16 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 26, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Mom arraigned
for leaving tot
alone in car in
College Point lot
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
An East Elmhurst woman
faces up to a year behind bars
after allegedly leaving her
2-year-old daughter all alone
inside her car at a College
Point shopping center on
Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters and officers
from the 109th Precinct
responded to the parking lot
near the P.C. Richard store
on 20th Avenue at 3:30 p.m.
on April 22.
According to WABC-TV
and Queens District Attorney
Richard A. Brown, passersby
in the lot spotted the child
sweating and crying while
unattended inside the locked
Honda CRV, and they contacted
911 for assistance.
Prosecutors said the child’s
mother — Elvira Sadikaj, 46,
of 80th Street in East Elmhurst
— left the child in the vehicle
with the windows up 10 minutes
earlier as she visited the
nearby TJ Maxx store.
First responders quickly
removed the child from
the vehicle and rushed her to
Flushing Hospital, where she
was treated for symptoms of
dehydration and overheating.
Video of the rescue operation
was posted to the Bayside,
Queens Facebook page.
Five minutes later, Sadikaj
returned to the vehicle and
allegedly told police that she
“wasn’t gone for a long time.”
She was subsequently taken
into custody and arraigned
on April 23 on a charge of
endangering the welfare of a
child.
Following her arraignment,
Sadikaj was released
under the supervision of the
Criminal Justice Agency, but
ordered to return to court on
May 4. The Administration
of Children’s Services is also
investigating the matter,
WABC-TV reported.
“The care and safety of one’s
child should always be of the
utmost importance, however,
in this case, the defendant’s
desire to shop allegedly surpassed
her instincts to keep
her toddler out of harm’s
way,” Brown said in a statement.
“The mother’s ‘quick’
trip into a store could have
ended tragically, but thankfully,
firefighters were there
in time to rescue the toddler
from the hot vehicle.”
Queens cop used NYPD card to buy
police equipment for personal vehicle
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
A Queens police offi cer involved in a
deadly Long Island crash nearly two years
ago was arrested on Th ursday for allegedly
using an NYPD-issued credit card to make
unauthorized purchases of lights, sirens and
other items for his own vehicle.
Edward Rosovich, 35, was charged on
April 18 with third-degree grand larceny,
fi rst-degree off ering a false instrument for
fi ling and offi cial misconduct. If convicted,
he faces up to seven years in prison, Queens
District Attorney Richard A. Brown said.
According to charges, Rosovich was
issued a “P” card, which can be used to
make purchases on behalf of the NYPD with
approval from a superior offi cer. On Sept. 8,
2016, Rosovich allegedly used his “P” card
to buy six Motorola two-way business radios,
six single wire earpieces, one multi-unit
charger and a Pelican 1450 case, totaling
$2,253. Th is purchase was not authorized
by the NYPD.
It is alleged that on Nov. 8, 2016, Rosovich
used his “P” card to make an unauthorized
purchase of a light package for a vehicle.
Th e requisition allegedly included lights, a
speaker, siren, the Bullet Hide-A-Blast, LED
Hide-A-Blasts, Mega Th ins, hardware and
light bars totaling $2,688.
On Aug. 10, 2017, Rosovich allegedly
submitted a requisition for a Expand Car
Clothes Hanger and an Iridium Extreme
957 satellite phone valued at $2,704. Th ese
unauthorized charges were a part of a larger
requisition of items valued at $4,764.
On Sept. 7, 2017, defendant Rosovich
ordered a GPS Logger, RF Detector, Multi
Bug Detector, a cellphone, GPS bug detector
and mobile phone spy detector in the
amount of $1,920, which was unauthorized,
as part of a larger authorized purchase totaling
$3,891.
It is alleged that between Oct. 13, 2017,
and April 6, 2018, Rosovich was seen operating
his private vehicle during which time
a Rhino Hitch, a GPS Logger and a Rhino
Hitch Step were on his vehicle. Rosovich
was also allegedly seen engaging the light
package and siren to rush through traffi c.
Rosovich was arrested at 4:30 pm. on
April 18, where he allegedly admitted buying
to the satellite phone with his “P card”
and that he intended to reimburse the
NYPD for the purchase.
In September 2016, Rosovich was involved
in a crash on the Long Island Expressway
that resulted in the deaths of two people.
According to the New York Post, Rosovich
was driving westbound when he struck the
victims, who exited their vehicle aft er the car
stalled in the HOV lane.
Th e driver, a 20-year-old man, was
declared dead at the scene and the passenger,
an 18-year-old woman, died at the hospital.
Rosovich, who suff ered minor injuries,
was not charged.
Vallone calls for helicopter safety and noise regulations
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Northeast Queens’ representative in City
Hall is urging the administration to change the
way it monitors helicopter noise and safety.
Councilman Paul Vallone, who represents
areas including Bayside, Flushing
and Whitestone, chaired a hearing on the
issue on April 18.
Th e hearing was organized in the wake
of the March 12 helicopter crash into the
East River between the Upper East Side of
Manhattan and Astoria, which left fi ve passengers
dead. Th e city has begun announcing
responsive measures, including a written
term agreement banning door-off helicopter
tour fl ights from operating out of the
Downtown Manhattan Heliport.
Still, Vallone, who also chairs the NYC
Economic Development (EDC) Committee,
is calling for more action. He urged the city
to include aviation noise pollution in the
city’s “Noise Code” as a means of regulation.
Vallone also recently proposed a resolution
calling on the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) to make changes to
the North Shore Helicopter Route, which
re-routed aircraft routes away from Long
Island and over much of northeast Queens.
A number of local groups testifi ed on
the environmental and health-related eff ects
helicopter traffi c has on their everyday lives.
Michael Gannon, president of the Douglas
Manor Association, said Douglaston is one
of the areas of Queens to “receive the brunt”
of helicopter traffi c.
Helicopter that crashed in the East River in March being taken in tow
“While the noise and disruption to our quality
of life peaks on Friday and Sunday during
the summer vacation time period, it remains a
year-round problem,” Gannon said.
Joe Femenia, president of the College
Point Civic and Taxpayers Association,
echoed these concerns. Aircraft noise has
impacted his neighborhood “for many
years,” he said, and increases during the
warmer months.
“Who do we bring to the table to tell the
8.5 million people of this city that they are
safe?” Vallone said. “It’s clear aft er today’s
hearing that the safety standards and operating
procedures for any helicopter in New
York City must be completely revisited, as
well as a complete analysis of the economic
Photo via Twitter/@NTSB_Newsroom
impact the tourist helicopter industry has
on our city.”
A recent EDC analysis determined that
the sightseeing helicopter industry brings in
approximately $2-3 million in revenue for
the city, according to Vallone, who questioned
whether the profi t is worth the tradeoff
s.
Th e councilman indicated that legislation
will be draft ed to codify aviation noise
into law.
“Now more than ever, we need to address
helicopter safety, operational procedures,
restrictions and what we can do in regard to
charter fl ights,” Vallone said. “What exists
today is clearly not working for the people
of NYC.”
Photo: Twitter/@NYPDTransport
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