Not to be an alarmist, but, Bongo is still missing, you guys. The stuffed monkey toy that a middle-aged couple lost in Park Slope on Sunday night has been in their lives for a decade, and Bonni Marcus and Jack Zinzi say it's been like "losing a child." They offered a $500 reward for his return, and say they'll know if it's their Bongo, noting that he "has specific marks and features." more ›

An events planner visiting Miami got an assist from a "small army of undercover cops" who helped nab the folks who stole his iPhone and tried to demand a ransom for the 3GS device. According to the Post, Ted Todoroff was "hanging out with pals at the Brass Monkey Bar in the Meatpacking District on Monday night when he forgot his $200 Apple iPhone 3GS." So he texted his phone, and managed to reach the two people who picked it up. more ›

Kidnapping isn't like 'Nam, there are rules. For instance, if you're demanding ransom, the hostage should not be someone you're acquainted with, because it's hard to get away with it if the person knows who you are. But it's just such a rookie mistake that may land a Staten Island couple behind bars for the rest of their lives. And all for a ransom demand of One Hundred Thirty Dollars (and zero cents). more ›

A lost—and possibly kidnapped—bulldog/ basset hound named Sugar has been returned to its Park Slope family after nearly a week's absence. Last Wednesday after losing her dog in Prospect Park, Drucie Belman got a call from unknown number, demanding money in exchange for the dog's safe return. But when she failed to offer enough, the canine's captor hung up and didn't reach her again. She and her family had all but lost hope when this morning she got a more auspicious call. "[A man] said [Sugar] was tied to a bush and that she is very cold, shaking with fear," Belman told the Daily News. She and her family immediately took off for the park. "My two kids, my husband, we all ran. I kept thinking as we were running, 'this is a hoax, this is a hoax." Sugar was dehydrated and had been bitten by another dog, but was otherwise unharmed.
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A family is searching for its lost French Bulldog Sugar—and they think they know who has her. After the pet ran away in Prospect park they received a mysterious phone call from a gruff-voiced man, demanding money in exchange for their dog’s safe return. According to the Brooklyn Paper, when Drucie Belman, a Brooklyn resident, failed to offer a sufficient sum, the man hung up and he hasn’t reached her since. Now Belman has put a call out to the neighborhood and a local dog organization asking for help finding Sugar. "I just love this dog," she said. more ›

Yesterday, NY Times reporter David Rohde returned to the NY Times newsroom, a week and a half after escaping seven months of captivity in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Taliban kidnappers. He appeared with his fellow kidnap victim, Tahir Ludin, a reporter who worked as his translator and guide; the Times' Clyde Haberman wrote, "In an intensely emotional moment, the two men walked into the Times newsroom to enormous waves of applause from scores of reporters and editors... As the long ovation continued, Mr. Ludin wiped away tears. Some in the newsroom seemed near tears themselves." more ›

New York University's Child Study Center is pulling the plug on a controversial ad campaign publicizing childhood mental health problems that was considered stigmatizing. The campaign was meant to raise awareness of conditions like Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asperger's Syndrome, autism, depression, and bulimia. more ›