By The TimesLedger
BAY TERRACE—Firefighters were able to stop a two-alarm fire in a Bay Terrace townhouse from spreading to other homes in the line of attached-two story townhouses Wednesday morning, a firefighter at the scene said.
The fire started at 18-68 Corporal Kennedy Blvd. from an electrical problem in the kitchen shortly before 10 a.m. and a woman living in the home could not contain it, Deputy Chief Steven Kubler of Division 14 said. She fled the building with her elderly mother.
The flames lapped out of the back of the apartment and climbed the rear wall, engulfing the second floor and roof, Kubler said. Firefighters punched holes in the roof to stop the fire from spreading to the other attached red brick homes. The fire was brought under control at 10:29 a.m., he added
“Once it’s through the roof there’s always a chance that it’s going to go to the exposures on either side,” said Kubler after 80 firefighters knocked down the blaze.
Homeless man found dead in car in Kew Gardens Hills
KEW GARDENS HILLS – A homeless man living in his car was found dead in the vehicle late Monday afternoon in Kew Gardens Hills, police said.
Police pronounced James Waters, 52, dead on arrival after he was found in his car in a garage at 147-04 Union Turnpike. The ignition to the car was turned on and it had run out of gas, but police did not say if the garage was closed or open.
Waters recently became homeless and his family lives outside of the United States, police said. Police did not say where Waters lived before he became homeless, but there is a James Waters listed at a 150-45 Linden Blvd. address in Jamaica. That man does not currently live there and it was unclear if he is the same Waters found dead Monday.
The medical examiner was to determine the cause of death, police said. Officers at the 107th Precinct in Flushing, who found Waters, declined to comment further.
Unidentified assailant rapes Bellerose girl, 16, near home
BELLEROSE – A 16-year-old girl was raped near her home by an unidentified man June 12, police said.
The girl, who was not identified, was grabbed from behind by a man as she was approaching her home at 9 p.m. police said. The man forced her into a rear yard of a house where he raped her, said police, who did not release the address of the incident.
The girl was treated at Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica. The suspect had not been arrested and the investigation was ongoing, police said.
Jamaica restaurant employee in stable condition after being shot
JAMAICA – An employee at a Jamaica restaurant was injured when she was shot in the chest and the wrist Monday night, police said.
The 19-year-old woman was working at a Caribbean restaurant at 109-14 Merrick Blvd. when a man placed an order for food at about 10 p.m. Monday, police said. The man left without taking the food, and returned about a half hour later, wielding a handgun, police said.
The man shot the woman, hitting her in the wrist and the chest, before fleeing in a van, police said.
The woman was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, police said.
Officers stopped a van and were questioning the driver in connection with the shooting, police said. The investigation was continuing.
Police arrest two men on drug-related charges
ST. ALBANS – Two men in the wrong place at the wrong time were arrested on drug charges June 12 after the car they were riding in was struck by a 19-year-old driver fleeing from a shooter.
The incident started with a dispute between Darrel Knowles, 16, of St. Albans and the unidentified 19-year-old man at the corner of 193rd Street and 118th Avenue just after midnight. The 19-year-old attempted to drive away when Knowles allegedly shot at the fleeing car, police said.
The 19-year-old then hit another car in the street, along with an unidentified pedestrian, police said. Although the other car’s occupants, Andre Coram, 21, and Michael Patrick, 26, were not injured, they were arrested for possession of marijuana, police said.
The pedestrian was treated for a leg injury at Jacobi Hospital, police said. No other injuries were reported, police said.
Police later arrested Knowles, of 118-09 193rd St., on attempted murder charges.
S. Jamaica man charged with second-degree murder
SOUTH JAMAICA – A South Jamaica man was arrested Thursday in connection with a fatal shooting on May 30, police said.
William Patterson, 19, of 118-36 153rd St., was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting James Thomas, 28, of 155-19 119th Ave., last month, police said.
Thomas was shot in the abdomen at the corner of 109th Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard just before 5 a.m. He was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica where he was pronounced dead at 6:35 a.m., police said.
Patterson was arrested following an investigation by 103rd Precinct officers.
Thieves steal $300,000 in jewels from Jamaica store
JAMAICA – Thieves made off with about $300,000 worth of jewelry from a Jamaica store Monday night, police said.
The owner of the Diamond Gallery, at 163-19 Jamaica Ave., opened the store at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning to discover the jewels gone, police said.
No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing, police said.
QV man arrested, charged with raping girl, 6
QUEENS VILLAGE – A Queens Village man was arrested Saturday on charges he repeatedly raped a 6-year-old Brooklyn girl, police said.
Robert Hayes, 44, of 92-50 215th St. in Queens Village, was charged with rape, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a minor, police said.
According to police reports, the girl told her mother that Hayes raped her on at least three occasions, and most recently on June 8. The girl was brought to Brookdale Hospital for treatment, accompanied by her mother and Hayes, police said. When officers arrived at the hospital, they arrested Hayes, police said.
