Travis Coley, 19, thought he had it made. Last year the Bronx native got a gig working as a toll collector on the Throgs Neck Bridge and allegedly started swiping change almost immediately. As he put it in a confession: “I figured out this scheme from my training and my experience in the toll booth,” and “when I realized that I would not get caught doing it, I continued to do it for months.” Except he did get caught, and now he is facing up to seven years in prison for stealing roughly $16,000 in tolls. more ›

Hail stones "the size of apples" are falling on NYC'S Throgs Neck Bridge, reports Craig Allen, the meteorologist for WCBS 880. There's a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for NYC and the surrounding area through 8 p.m., and parts of Pennsylvania continue to see some some heavy storm activity. The MTA says LIRR service is suspended on the Port Washington Branch because of downed trees and power lines due to "weather-related conditions." According to one member of the AccuWeather forum, the storm blew the tarp off the field at Citizens Bank Stadium where the Phillies play. And this is seriously going to harsh the vibe at tonight's Phish show in Camden! (Phans are advised to consume extra drugs as a precaution.) more ›

An off-duty police officer has been suspended without pay after being charged with vehicular assault and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. 27-year-old officer Roniel Dilone, a four year veteran, was off-duty when he smashed his Nissan Altima into a parked Subaru early Sunday in Throgs Neck. The crash sent the Subaru into a tree and the Altima onto the curb. Dilone was not seriously injured, but his passenger, Allan Reyes, sustained a fractured leg, shoulder and bruised ribs. Dilone told an EMT at the scene he had earlier consumed four beers. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a ceiling collapse at Franklin Ave. and Union St. in Brooklyn, a pedestrian was fatally struck on Queens Blvd. in Woodhaven, Queens, and an unusual rescue on the south bound tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens.
• An undercover cop forgot to turn off the wire he was wearing while discussing 11 bags of cocaine he seized in a Brooklyn bust that were never turned in. He was also sure to repeatedly refer to black people using the "N-word." [No link yet, but we saw the story on NY1.]
• The mother of an escaped convict is telling him through the press to keep running, and knows some day he'll be exonerated of his crime. We foresee either a one-armed man eventually brought to justice or subsequent imprisonment in a South American jail.
• Civil disobedience on 5th Avenue. We did not realize this, but the city has offered free vendor licenses to military veterans since the Civil War. Dan Rossi is protesting the curtailment of the practice by parking his hot dog cart right in front of The Metropolitan Museum.
• There's an interesting installation at the Gavin Brown Enterprise on Greenwich St. created by artist Urs Fischer, who's dug a hole in the ground. It is an absolutely enormous hole in the ground.
• Michael Douglas is the new announcer for the NBC Nightly News. Anderson Cooper responds that he would also consider a celebrity announcer, like Fran Drescher, Clint Eastwood, Paul Reubens, or Cher.
• Macy's is going to stay open 24 hours a day until Christmas Eve. Those are going to be some tired elves.
• A siamese cat named Yoda was bludgeoned to death in an Upper East Side doorman building. Sarah Favorite, the girlfriend of Yoda's owner, was arrested and is being charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

Earlier this week, Governor Spitzer said that a quick review of the state's bridges showed that all are basically safe, including ones with similar designs to Minneapolis' I-35. However, some bridges, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, rated low on a 7 point scale (7 being the safest) for safety. Still, Spitzer touted the fact that this year's budget added another $900 million to the $18.8 billion infrastructure plan. more ›

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! more ›

Here's some feel-good news, courtesy of the MTA. It's a set of peregrine falcon chicks at the Throgs Neck Bridge! A wildlife expert from the DEP, Chris Nadareski, examined and tagged the chicks, all of which are female. And while the baby falcons are super cute, they are getting ready to grow up:

The Throgs Neck chicks have been growing steadily, and eat about four or five times a day. Their diet consists of pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, blue jays and other small birds caught by their mother. Their talons are already nearly as big as a man’s hand. In another three weeks they will begin to practice flying atop the tower but will remain dependent on their parents for protection and food for another eight weeks. more ›

A two-year-old toddler was struck and killed by his mother's Jeep Thursday afternoon. The freak accident occurred outside their home in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx, when Bricy Mercedes was getting son Christopher out of his carseat . From the Post:

Holding him in her arms, she opened the front door and reached across the passenger seat to grab a bag - but the bag knocked the gearshift into neutral, a source said. more ›

A totally wild carjacking unfolded yesterday across two boroughs. A man stole an orange Range Rover SUV at a Queens car wash, and then tried to run over a cop who stopped him at the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx. The SUV's owner David Irish had called the police when his car was stolen from the car wash, so authorities were on the look out. more ›

We were biking up by Morningside Heights yesterday-- the view over East Harlem to the river is beautiful. Check out the full panoramic view here. If you look closely, you can see all the way to the Throgs Neck Bridge. more ›

You've got to keep your on those wicked scamps over at Property Shark! When their not adding insane data layers to their property map, they are cooking up crazy demographic overlays. For instance, we just noticed that one of their overlays is "Single Men in NYC." The hot areas for high guy percentages: Chinatown, the West Side, Red Hook, and Gowanus, Throgs Neck, and North Shore of Staten Island. Who knew?! more ›

- Ever think "Man, I love that Critical Mass but I wish it had more costumes. And a house party at the end." You did? Then the Midnight Ridazz is for you. Ride starts at the George Washington statue at the Brooklyn base of the Williamsburg Bridge at 10:30 p.m.. more ›

-The Yankees beat the Red Sox today 8-4 guaranteeing them the the AL East Divison Title. more ›

The City Council said that any renaming discussion would have to be open to public debate. Gothamist would love to see that: The George Washington Bridge Brought to you by Washington Mutual Bank. more ›