When Staten Island Mall shoppers saw a mother beating her 3-year-old son Tuesday afternoon, some followed her to "make sure she didn't leave," reports the Staten Island Advance. Eventually, the police arrested 33-year-old Yesenia Hausler with felony assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Hausler apparently became angry when her son either wanted to play with a new toy or wanted to buy a new toy, and punched and slapped him so hard there......

After news of the Ninja Burglar's robberies at two homes in one night this past weekend, Staten Island residents are upset. One resident whose parents live near one of the recent victims told the Staten Island Advance that the two months in between robberies may have caused "people [to] let their guard down a little bit." The most recent victims, on Ocean Terrace, elderly couple Jean and John Interlandi, spoke out. Their house was robbed......

Just in time for the holidays - and holiday presents - the Ninja Burglar has returned! The nefarious nighttime nuisance that had Staten Island residents on their toes after hitting sixteen homes (some with homeowners in them) robbed two homes in the Todt Hill neighborhood over the weekend. The Advance reported that the "elusive serial bandit" first robbed a mansion on Louisa Lane. He entered through a second floor terrace door - while the......

It was supposed to be an afternoon on the football field during a match-up between the Wadleigh Harlem Hellfighters and McKee/Staten Island Tech Seagulls. Unfortunately, it turned into a terrible day, as the Harlem team found the message "Y'all n-----s suck MSIT" written in black marker on their sideline bench. The NYPD and Department of Education are investigating the incident. The Hellfighters' coach, former Seattle Seahawk Duke Ferguson, says that he felt "hostile environment" since......

Eighteen-year-old Steven Molinaro, grandson of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, was found guilty of criminal contempt of violating an order of protection. His family says that the jury made a bad decision and James Molinaro said, "I think being my grandson hurt him." Maybe so, but Steven Molinaro has been getting into trouble on his own. Last year, Steven Molinaro was arrested after beating up a 14-year-old Staten Island Advance newspaper boy Mark Veras,......

A Todt Hill couple's home was broken into by the infamous Ninja Burglar last night. The craziest part: The wife ran into him. The Staten Island Advance reports that Mary Ann Carlo bumped into the intruder. Carlo said, "I started screaming, 'The Ninja is here! The Ninja! The Ninja!'" The Advance has the details AND gets a plug:At about 10:30 p.m., Mrs. Carlo turned off the television and headed downstairs toward the bedroom, where her......

After years of legal wrangling, the Appellate Court has backed the College of Staten Island and says that the CUNY school can deny official status to fraternity Chi Iota. But the battle may not be over, as the brothers want to fight this at the Supreme Court. Chi iota had applied for official status at CSI in an attempt to be the first Greek-letter organization on campus, but CSI denied their application, finding that the......

The lawyer for Brigitte Harris, the Queens woman accused of killing and mutilating her stepfather, says that Eric Goodridge committed a "pattern of repeated and systemic sexual abuse." Harris's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told reporters that while he couldn't say what happened on Saturday, when Goodridge was found dead in Harris' apartment, he did say that his client had been abused from age 3, "This guy was a monster." The Staten Island Advance reports that there......

A father of one of the arrested in a Staten Island 4th of July melée with cops, who were responding for a fourth time to the scene of a raucous party and illegal fireworks display, complained of the racial injustices Italian-Americans are forced to endure at the hands of the police and America's legal system. "If we were black, Al Sharpton would have been here," said the father of one suspect. "Because we're white and......

The man who throttled, stomped, kicked, and beat a peacock into a mortal state Thursday morning was turned in to police by his own stepfather yesterday. The Staten Island Advance is all over the story. It reports that John N. Potts was arrested yesterday, after threatening to smash his stepfather's face with a shovel in the older man's home. Potts then ran off and jumped into the Raritan Bay, shovel in hand. The Advance describes......

A deranged Staten Island man spotted a peacock in the parking lot of a Tottenville Burger King Thursday morning, and mistook the majestic animal for a vampire. According to the Staten Island Advance, the man assaulted the bird in pretty much every possible way except driving a stake through its heart, as onlookers watched in horror. Witnesses said a man in his late teens or early 20s grabbed the helpless bird by its neck, struck......

After Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro recommended that the 5 Boroughs ice cream flavor "Staten Island Landfill" be boycotted, sales of the swirly mix of brownies, fudge, crunchies, and cherries in a vanilla ice cream base have been so hot, it's hard to find it anywhere. Which makes the owners of 5 Boroughs happy - Kim Myles, who founded 5 Boroughs with her husband Scott, said, "We have one thing to say to Mr.......

Five cars crashed during a crazy police chase on the West Shore Expressway yesterday afternoon. The whole matter started when the driver of a Toyota Camry was stopped by a Staten Island Highway Patrol officer. The driver took off and exited at Victory Boulevard, hitting a white Ford van. The Camry started to smoke, so the car's passenger got out and, according to the Staten Island Advance, went to call his mom. The passenger......

A truly strange set of robberies has been solved in Staten Island. Strange because many took place at funeral homes. Jacqueline Garbutt hit three funeral homes a number of times, stealing purses from mourning family members and even jewelry belonging to the dead as she posed as a mourner herself. Police nabbed Garbutt after surveillance images from grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies where she used stolen credit cards and checkbooks. Her first haul was......

There was a funny story about deer in Staten Island in The Advance earlier this week. Deer have been grazing on the green at the Staten Island Golf Practice Center, and apparently they are not afraid of golf balls or humans! The Advance has tips for deer-and-human safety (like what to do when they run in front of the car), but the best factoid was this: "The state Department of Environmental Conservation estimates that......

It's comforting to know that even documentary footage from MTV's True Life: I'm a Staten Island Girl is protected under the Shield Law. The Advance reports that Judge Matthew Sciarrino ruled that footage taken at Tottenville club Hush "does not contain relevant footage" of an alleged assault. The details of the assault are unclear, just that 40 year old Thomas J. Ford was charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment. The Staten Island DA's office wanted......

Beware of that cute stray cat you see in Staten Island - the borough is facing a a "frightening" spread of rabies. The Staten Island Advance reports that City Councilman Michael McMahon wants to convene an emergency task force made up of the health department and NYPD, as "23 raccoons, three skunks and three cats have been found with rabies" since April. A West Brighton man who found a stray kitten and brought it to......

The students-and-parents showdown with the Department of Education over cell phones took a turn as a Staten Island high school is now confiscating cell phones for 45 days. And not just cell phones, but iPods, hats, and wallet chains, too, the Staten Island Advance reports. McKee High School principal Linda Waite sent out a letter last week, saying that given the number of thefts of these items, the school would be confiscating the items upon......

A strange and sad case is unraveling in Staten Island. A mother returned home to find her 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter dead in a dry bathtub. Their father had been in charge of watching the children while the mother worked at a nursing home. And this morning, the Staten Island Advance reports that the husband killed himself by jumping in front of a northbound Q train in Manhattan Brooklyn. Update:......

The Daily News had a short story about the 18 year old grandson of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro getting arrested. Not only was it Steve Molinaro's third arrest, it was for beating up a newspaper delivery boy. The boy, 14 year old Mark Veras, was delivering papers for the Staten Island Advance, and naturally the Advance has the most thorough coverage. And it's a doozy. These seem to be the chain of events,......

Yesterday morning, some subway service on different lines was disrupted due to a police investigation. It turns out that a woman was killed at 34th Street and 8th Avenue subway station. The Staten Island Advance reports that the woman was Grace Coughlin, a 53 year old US Postal Service Inspection employee. The motorman told police that Coughlin jumped in front of the train, but Couglin's family was told that she fell into the tracks. Police......

For a few million dollars, you could be the majority owner of the Yankees. And you wouldn't really have to deal with a pesky owner too much. Why? Because you would be the proud owner of the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League. Unlike the big club in The Bronx, you could actually say you were champions last year though. The team is reportedly on the market for $3-5 million for a the......