Last night, a man crossing Queens Boulevard at 44th Street was hit by an unmarked police car. The Daily News reports witnesses say the pedestrian Evelio Villa, 47, and his girlfriend had the right of way and the car went through a red light—"This guy was flying. He went like a bat out of hell. There was no screeching brakes, no tire marks, nothing." However, a police union source tells the paper that the car from the 109th Precinct had the green light and that Villa was intoxicated (another police source says the car turned on its sirens when it saw Villa). Villa's girlfriend says the car was going slow but actually accelerated as it approached, "I tried to grab him, but by that time he was in the air." Villa is in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital with a fractured shoulder and the police officer driving the car has not been charged. more ›

Yesterday morning, a fire broke out in an apartment building in the Fordham section of the Bronx, and when the firefighters responded, there was a car—with an "official NYPD placard issued to cops"— blocking the hydrant. The Post reports "frustrated firefighters had to rely on handheld fire extinguishers to put out the kitchen blaze." Four young children were treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital—and a cat was given oxygen on the scene! While the FDNY said it wasn't clear whether the hydrant-blocking car was a cop's car, "another fire official at the scene told The Post it was an unmarked police vehicle." Still, a Post photographer who tried to snap a picture of the placard itself "was forced to move away by cops." The car was towed and moved to the 52nd Precinct, probably to keep from the angry neighbors egging it—they told the Post, "Why would you leave your car where people need to get water in case of an emergency?" and "If it was an off-duty cop, he should have known better." more ›

Yesterday, elected officials marched and held a rally over reports of police officers drove an unmarked police car with a black doll's head affixed to the antenna. State Senator Bill Perkins said, "We wanted an apology and we were given an excuse. We wanted an investigation and we got ‘It was a prank.' Without both an investigation and public apology for this demeaning, disgusting and racist action, the distrust between the Harlem community and police will worsen.” more ›