A 50-year-old bus driver and a 58-year-old bus matron were arrested this morning in Staten Island after they failed to notice a four-year-old girl was still on a school bus—and left her in the vehicle for more than four hours. The two, who both told authorities they didn't see the girl, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. more ›

In 2001, an off-duty police officer who spent up to 12 hours drinking before going to his Brooklyn precinct struck and killed a 24-year-old pregnant woman, her 4-year-old son, and her 16-year-old sister. Medical staff delivered the woman's baby boy, who died 13 hours later, and police officer Joseph Gray was eventually convicted of four counts of second degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison and yesterday, after 10 years behind bars, Gray was released. more ›

We came across this photo in the New York Public Library's digital archive, and were kind of stunned it was taken in New York City... Staten Island, to be exact. But precious little information is available about this place. The library's caption simply reads: "May's—view of building, patio with umbrella tables, dance hall entrance, sign advertising May's Hotel Bar and Grill." more ›

Earlier this month, the Staten Island District Attorney's office decided to drop criminal charges against a man who killed Antonio Lacertosa, on the evening Lacertosa was celebrating his engagement at Espana restaurant. A reputed gangster, Redinal Dervishaj, who had fled NYC and was found in Chicago, claimed self defense, and a surveillance video apparently backed that claim. Now videos showing the fight have emerged online. more ›

The police are asking the public for help in finding the man who they say committed a home invasion on Staten Island and shot the home owner's dog in the process. And that dog happens to be Kilo, the 12-year-old pit bull who survived his injuries! more ›

The Staten Island ferry is one of the top tourist destinations in the city—as well as being a popular date location—but the buck stops there. Despite our valiant efforts to tell people of the fun things in the borough beyond, lots of folks won't step a foot past the ferry terminal (unless maybe for a Steve Martin concert). Which is why the borough is now looking for a few good volunteers. more ›

This afternoon Steve Martin Tweeted: "May/June tour dates announced! At a theatre probably NOT near you." Martin is bringing his music and comedy show to New York City on June 1st, and yes, the venue is probably NOT near you—he has chosen Staten Island for his appearance. more ›

Huh, things we did not know until today? Though they are born in the Atlantic Ocean (in the Sargasso Sea by Bermuda) the anguilla rostrata, or the American Eel, spend their lives in fresh water rivers and streams before going back south to spawn and die. Right now the tiny, translucent baby eels are making their way North, and for the first time they are being counted in a major metropolitan area (counts up and down the Hudson have been happening for a few years now). In this case, on Staten Island. And the number of eels this year is quite high! more ›

Today, the driver who fatally struck a Staten Island grandmother who was crossing the street after a church mass appeared in court today. Brian McGurk, who faces a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, had the case adjourned until June and sported a very different look than last week: He shaved his beard and was wearing a suit (here's another comparison). more ›

Today, the funeral of grandmother Clara Almazo was held at ur Lady of Mount Carmel-Saint Benedicta Church in Staten Island, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan presiding over the service. Almazo was killed on Thursday night while heading home from Holy Thursday mass when a car fatally struck her as she crossed Cary Avenue. Almazo, 57, managed to push her 8-year-old grandson, Brian Herrera-Ramirez, out of the way of the SUV. Dolan said he was moved by her selflessness, "Coming home from Holy Thursday mass, I mean the night that Jesus begins his Passion and giving her life for her little grandson. If that's not Christian witness, if that's not heroic virtue I don't know what is." more ›

The driver who fatally struck a 58-year-old woman at 9:50 p.m. who was returning from Holy Thursday Mass turned himself into police three hours after the incident on Staten Island's Cary Avenue. According to the Staten Island Advance, Brian McGurk, 40, had a lawyer with him when he went to the police and "told officers he had 'struck something' but was unsure what, according to reports. He was arrested at 2:45 a.m." more ›

Proving yet again that it has every amenity as the rest of the city, a coyote was spotted at the site of the old Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island. Nick Mirto was dropping off a load of soil at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday when something caught his eye. "I just looked to the left, and there he was, about 30 feet from the road we just drove down," Mirto told the Staten Island Advance. "He looks very healthy. There's plenty of food in there for him to eat." more ›

Last night, a 57-year-old woman was killed in Staten Island when the driver of a SUV slammed into her around 9:50 p.m. Police say that Clara Almazo had been crossing Cary Avenue at Elizabeth Street with her 8-year-old grandson, on their way home from Holy Thursday church services—witnesses say and surveillance footage shows Almazo pushing the child out of the way before the car hit her. A family friend told the Daily News, "That was heroic of her, thinking about the boy until the last second. They were coming from church. They are very religious people." more ›

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And that goes for public housing, too. Feds have charged the building manager and superintendent of a troubled Staten Island apartment complex with illegally taking thousands in bribes to help prospective tenants jump up the list. But they weren't doing it for the money, they can reportedly be heard on tape explaining. It was all to keep the community safe! more ›

