Month: September 2024

Federal agents arrested two former Fire Department chiefs on Monday on bribery and corruption charges, sources with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York confirmed to amNewYork Metro.

Multiple published reports indicate that Chief of Fire Prevention Anthony Saccavino and Chief Brian Cordasco, who worked at the Fire Prevention Bureau, were charged in connection with a long-running investigation out of the Southern District office.

Saccavino and Cordasco had their homes raided in February in connection with the probe. Both were subsequently placed on modified duty by the FDNY. 

According to a New York Times report, the raids were conducted as part of an investigation into whether the chiefs were paid to fast-track safety inspections.

When reached for comment, the Fire Department referred amNewYork Metro to the Southern District office. Requests for comments from the Mayor’s office are pending.

This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for further updates.

A man is lucky be alive after being shot in the face on Saturday afternoon in Clinton Hill.

Officers from the 88th Precinct responded to a 911 call just before 2 p.m. reporting a shooting near Lafayette and Classon avenues. Upon arrival, they found a 36-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the face inside an apartment. Paramedics rushed the victim to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

The suspect barricaded himself in a different apartment at the same location and managed to evade arrest, per the NYPD. Detectives said the suspect was last seen wearing a blue shirt, gray fitted baseball cap and dark-colored jeans.

Officers recovered two shell casings and a firearm at the scene. The Technical Assistance Response Unit was also on the scene, assisting emergency services in the search for the suspect. 

A neighbor who requested anonymity lamented a recent spike in crime in the area.

“God grant me enough money to move from this area,” they told Brooklyn Paper. “It has become so bad again.”

The incident marked the third significant shooting in the neighborhood this summer. In July, a 27-year-old man was gunned down near a Family Dollar on the border of Bed-Stuy, and three migrants were shot and killed near a migrant shelter.

While shooting incidents are steady so far this year when compared to last year in Clinton Hill’s 88th Precinct, reports of robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand theft auto are all up as of Sept. 8, when the most recent NYPD data is available. Murders in the are have also doubled compared to the same time frame 2023 — up from two to four.

Anyone with information regarding Saturday’s shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.