Day: February 13, 2025

PASTOR RUSTAM ISRALIEV, of St. Remnant Church, is suing McDonald’s after allegedly consuming a moldy Deluxe McCrispy chicken sandwich.

The post Brighton Beach pastor sues McDonald’s over ‘toxic’ McCrispy sandwich appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

The Ozone Park Residents Block Association (OPRBA) is calling on city leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams and the NYC Council, to take urgent action in response to a tragic fire that unfolded in Bay Ridge on Feb. 9.

The association is demanding immediate measures to address the growing problem of blocked fire hydrants, which they believe may have directly contributed to the fatality of 37-year-old Gregory Fernandez, a Navy veteran and father of one.

The fatal blaze broke out on the third floor of 510 80th St. shortly after 3:30 a.m, according to Fire Department officials. Twelve units and 60 firefighters responded to the one-alarm fire, bringing it under control by 4:39 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal.

Upon arrival at the scene, it was discovered that two vehicles had been parked directly in front of a fire hydrant, severely obstructing access for the fire department. The delay in getting water from the hydrant, OPRBA President Sam Esposito insists in a letter addressed to Mayor Adams, may have been a significant factor in the tragic death of Fernandez. 

First responders found Fernandez unconscious and unresponsive inside the apartment, according to the NYPD. He was transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine his cause of death. However, the OPRBA believes the blocked hydrant played a crucial role in hindering the fire response.

Fernandez’s wife and their 2-year-old son were also treated at NYU Langone and are now in stable condition, police said.

This incident has drawn attention to what Esposito describes as a “growing and serious issue” in Ozone Park and other parts of New York City, where illegal parking in front of fire hydrants has become an ongoing problem. 

In the letter, Esposito emphasizes the impact of a shortage of NYPD officers, which has led to slower enforcement of parking violations. He claims that police officers are no longer consistently issuing summonses for parking violations when they spot offenses during patrols. 

Furthermore, 311 complaints regarding blocked hydrants are often not addressed promptly, with some vehicles leaving the scene before officers can take action.

“This is unacceptable, and it has now resulted in the potential loss of life,” wrote Esposito. 

He further expressed concern about the lengthy delays in response to complaints. In some instances, he noted, by the time officers respond, the offending vehicles are already gone with no consequences for their actions.

The OPRBA has reported filing over 100 complaints about blocked fire hydrants in the Ozone Park area alone, yet they claim that few of these complaints resulted in parking summonses. In the letter, Esposito urged the Mayor and the City Council to take swift and decisive action to address the issue, with the goal of preventing further harm to residents and ensuring public safety.

“We are demanding that blocking a fire hydrant be treated as a more serious offense rather than just a minor summons,” Esposito added. 

He further requested that the NYPD prioritize 311 complaints in real-time and respond to them quickly to prevent tragic consequences, such as the one witnessed on February 9.

The OPRBA is also calling for a reevaluation of the city’s current parking rules, specifically the 15-foot clearance requirement for parking around fire hydrants. The association argues that this rule is excessive and proposes a more reasonable 3-foot clearance in both directions to allow for the efficient operation of fire hoses during emergencies. They believe this change could significantly reduce the chances of fire hydrants being blocked in the first place.

In addition, the association is advocating for the installation of official markings on the ground, located three feet from each hydrant, clearly indicating that parking in this area could result in arrest. These markings would serve as an educational tool to remind the public of the seriousness of blocking a fire hydrant and the potential consequences of doing so.

“We implore you to act swiftly to address this critical issue before another life is lost,” Esposito concluded. “We are counting on your leadership and the support of the NYC Council to prioritize this matter and take the necessary steps to prevent future tragedies.”

A GoFundMe campaign organized by Linda Bowen, the aunt of Fernandez’s wife, has raised more than $9,000 from 86 donations to help the family “rebuild their lives.”

Bowen wrote that the family lost all their household goods in the fire and described the loss of Fernandez as “devastating.” She said that funds will go toward funeral expenses, household needs, and travel costs for family members coming to New York to provide support.

“Anything you can donate to help this family would be so appreciated,” Bowen wrote.

