FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Man killed trying to cross
LIE in Bayside
Trying to cross the Long Island Expressway on foot
proved deadly for a Jackson Heights man who was struck
and killed by an SUV in Bayside on Tuesday night.
Police said the incident happened just before 9:09 p.m.
on Feb. 20 along the expressway’s westbound lanes at
219th Street, near the Springfi eld Boulevard exit.
According to law enforcement sources, Sameer Chettri,
35, of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights was observed walking
across the LIE’s westbound lanes when he was struck
by a 2017 Toyota RAV4 operated by a 52-year-old woman.
Aft er striking the man, police said, the driver stopped her
vehicle and remained at the scene.
Sources familiar with the investigation said it is unclear
why Chettri was walking across the LIE, which is off -limits
to pedestrians.
Offi cers from the 111th Precinct and EMS units responded
to a 911 call at the location. Chettri was found lying in
the roadway unconscious, with trauma to his body and
head. Paramedics rushed him to North Shore University
Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No charges have been fi led against the driver. Th e NYPD
Collision Investigation Squad is looking into the case.
Robert Pozarycki
Ex-director at Queens
Museum misled board
Laura Raicovich, the former director of the Queens
Museum, resigned last month at the request of the museum’s
board of directors aft er a three-month internal investigation
found that she mishandled a controversial event
last year, it was reported.
Th e investigation looked into the Queens Museum’s
decision to initially refuse, then later agree to let the
Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations hold
a celebration at the museum for the 70th anniversary of
the creation of the State of Israel. Th e initial refusal led to
widespread criticism in the media and from local elected
offi cials.
Conducted on a pro bono basis by Katten Muchin
Rosenman LLP, the investigation found several areas of
wrongdoing in its review of more than 6,000 museum
emails, more than 20 interviews and additional research.
Based on the fi nding of the investigation, the fi rm recommended
that the board review and improve its policies
and procedures in an eff ort to avoid similar distractions
in the future so that the museum can focus on its mission
and the community.
Ryan Kelley
Probe continues into dead
baby found in Astoria Park
Detectives are still investigating the death of a baby
who was found by a passerby in a trash can in Dutch Kills
Playground in Astoria on Saturday.
According to police, an Astoria resident walking by the
park at about 10:48 a.m. on Feb. 17 noticed an unpleasant
smell coming from a green barrel trash can at 36th Avenue
and Crescent Street. When the resident looked inside, he
found a baby boy inside.
Th e resident called 911 and the baby was transported to
Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“It’s just really messed up, and really foul,” Devon Davis,
the man who found the baby, told ABC7. “It’s just something
I really didn’t want to see. Having to see kids like that
and seeing babies left like that. It’s just wrong.”
According to ABC7, the baby was only a few weeks
old. A spokesperson for the NYPD could not confi rm the
baby’s age.
Th ere have been no arrests and the investigation is still
ongoing. Th e medical examiner will determine the cause
of death.
Angela Matua
Photo courtesy of Angelo Ng & Anthony Ng, Architects Studio, P.C.
Flushing property sold for $23M
to be turned into 7-story building
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A downtown Flushing site that
recently changed hands for a heft y
sum will be transformed into a
larger, mixed-use space.
Th e corner property at 141-57
Northern Blvd. sold for a fi nal closing
price of $23 million. Developer
NY EZ Property Holdings is the
new owner.
Th e property currently features a
14,200-square-foot building occupied
by a commercial tenant and
Bank of America, which operates
just over 4,000 square feet on a lease
through March 2020. Th e company
is paying $9,566 per month to lease
the space with no options.
The building sits on a
22,663-square-foot lot. Zoning
allows for potential 67,989 buildable
square feet for mixed-use
development, as of right.
Angelo Ng & Anthony Ng,
Architects Studio, P.C. has fi led
plans with the Department of
Buildings (DOB) to turn the property
and adjacent 141-61 Northern
Blvd. into a seven-story, mixeduse
building. Th e second fl oor will
house a community facility space
and fl oors three through seven
will house residential units. Th e
fi rst fl oor will remain a commercial
space.
Th ere are also plans to create 98
parking spaces in an enclosed area.
Th e development is pending zoning
approval, according to DOB
records.
Cushman & Wakefi eld’s Senior
Managing Director Stephen R.
Preuss and Vice Chairman Stephen
P. Palmese represented the seller.
“With an extremely diverse community
and an ideal location along
the 7 train and LIRR, Flushing has
emerged as one of the fastest growing
neighborhoods in Queens,”
Preuss said. “Th e recent success of
local projects such as Th e Grand
at SkyView bodes well for future
development as demand for new
residential space continues to outpace
supply.”
The proposed vision for the newly purchased Flushing site