WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 30, 2021 21
Queens’ top stories from August 2021
BY JENNA BAGCAL
JBAGCAL@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@JENNA_BAGCAL
Over the summer, some of
our most memorable stories
included the opening of new
supportive housing in Far Rockaway,
Sunnyside businesses that fell
victim to a four-alarm fire and the
return of world-class food to the U.S.
Open.
For these stories and more, check
out our list of top stories in August.
OZONE PARK MAN GETS
UP TO A DECADE IN JAIL
FOR FATAL WOODHAVEN
BOULEVARD
HIT-AND-RUN
Back in August, an Ozone Park
man was sentenced to up to 10 years
in prison for manslaughter in a
hit-and-run that killed a man on
Woodhaven Boulevard in July 2019,
according to Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz.
The suspect, 29-year-old David
Garcia of 97th Avenue, pleaded
guilty to manslaughter in the second
degree. In July of 2019, Garcia was
traveling southbound on Woodhaven
Boulevard in a black BMW and
was reportedly speeding. The report
said that at one point, the suspect hit
speeds as high as 92 miles per hour.
Garcia drove through the intersection
at 91st Avenue as the
light turned red. He reportedly hit
56-year-old Sivananaitha Perumal,
56, who was crossing Woodhaven
Boulevard on his way to his job at
Dunkin’ Donuts.
The impact killed Perumal and
Garcia fled the scene but reports
said he was arrested two weeks later.
“The defendant’s blatant disregard
of the rules of the road resulted in a
family’s tragic loss of a hardworking
father and husband,” Katz said.
“The sentence imposed today by the
court brings a measure of justice
and punishes this defendant for his
selfish choices while driving on the
streets of Queens County.”
SUNNYSIDE BUSINESSES
DAMAGED IN FOURALARM
BLAZE
Several businesses in Sunnyside
were victims of a four-alarm fire on
Thursday, Aug. 12. It was reported
that the early morning blaze damaged
multiple businesses along
Queens Boulevard.
Sources said that the fire began
around 7:25 a.m. at Taiyo Foods, a
popular Japanese market at 45-08
44th St. FDNY arrived at the scene
within four minutes.
The flames then spread next door
A four-alarm fi re broke out in Sunnyside on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 12, gutting businesses on 44th
Street and damaging others along Queens Boulevard. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
to Yeserith Esthetics and then to
Mad Cafe near the elevated 7 train.
Within an hour, the blaze was classified
as a four-alarm fire. More than
200 firefighters and EMS personnel
responded to the scene, using five
hose lines to battle the fire, which
they got under control around 9:45
a.m.
Other restaurants that were damaged
include Mad for Chicken and
Bajeko Sekuna, a Nepalese restaurant,
were damaged during the fire,
similar to a 2018 fire a block away
that destroyed other Sunnyside
establishments.
No one was inside the buildings at
the time but three firefighters were
injured at the scene.
“FDNY members had an approximate
four-minute response time to
the scene. We had fire in the Japanese
restaurant to start with smoke
pushing out. We started with an aggressive
interior attack. Fire quickly
spread to other occupancies in the
building. We have five occupancies
affected by this fire. We have three
non-life-threatening firefighter
injuries and no civilian injuries at
this time,” Chief of Operations John
Hodgens said at the scene of the
fire.
MASPETH TEEN
DROWNS IN ROCKAWAY
BEACH DAYS AFTER
OFFICIALS CALL FOR
PROPOSED WATER
SAFETY COMMISSION
An 18-year-old Maspeth man tragically
drowned while swimming in
rough surf off Rockaway Beach on
Friday, Aug. 6. Matthew Wiszowaty
was pulled from the ocean by first
responders, who rushed him to St.
John’s Episcopal Hospital. He died
two days later.
Reports said that the teen was
swimming off Beach 101st Street in
a section not open for swimming and
with no lifeguard on duty. Warning
signs and red flags lined the area,
part of the section that was closed
to the public due to erosion.
Earlier in August, Rockaways
lawmakers and community leaders
called on the governor to sign legislation
from Assemblywoman Stacey
Pheffer Amato, creating a commission
to investigate best practices in
preventing childhood drowning.
“No matter where you live or what
your background is, you should feel
safe going into the water or know
when not to go into the water,” Pheffer
Amato said. “This bill is for the
children who lost their lives, their
families and every other person in
New York state who we must protect.
This bill can lay the groundwork for
protecting a whole generation of
children from preventable fatality
due to lack of knowledge on water
safety, and it gives me hope for a
safer future.”
TWO MEN CRASH
THROUGH RIDGEWOOD
PIZZERIA’S STOREFRONT
DURING DISPUTE: NYPD
Over the summer, a 24-yearold
man was recorded pushing a
DoorDash driver through the front
glass window of Corato pizzeria in
Ridgewood.
Authorities from the 104th Precinct
responded to a 911 call on Aug.
15, reporting the incident at 66-94
Fresh Pond Rd. Police found the
57-year-old victim, who complained
of the dispute that happened over a
delivery with the suspect, 24-yearold
Sami Abdelaziz.
Police arrested the suspect and
charged him with assault and harassment.
The victim suffered multiple
lacerations and pain and was
treated for his injuries at Elmhurst
Hospital.
YEAR IN REVIEW
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