S. Ozone man convicted of raping handicapped woman
KEW GARDENS — A South Ozone Park man convicted of brutally raping and sodomizing a 25-year-old mentally retarded woman was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison, District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Alonzo Brown, 30, a neighbor of the victim, was convicted on May 21 of rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and burglary.
According to the testimony at the trial, Brown attacked his victim May 22, 2001, inside her residence as she was returning home from special training. He dragged her to the second floor, where he raped and sodomized her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
When the victim’s mother returned home, she told her what had happened and said Brown was the assailant. During the trial, DNA evidence was introduced that implicated him.
Suspect in fatal stabbing arrested in Astoria
RICHMOND HILL – A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman in Richmond Hill on Tuesday afternoon was arrested in Astoria later that day, police said.
The assault took place Tuesday about 1 p.m., when a man stabbed a woman at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and 121st Street, police said. The woman was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where she died of her injuries.
Police later arrested Paul Dileonardo, 22, of 101-64 118th St. in Richmond Hill. He was arrested in Astoria in connection with the crime.
Manhattan man found dead in Astoria with gunshot wound
ASTORIA – A Manhattan man was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in Astoria last Thursday night, police said.
Jose Denunez, 22, of 164 Sherman Ave. in Manhattan, was discovered in front of 31-69 37th St. at about 10 p.m. last Thursday, police said. He was removed to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. A gun was recovered at the scene.
The medical examiner was to determine the cause of death, and the investigation was continuing, police said.
Boat captain charged with polluting Jamaica Bay
JAMAICA BAY – A boat captain was arrested for allegedly polluting the water in Jamaica Bay last week, the National Park Services said.
U.S. Park Police arrested the captain of the Sunset Queen, a dinner cruise boat, on June 11 off Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn. The officers were on patrol when they observed a large slick of sludge floating in the vicinity of a discharge pipe extending from the boat, the National Park Service said.
The captain’s name was not released. The National Park Service manages Jamaica Bay.
Bias suspected in attack on man in Astoria market
ASTORIA – Police at the 114th Precinct were investigating a possible bias attack after a 44-year-old man was assaulted in an Astoria supermarket.
Police received a report June 12 that the man, whose name was not released, was approached on June 6 by two suspects in a supermarket. The suspects made anti-gay remarks towards the man, police said.
No arrests had been made, and the investigation was continuing, police said.
Ridgewood gas station attendant robbed of $150
RIDGEWOOD — A gas station employee was robbed Sunday by a man in his 30s, police said.
The man held a tire iron as he stepped out of his car and forced the employee into the Mobil gas station store at 61-49 Metropolitan Ave. around 6:30 p.m., where he robbed him of $150 before fleeing, police said.
The investigation was ongoing, police said.
Man arrested in connection with Woodside store robbery
WOODSIDE — A Bronx man was arrested Saturday in connection with a commercial robbery in January, police said.
Andres Martinez, 20, of 2011 Morris Ave., and an accomplice allegedly entered 64-03 Broadway armed with a gun at 11:20 p.m. Jan. 2, then demanded money from a 47-year-old woman, police said.
Both suspects fled the scene without firing any shots, police said.
Man, 20, diesafter shooting in Corona
CORONA – A 20-year-old man was fatally shot in the back by an unidentified suspect just after midnight on Friday, police said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was shot at the corner of 62nd Drive and 108th Street in Corona at 12:45 a.m. Police are unsure of the motive behind the shooting, police reports said. The victim was brought to St. John’s Hospital where he died, police said.
No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
2 preteen girls report sex abuse by man, 50
ELMHURST – Two girls reported last Thursday a 50-year-old man sexually abused them in incidents in April and May, police said.
One of the girls, 11, told police at the 110th Precinct the man raped her in April, while the second girl, 12, said she was sexually assaulted by the suspect in May, police said. The girls, whose names were not released, both refused medical treatment, but were expected to be examined by private physicians, police said.
The girls are friends and were both at the same location when the attacks occurred. The man, whose name was also not released, is a family friend, police said.
No arrests had been made, and the investigation was continuing, police said.
Elmhurst student charged with assaulting officer
ELMHURST – A 17-year-old student was arrested on assault charges for allegedly pushing a school safety officer at Newtown High School, police said.
The student, Noel Roman, is charged with pushing the officer inside the school, which is located at 48-01 90th St. in Elmhurst, police said.
The officer sustained minor injuries, and was removed to North Shore Hospital for treatment.
Man shot outside Elmhurst diner, suspect arrested
EAST ELMHURST – Officers arrested a man after a shooting outside a diner Sunday morning that left one man in critical condition, police said.
The incident took place in front of the Buccaneer Diner at 94-09 25th Ave. in East Elmhurst Sunday at 5:40 a.m., police said. An unidentified man was shot once in the chest by another man. He was taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in critical condition, police said.
Port Authority officers in the diner responded and arrested Marco Cabrera, 22, who was armed with a 9-mm Glock, police said.
No other arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
