Last night, a swarm of bees made itself at home on a tree in Brooklyn and heralded the debut of the NYPD's new bee wrangler!
Paul Muccigrosso was heading to his parents' place on 83rd Street and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge when he saw the police outside. It turned out that a tree near their house was covered in bees. "They were high up, near [what would be] the second level," he recalled. "It was amazing."
There was also a small cluster of bees on their driveway. Muccigrosso estimate the police were there for a couple hours, "The cops were trying to figure out the best way to get the bees...When the bucket truck arrived, things sped along."
New NYPD Bee Guy In Bucket Truck (BMR Breaking...by Gothamist
Muccigrosso, a Bay Ridge native, was still surprised by the sight of the NYPD. "I didn't know the NYPD had a bee guy. All the things you learn after living in the city for so many years! Who knew?" he said, laughing.
Spraying The Bees (BMR Breaking News)by Gothamist
Longtime NYPD bee guy Anthony Planakis "retired" in 2014 (though he sometimes responds to NYC incidents). Sources say this new NYPD bee guy's name is Darren and he's stationed at the 104th Precinct in Queens. We've asked the NYPD for more information, but for now, let's watch him in action.