U.S. Reps Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have penned a letter to the CIA and FBI demanding the disclosure of all materials related to the assassination of two leaders of the Puerto Rican independence movement during the 1970s.

Carlos Muñiz Varela, a Cuban living in Puerto Rico who was murdered under suspicious circumstances on April 28, 1979 at the age of 25,  and Santiago “Chagui” Mari Pesquera, the son of Juan Mari Brás, Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Puerto Rico, who was gunned down March 24, 1976 at the age of 23, were two central figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement throughout the 1970s.

Velázquez and Ocasio-Cortez, who received support from relatives of both Varela and Pesquera, penned a letter to the FBI and CIA calling for the immediate declassification of documents related to these cases and for the Puerto Rican Department of Justice to be granted authorization to interview federal agents who were operating on the island at the time of the murders.

They stated that Mari Pesquera’s death occurred at a time when the U.S. and Puerto Rican governments were actively suppressing the independence movement, adding that police corruption plagued the investigation into Mari Pesquera’s killing. Although one man was convicted of Pesquera’s murder, Ocasio-Cortez and Velázquez pointed to the fact that officials have since admitted that the man was not acting alone.

Puerto Rican daily newspaper Primera Hora reported in 2009 that the FBI knew of the plot to murder Mari Pesquera’s father but did not warn him, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Meanwhile, Muñiz Varela, who co-founded Viajes Varadero, a travel agency helping Cuban exiles visit their homeland, was assassinated following a wave of political violence linked to anti-Castro groups in the late 1970s. Ocasio-Cortez and Velázquez said Muñiz Varela’s position within Viajes Varadero made him a target of far-right extremists. They also stated that no investigation into his murder was ever conducted.

Velázquez represents New York’s 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, while Ocasio-Cortez represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, covering parts of the Bronx and Queens. Both lawmakers criticized the FBI and CIA for withholding potentially critical documents that could shed light on both killings, despite requests from the Department of Justice and the Puerto Rican Department of Justice.

“We have a strong interest in the release of all documentation that could bring justice to the families of these victims of domestic terrorism,” Ocasio-Cortez and Velázquez wrote in letters to the FBI and CIA. “We sincerely expect that, after nearly five decades of impunity, your agencies will collaborate to lift any restrictions on evidence regarding the organizations and individuals implicated in these murders.”

Muñiz Varela’s son Carlos Muñiz Pérez said it was “urgent and essential” that the FBI and CIA declassify all documents that could help shed light on the murder of his father. He added that doing so would help “correct the mistakes of the past”, which have allowed his father’s killer to live with “total impunity”.

Similarly, Raúl Alzaga, spokesperson for the Committee of Family and Friends of Carlos Muñiz Varela, said the disclosure of documents represents “an important step” in the process of uncovering the truth about Muñiz Varela’s death.

“We believe that this initiative taken by the Congresswomen elevates the demands for the clarification of Carlos Muñiz’s murder beyond the efforts we have made in the past,” Alzaga said in a statement. “It also helps to uncover the history that has been hidden from the Puerto Rican people in their struggle for decolonization.”

Mari Pesquera’s sister Mari Mari Narváez added that “countless” questions remain 49 years after her brother’s death.

“The violence of that crime lingers, reinforced by the impunity that has shielded those responsible,” Narváez said in a statement.

“Why, in November of 1976, the FBI knew of a plot to assassinate Juan Mari Brás—and just two months later, his son was executed? What connection exists between these two conspiracies, and what role did the FBI and CIA play in them? Why, after nearly 50 years, have key classified documents still not been released? Why have the masterminds behind this crime never been brought to justice?”

 

NEW YORK CITY SHOULD PREPARE FOR A NEW OVERLAY AREA CODE OF 465, the New York State Public Service Commission announced on Thursday, Feb. 13.

The post New outerborough area code being established to take effect in late 2026 appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

DO NOT BLOCK FIRE HYDRANTS, the New York City Fire Department urged in a public service announcement broadcast Thursday, Feb. 13.

The post FDNY reiterates, ‘Never block fire hydrants’ appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.