One of the best things to come out of Staten Island, the 5th graders of the PS 22 chorus, are getting some more attention with a documentary that will premiere at TriBeca Film Festival this year. The trailer for Once In A Lullaby has just been released (watch it below), and the doc will focus on the public school kids from Staten Island and their teacher Gregg Breinberg, who have been invited to perform at the White House and The Oscars. more ›

A week ago, a Staten Island man was fatally stabbed outside of a restaurant where he and his high school sweetheart had been celebrating their recent engagement. Suspect Redinal Dervishaj was tracked down in Chicago this week and arraigned Friday on murder charges in the stabbing of 27-year-old Antonio Lacertosa. Despite fleeing the state after the incident, Dervishaj's lawyer claims that his client acted in self-defense: "I believe there were several people who were potentially attacking my client," lawyer Thomas Reilly said outside Staten Island Criminal Court. "It looks like he has a decent self-defense case." more ›

The suspect wanted in the killing of a Staten Island man at his own engagement party was arrested in Chicago. Redinal Dervishaj was "tracked there by members of the New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task force and NYPD detectives, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff's office," sources told the Staten Island Advance. And the Daily News reports, "One source said Dervishaj has relatives who live in the area." more ›

Early Saturday morning, a Staten Island man was fatally stabbed outside of a restaurant where he and his high school sweetheart had been celebrating their recent engagement. Police are still searching for the suspect—believed to be a kitchen worker at España Restaurant—who stabbed 27-year-old Antonio Lacertosa, but more details have emerged about the fight which precipitated the death. One police source described surveillance video of the fight to SILive: “The video was like a WWF Royal Rumble...People were being tossed on top of cars; it was crazy.” And other witnesses claim that the restaurant's manager had tried to shoot them, which is when Lacertosa intervened to stop him: "He went to pull the trigger again, and that’s when Anthony saved my life. Anthony attacked him.” more ›

Early Saturday morning, a Staten Island man was fatally stabbed outside of a restaurant where he and his high school sweetheart had been celebrating their recent engagement. Witnesses say that a kitchen worker at España Restaurant stabbed Antonio Lacertosa, 27, around 2 a.m. after a brawl had broken out that Lacertosa wasn't initially part of. According to the Post, Lacertosa had gone outside to check on his brothers, who had gotten kicked out of the restaurant and retaliated by urinating against the wall of a restaurant, sparking the fight. more ›

A Staten Island man was fatally stabbed outside of a restaurant where he and his fiancee had been celebrating their recent engagement. According to the Times, Antonio Lacertosa, 27, went to check on an argument happening outside España Restaurant around 2 a.m. this morning when a man—possibly an employee of the restaurant—stabbed him in the torso with a knife. “He had everything,” said his sister Antonia Lacertosa. “He would have made a great father.” more ›

A fake plastic surgeon was arrested yesterday after she offered to inject the rear ends of two undercover agents with silicone for a cool $6,000. If convicted the 49-year-old Staten Island woman could face up to three years behind bars. more ›

Toilet snakes—we've seen them from time to time in the city, and recoil in horror at each new tale. In the past there have even been 7-foot pythons. So the latest snake encounter over on Staten Island is no surprise, but it is equally horrifying. According to SI Live, Allen Shepard went to use his bathroom at 6:30 a.m. and thought he saw something in the toilet—turns out it was a 4-foot-long California Kingsnake (which is non-venomous, and could have been someone's escaped pet in the apartment complex). more ›

We're often accused of wielding a cyclist slant here at Gothamist, so allow us to give you an unfiltered perspective from one cheery Staten Island motorist. The Staten Island Advance pointed us in the direction of YouTube user "we5leyz," who has a camera mounted on his dashboard that captures him blowing his "train horn," cursing at jaywalkers as he speeds through intersections, and making illegal U-turns. more ›

A Staten Island woman whom authorities believe was trying to steal donations from a clothing drop box apparently suffocated to death after she became trapped inside. Authorities say that Melissa Mazzeo, 51, climbed into the drop box in Sunnyside around noon yesterday and became stuck when the container door dropped on her neck. A maintenance worker for the next door bagel store who went to check on what was going on founder her unresponsive: "Two hands and a head, that's it, just out the door," Peter Schenck told SILive. "Not a sight to see." more ›

This might seem obvious but...Just because you stopped paying your EZ-Pass bill (or never got an EZ-Pass) doesn't mean the Port Authority will stop charging you for using its bridges and tunnels. In fact, they'll add a $25 administrative fee for each skipped toll. Which can add up fast, as Gemma Schreiber of Staten Island has learned. The PA recently sued Schreiber for $26,664 for skipping out on more than 900 tolls between July 29, 2009 and September of last year. more ›