Day: October 15, 2024

An East New York man will serve prison time for attempting to sexually assault a woman while she slept in her Williamsburg bedroom five years ago, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday.

On Sept. 30, Taeli Kim, owner of Sonbul Café, received a phone call from someone claiming to be his electric company. The caller asked about missed payments and threatened to shut off services to his restaurant. Initially skeptical, Kim continued to receive calls over the next five days, during which the callers revealed personal information, including his bank account number. By Saturday, he had sent more than $5,000 to the scammers.

On Sunday, Kim created an online fundraiser for the Bed-Stuy café. Three days later, the campaign had raised almost the entire amount Kim lost. 

“I felt very vulnerable and very uncertain at that point in time,” Kim said. “But the last few days have been incredible. Everyone’s really pulled through for me in a way that I didn’t expect. I feel very blessed and very grateful — I feel very loved for sure.”

Kim’s role as a new business owner has heightened the stress of the scam. Although Sonbul Café has conducted pop-ups around the city for some time, its permanent location has been open for less than a year. Kim said losing the money jeopardized his ability to make payroll and cover ongoing deposits for the space.

“It put me in a very tight spot,” he said. “I hear about businesses closing every day.”

Kim runs Sonbul Café by himself, and said his main priority is ensuring the restaurant doesn’t go under. Amidst this, he didn’t realize how prevalent the scam was.

Utility impostor scams have increased nationwide, prompting Con Edison to create a dedicated webpage to combat the issue. According to the company, common intimidation tactics used by scammers include urging victims to use phone payment apps, demanding multiple payments at once, and threatening immediate service disconnection. Although these practices are not standard for Con Edison, scammers enhance the legitimacy of their calls by using a phone number associated with the company.

“I should have just hung up the phone and called Con Edison,” he said.”But you know, when there’s that pressure of ‘oh, we’re gonna shut down your energy,’ the fight or flight kicks in and you’re like, I don’t know, what do I do?”

In Kim’s case, the scammers used a Guest Payment system to make it seem like his payments were going through to his account, but then they canceled and pocketed the money before it was processed.

Despite the setback, the café continues to have glowing reviews and serve the community. The GoFundMe has amassed donations from more than 100 individual donors, most of them locals who enjoy Kim’s take on Korean cuisine.

There’s a chill in the air at Coney Island, and the spooky spirit has settled in at Luna Park for the second annual Halloween Harvest celebration. 

The park has decked out with hay bales and pumpkins, transformed into a fall wonderland stuffed with seasonal activities. Visitors can explore the pumpkin patch, then sit down to decorate their gourds with paint, stickers and googly eyes; enjoy some tractor racing; or trick-or-treat around the park.

Fall has arrived at the food stalls, too. Classic theme park foods like funnel cakes and churros are being served with a seasonal pumpkin spice twist, and even the cotton candy has been turned purple and orange to celebrate Halloween. For adults, Salt & Sizzle is offering specialty cocktails like the Poison Apple, the Pumpkin Martini, and an Irish Old Fashioned.

Before last year, Luna Park said farewell to the community at the end of the summer. But now, the celebrations continue on fall weekends with Halloween Harvest and into the winter with Frost Fest. 

“Halloween Harvest at Luna Park embodies our commitment to creating memorable experiences for our guests year-round,” said Luna Park CEO Alessandro Zamperla, in a statement. “By extending our season into the fall with themed activities, games and special events we continue a cherished tradition and honor Luna Park’s legacy as a unique place where families and friends come together.”

Luna Park’s usual thrills are available, too — the park’s iconic rides, including the Cyclone, are still running for those feeling brave. Last weekend, the park was packed with families enjoying the sights and sounds and posing for photographs with the park’s many fall-themed photo opps. 

“Luna Park has been a beacon of joy in New York City for generations, and events like Halloween Harvest allow us to keep that spirit alive well beyond the traditional summer season,” Zamperla said.

Halloween Harvest continues weekends through Oct. 27 at Luna Park, 1000 Surf Ave. between West 10th and West 12th streets in Coney Island. 

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NY’S INCUMBENT SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D) will face off against retired NYPD Detective Mike Sapraicone (R).

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