4 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 7, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photo: Mark Hallum/THE COURIER
After blaze, Bayside business say they didn’t cause the fi re
BY MARK HALLUM
of Hookah and aff ected the bank to the
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
point where it was still closed and covered
@QNS
in police tape the following day.
FDNY, however, told Th e Courier
Who’s to blame for a Bayside blaze on
that a caller reported smoke in the front
Sunday morning? Th at’s a burning question.
entrance of the bank and fi refi ghters later
found its source in the ceiling of the
A fi re that had a Citibank branch on
House of Hookah at 39-07 Bell Blvd.
Bell Boulevard in Bayside shut down on
According to the FDNY spokesman,
Feb. 3 also had the neighboring hookah
the fi re was under control by 11:20 a.m.
lounge out of commission. Reports confl
on Feb. 3.
icted as to whether the blaze started at
But when Th e Courier spoke to a source
the bank or at the hookah lounge.
connected to the House of Hookah, they
A security guard at the branch located
claimed the bank was shift ing blame
at 39-01 Bell Blvd. told QNS that the fi re
onto them even though the fi re allegedly
had started with the neighboring House
started in a basement only accessible
to Citibank.
“It happened in an area where we have
no access,” the source said, accusing
Citibank of “shift ing the blame.”
Th e source said FDNY had to bust
through a wall in the back of the lounge
to access the fi re in the underground area
near the back of the building. But the
lounge’s basement only extends about
20 feet from the street, according to the
source.
Caution tape was had the sidewalk in
front of Citibank closed off by about 10
feet out while the House of Hookah did
not have any tape around it, though work
was taking place in the storefront.
Thief breaks into Flushing building and steals from mailboxes
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
Cops are looking for a crook who they
say broke into a Flushing building and
stole mail from several mailboxes.
According to police, an unknown
man forced his way into the lobby of
41-28 Haight St. at around 2 a.m. on
Jan. 25.
Once inside, police said the suspect
broke into several mailboxes
and took an undetermined amount of
mail. Th e suspect then fl ed the scene
in an unknown direction, according to
authorities.
Th e 109th Precinct tweeted out a
photo of the suspect:
“Th e individual pictured below is
wanted for forcing his way into the
lobby of 41-28 Haight Street on 1/25/19.
Once inside the individual broke into
24 mailboxes,” the precinct tweeted on
Feb. 1.
Anyone with information about this
incident should call Crime Stoppers at
800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-
57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers
website, send a direct message on
Twitter to @NYPDTips or a text message
to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter
TIP577. All calls and messages are kept
confi dential.
Bayside pol supports
new gun controls
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
A Queens lawmaker is working to
reduce gun violence by backing the
fi rst gun control bills since the Sandy
Hook shooting in 2012.
Assemblyman Ed Braunstein
announced yesterday that members of
the state assembly and senate recently
helped to pass comprehensive gun
control legislation for New York state.
Th e legislative package includes passing
the “red fl ag” bill, allowing the
court to issue an extreme risk protection
order (ERPO), which prevents
those who are “determined to be a
threat” to themselves or others from
possessing or purchasing fi rearms for
one year.
“Despite mass shooting aft er mass
shooting, the federal government still
refuses to pass common-sense legislation
to protect Americans from
gun violence,” said Braunstein.
“Th ankfully, the Assembly and Senate
have joined together to protect New
Yorkers by preventing dangerous individuals
from possessing a gun, banning
bump stocks, and extending the waiting
period to purchase a fi rearm.”
Braunstein was among the majority
of state Assembly members who
helped pass the “red fl ag” bill. Under
the bill, a petitioner, who could be a
family member, school administrator
or law enforcement offi cer, is required
to fi le a sworn application that justifi es
why they are fi ling for a request.
Aft er an initial hearing, a temporary
ERPO may be granted if the individual
is thought to be a serious threat. A fi nal
one-year ERPO may then be issued at a
subsequent hearing.
Lawmakers also extended the waiting
period from three days to 30 days
for individuals trying to purchase a gun
before they have passed a background
check. Federal law states that gun
dealers are required to conduct background
checks through the National
Instant Criminal Background Check
System (NICS). Following the check,
a person’s check is either “approved,”
“denied” or “delayed.” “Delayed”
responses must be completed aft er
three business days if another “denied”
response is not received.
Th e Assembly and Senate also passed
legislation that prohibits the possession,
manufacture, transport, shipment
and sale of devices that “accelerate the
fi ring rate of fi rearms so they operate
in a similar manner as machine guns.”
Photo via Google Maps, inset via Twitter/@NYPD109Pct
A Sunday basement fi re put two Bell Boulevard businesses out of commission.
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