As if the story of the man who drove his father's Nissan Quest minivan into the Harlem Meer in Central Park couldn't get weirder, what with Antony Romo's claims that his dad loved the car more than his own son, it does! The Post reports, "A police source confirmed that on July 14, Anthony [Romo] had gone to retrieve his cat from mom Donna Gianell, 55, at his parents' Upper West Side apartment, but for some reason she refused to hand over the kitty and stabbed him." more ›

Yesterday, just after noon, a man drove a van into the lake at the Harlem Meer, located in the northeastern corner of Central Park. As a commenter on Harlem Bespoke pointed out, "Quite honestly - a person has to try pretty hard to do that!" And it turned out the driver, 30-year-old Anthony Romo, was aiming for the lake. A witness tells the Post that Romo said, "F*ck that car! It’s my father’s car. He loves that car more than he loves me." Another witness told the Daily News, "Then he sat down. He didn't try to resist or run. ... It was insane." more ›

If you read about a dead animal discovered in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, see a photo of an injured swan caught on fishing line, or hear commentary on the mass Canada goose slaughters in the area... it's most likely coming from Anne-Katrin Titze. We recently asked Titze some questions about her role as unofficial wildlife rehabilitator there, and below she discusses her training, the geese, and how she believes Tupper Thomas did "serious harm" to the park. more ›

Yesterday afternoon an 11-year-old Long Island girl, Sarah Thalhammer, chased after her neighbor's dog—a poodle-Maltese mix named Ace Ventura—who was running across the partially frozen Great South Bay. (There are conflicting reports that she was being pulled by him while walking the dog for her neighbor). She fell through the thin ice at about 30-feet out, and recalls, "I was screaming, the water was up to my neck." more ›

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe is warning New Yorkers about one of winter's many silent killers: ice. Don't become a statistic, people, the ice doesn't have to win! Not this year! That is, not if you follow the ice safety guidelines provided by Benepe (below) and exercise extreme caution (and/or less extreme common sense). While you probably won't fall through the ice at Wollman Rink, you can AND WILL if you dare venture onto the thin ice coating ponds and lakes. more ›

Around the time the EPA was patting Prospect Park on the back and awarding the space for its cleanliness... more dead animals popped up by the lake. So far this year there have been dismembered animal parts, a dead duck, a dead swan, a dead dog, dead turtles and fish... who can keep track? The latest victims include a raccoon, a possum and several gosling. more ›

Thankfully it's been a little while since a dead animal, or its remains, have popped up over at the lake in Prospect Park. Unfortunately, that short streak is now over—yesterday a dead dog was found in the lake by a maintenance worker, the latest victim at what the Brooklyn Paper is now calling "a watery graveyard." more ›

Turns out the water in Prospect Park Lake—that many thought was contaminated following a few bird deaths—is totally fine! The Department of Environmental Protection ran a test and everything checked out... so why are all these birds dying? more ›

Remember when the two families of swans (apparently named the Monsters and Honeybears) living in Prospect Park became territorial and waged war upon each other? Well now they're playing nice! The Brooklyn Paper has a report from the lake, saying they've welcomed two new swans to the flock. One regular visitor of the feathered friends opines, “They’re just trying to make the best of the winter. They’re in it together.” While this might be the most amount of swans that have ever peacefully lived in the lake together, the paper notes "the highest population on record from 1900 to present day in Prospect Park was in June of last year, when both the Honeybear and Monster families still had their broods intact." more ›

Prospect Park swans have already fought against each other — now they're fighting against fishermen. At least two of the swans that live in the park's 60-acre lake have been injured by fishermen, according to The Brooklyn Paper. One lived for months with a hook through its beak (the hook has since been extracted), and another apparently swallowed a hook and line that is now protruding from its chest. more ›

Fighting families, aggressive, territorial behavior... yep, sounds like Park Slope! CityRoom reports that a pair of swans living in Prospect Park Lake have recently waged war on each other after they both started families. more ›