone usage? Or are they just paying closer attention when the NYPD publicly alerts them to the fact that thirteen times as many tickets will be given out that day? A Daily News writer gives a account of getting nailed for using her Blackberry while driving by Ground Zero on Thursday, taking us through the play-by-play of what getting a ticket is like: "I handed over my license and registration, sat patiently for a few minutes, then took my lumps without saying a word."

In March the NYPD conducted a 24-hour sting targeting drivers behind the wheel with their cell phones, issuing 9,016 tickets during the crackdown. By the end, New York motorists got the message and never used their cellphones while driving again. Kidding—of course it didn't make a damn bit of difference, though it did make some serious loot for the city government. So now it's back to the well, starting at midnight tonight, when cops will start slapping motormouth motorists with $130 fines—$10 more than last time! After 24 hours the crackdown will conclude, and everyone can go back to distractedly steering big hunks of metal through the street with one hand.

    

From stage to television to film, Joel Grey has acted, danced, and sung in virtually every entertainment medium over the course of his 60-year career. You might know him best as the Master of Ceremonies from 1966's Broadway hit Cabaret and its later 1972 film incarnation, but you've probably also seen him in numerous TV guest appearances on programs including House, Oz, and Star Trek: Voyager, not to mention roles in films like Choke and Dancer in the Dark.

You'll be forgiven for not realizing that it's actually illegal for NYC cab drivers to use cell phones—even hands-free—because they all do it. This morning the Times takes a look at chatty cabbies as part of an ongoing series of articles called "Driven to Distraction." Surprisingly, a reporter assigned to ride in cabs as research found that only about one third of his 20 taxi rides featured a driver using his or her cell phone. Almost all of them terminated the call when asked—except for one hack who pulled over and grumbled about a stalled engine.

An unofficial memo is circulating through NYPD precincts warning officers to be on guard against perpetrators who conceal blades in their cell phones and other hand-held devices. The handout shows how you can easily hide a razor blade in the battery compartment of a T-Mobile Sidekick, and also reminds officers about the recent arrest of a suspect in Harlem who converted his cell phone into a stun gun. A police source tells amNY that the improvised weapon "was unlikely to cause much harm, as the jolt was described as low-level." And then there are the hospital meal trays you've got to watch out for! Cops assigned to guard hospitalized prisoners are being warned that meal trays have a vanity mirror that can easily be fashioned into a makeshift shiv. The vanity mirror is in a second-level compartment and that "can pop up for easy use by a patient." Of course, one way to eliminate that threat would be to serve the prisoners' meals on regular trays, but then officers would be forced to guard prisoners with food stuck between their teeth, and we don't pay them enough for that.

With cellphone data being used to help convict Mikhail Mallayev (for killing his relative's ex-husband in Queens) and Darryl Littlejohn (for killing a John Jay graduate student), the NY Times reports, "Cellphone tracking is raising concerns about civil liberties in a debate that pits public safety against privacy rights... Civil libertarians do not oppose using cellphone surveillance to solve crimes or save people in emergencies, but they worry that the legal gray area is enabling it to happen without much scrutiny or discussion." For instance, there was the Alabama sheriff who told a cellphone carrier he needed info in an emergency situation with a child—who happened to be his teenaged daughter, "who was late returning from a date." A Pennsylvania federal court will rule on whether search warrants are needed for basic cellphone data; currently much of the data is obtained through subpoenas or court orders, which require "lower standards of judicial review." Still, Queens DA Richard Brown told the Times that criminals are "unknowingly Twittering with law enforcement" when they use cellphones.

A Boston trolley operator who rear-ended another trolley Friday night because he was text-messaging his girlfriend has ruined cell-phone chatting for everyone at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which has now instructed workers to leave their cell phones at home. 49 people were injured in the collision, which is just the latest example of train wrecks caused by distracted operators—last September a Union Pacific Freight train engineer in California was found to have sent his last text message about a minute before killing 25 people, including himself, in a horrible accident. Now LIRR officials here in New York say they're considering a ban on employees' cell phones, too. Currently, LIRR engineers, who operate the trains, are permitted to bring their personal cell phones on board, but they must be shut off and stowed in a bag. A simpler alternative to an outright ban would be for the LIRR to just hire John Clifford, the famous LIRR cell phone scold, to crack some skulls.

"The taxes are insane!" cried East Village resident Jessica Porter to the Post about her three-line "family plan" cell phone bill, which comes with a tax rate of over 30%. All those vague little taxes can currently add as much as 33%, with eleven federal, state and city levies combining to give New Yorkers the fourth-highest cellphone taxes of any state. And the wireless tax in the latest state budget will likely make us number one! Today the tabloid of record looks with signature disgust at the taxes, which include the state's $1.20 per-month 911 charge. After complaints that only a fraction of the tax went to 911 service, the State Legislature recently changed the name to a "public-service fee" instead. Much better! Bushwick's Danny Schluck tells the Post, "If there was a $5 monkey fee, even if they couldn't explain it, you would still have to pay." Economist Scott Mackey explains that politicians like taxing cell phones because most folks skip the fine print: "There's a tendency to feel no one is going to notice this little tax. They can do this without a lot of pushback from their constituents."

Jonathan Salva, 20, was indicted on rape charges for the February incident where a woman walking on West 28th was grabbed, choked and raped behind a Dumpster. The victim had just left the M2 Ultra nightclub around 4 a.m.; Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "She had an iPhone, she was listening to music, and she didn't hear him come up behind her." Salva had stolen the woman's iPhone, but left his cell phone at the scene, which the victim gave to cops. Salva also used his home address and old cell phone number when trying to get a new phone. He previously admitted to stealing the iPhone, but denied raping the woman. Salva, held on $250,000 bail, was also charged with four counts of robbery.

