Who doesn't love a giant tortoise story? Newsday reports that a Bronx woman discovered a shelled one in the yard of her Baychester home Tuesday. They note that "the giant tortoise species can grow to be four feet long and up to 660 pounds, and are generally living in remote areas of the world. Experts are unsure of how it has been able to survive on its own in the Bronx." (Maybe it was recently fired from the zoo?) This one measures 30 inches and 60 pounds, and has been named Shelly, of course. She's being cared for at the Animal Care and Control Center, so it's unlikely she'll have a run in with some pranksters on the street, like poor 'ol Myrtle the Turtle. more ›

In what has to be a new contender for the most contemporary crime story, a young man was arrested for making graffiti and three other charges after another rider on the N train in Astoria snapped shots of him on her cellphone scratching a window on the train and sending them into Crime Stoppers via text. The vandalism task force was able to connect the cellphone pics to 18-year-old Andrew Morello, who had previously been arrested this summer for tagging "Shelly" on a commercial vehicle in Queens. The NYPD delegated a Crime Stoppers line over the summer specifically for text messages and had previously arrested a driver whose license plate was captured after he hit a cyclist and left the scene of the accident. more ›