As commenters on Gothamist Contribute have noted—"Big police activity around 14th street and Irving - something in a car or truck" and "Flammable containers in a car at 15th and Irving. Bomb squad on scene"—the NYPD and FDNY have been checking out a suspicious vehicle on Irving Place between 14th and 15th Street, right outside Con Edison. It does not appear to be a BMW prototype that was left running with a tarp over it; we hear that there are several gas cans in the rear seat—and some buildings may have been evacuated. Update: The police gave the all clear around 1 a.m. after talking to the car's owner. more ›

It was just another day in the life of Staten Island's Joel Lederman on May 10, 2004—that is, until he bent over his kitchen stove to light a smoke and his T-shirt went up in flames. He sustained severe burns to his body and hands, and spent three and a half weeks in a hospital Burn Center, undergoing surgery twice. Then came Lederman's lawsuit against Macy's, where he bought the "light-blue, 100-percent cotton Club Room by Charter Club T-shirt." Now, some might say that's what ya' get for wearing Club Room, but Lederman's lawyers demanded monetary satisfaction, and they have prevailed. more ›

A 7-year-old Manhattan boy is hospitalized today with burns over 70% of his body after an attempt to make S'mores in a Murray Hill basement went horribly wrong. As opposed to the usual case of youthful misadventure, responsibility for the boys injuries appears to lie with a supervising parent, who allegedly threw a volatile flammable liquid on an open flame, which exploded in the boy's face. more ›