Oh dear. Remember when Manet's Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (aka Luncheon on the Grass) was a huge scandal to those prudish art critics back in the 1800s? Well they'd certainly be shielding their eyes and turning their noses up at the 3rd Ward's latest exhibit—the Brooklyn establishment just announced an open call for those upskirt shots you've been saving on your cell phone. (You know who you are.) They're specifically asking for "well-executed, erotic expressions made only with a cell phone." Videos, photos and texts will all be accepted, and the winner will take home 500 bucks—enough to buy a mediocre SLR for a future in less pixelated porn. Meanwhile, the best of the best will be picked for a future group show. While their Sex Cells submission form comes with a disclaimer, nowhere does it say that the subject of your pervy pics need to be made aware of their possible public display. You are all fair game!

After a day-long ticket blitz, the NYPD issued 9,016 tickets to drivers using their cellphones—all this in spite of the cops essentially warning people earlier this week that they'd be out in force.

As promised, the NYPD cracked down on drivers talking on cell phones yesterday, issuing approximately 4,000 tickets by the time the evening rush hour began. According to the Post, police typically issue about 500 such tickets on a normal day. One of the unlucky thousands caught up in the dragnet was a Daily News reporter assigned to cover the ticket blitz; after getting a call from his editor, Edgar Sandoval heard "the dreaded police siren." He futilely tried to talk his way out of it by saying, "Funny story, Officer. I'm actually working on a story about this for the paper."

Take heed, Chatty Kathys, the police are about to start a crackdown on drivers using hand-held cell phones. Of course, the NYPD can't keep their mouths shut either, which is why a police source blabbed all about it to the Post, presumably via cell phone while driving at top speed up Sixth Avenue. The source was even kind enough to reveal the exact moment when the crackdown is set to commence: Starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday there will be stepped-up enforcement, with more cops assigned to catch people chatting while driving. So you've got less than 48 hours to recklessly multitask; violators face a fine of $120 if caught. In 2008 the NYPD issued 195,579 summonses to drivers using hand-held cellphones, and last August the City Council and State Legislature talked about banning text messaging while driving, too. And once that passes, you know they're coming for your BrickBreaker!

If you think that someone nearby has no concern for you because they are talking loudly on their cell phone, you might want to consider just how deeply that lack of interest in your well-being might run. Thursday in Borough Park, a woman tried to take a stand against an overly vocal mobile user and ended up on the receiving end of a beating. After being told to pipe down while talking loudly on her phone by the woman while inside a bodega, 21-year-old Berta Rakhamimov chased the chastiser down, shoved her in the chest, threw hot coffee in her face and began biting her on the finger and kicking her thigh with her high heels. Rakhamimov then fled, but police were able to catch up with and charge the woman with assault, menacing and criminal possession for the attack that left the victim bruised and burned.

A man who allegedly raped a woman leaving a West 28th Street club early Saturday morning was arrested by police. And the rape victim helped cops nab her attacker because he dropped his cell phone. According to the Post, Jonathan Salva "admitted to robbing, choking and punching the woman but denied raping her." He allegedly told cops, "I saw the girl walking... She was beautiful," before dragging her behind a dumpster and assaulting her. The Daily News reports, "In the struggle, Salva dropped his cell phone. The victim spotted it and gave it to cops," and the Post adds that Salva used his home address and old cell phone number when trying to get a new one. He is being held on $250,000 bail.

A social studies teacher at an upstate high school was arrested for allegedly sending explicit messages—like "naked pictures please" and "these are so hot give me some more baby"—to a 16-year-old student. And apparently the Newark Valley High School teacher had already been warned by the principal not to contact the girl! John M. Puglisi, 29, was "charged with one count of using a cell phone in an effort to engage someone younger than 18 in sexual activity. " He also reportedly bought the girl the cell phone. Earlier this week, the Post had an article warning peoples about the dangers of teen "sexting," reporting, "A nearly naked 15-year-old Manhattan girl bent over in front of a mirror, put a camera between her legs and, click, sent a photo of her nude backside to her boyfriend - who then had no problem forwarding the pics to The Post." It's unclear whether a clicking noise for the camera phone would prevent teens from making bad decisions.

A few more details about subway robberies being slightly up in 2008 compared to 2007. Apparently a third of those subway thefts were for cell phones. WCBS 2 reports, "Police say the easiest marks are the riders near the doors. Thieves time it so that just as the doors are about to close, they make their grab and take off, leaving the victim trapped inside the train, and helpless to do anything about it." One rider was philosophical "You know if [my phone] gets stolen, I'd rather let it get stolen than get stabbed or something like that." And just last summer, a cop told the Daily News, "A kid taking out an iPhone and using it is like waving around $300."

The second incident allegedly occurred in July, while Rohan was attending summer school. The teen says safety agents injured his knee and middle finger, then took him to a psychiatric hospital! The school’s safety agents are members of the NYPD but are not armed; in a statement, a police spokesman says that Rohan "became irate and pushed and struck the agent. The student was restrained and subsequently removed to Long Island Jewish Hospital for psychiatric evaluation." Rohan's lawyer has filed a notice of claim stemming from the incidents, and a Department of Education rep says, "We are looking into this. We take all these types of situations seriously."