4 The Courier sun • MAY 26, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Photo courtesy of NYPD P.O. Joseph Koch An Ozone Park man gets 66 years in prison for shooting an off-duty cop in Jamaica By Robert Pozarycki [email protected]/@robbpoz An Ozone Park man could spend more than six decades behind bars for shooting an off-duty police officer who responded to a domestic violence incident in Jamaica nearly three years ago. Jose L. Bernazard, 42, a former resident of 88th Street in Ozone Park, received the lengthy sentence on May 19 for the Father’s Day 2013 shooting of Police Officer Joseph Koch, who was wounded in the left hand. Following a 3 1/2 week trial, jurors convicted Bernazard on April 18 of this year of second-degree attempted murder, second- and third-degree assault, first-degree burglary, aggravated criminal contempt, criminal contempt, criminal obstruction of breathing, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and stalking. Judge Deborah Stevens Modica ordered Bernazard on May 19 to serve between 59 1/3 and 66 1/3 years in prison. The trouble began at 10 p.m. on the night of June 16, 2013, when Bernazard visited the home of his ex-girlfriend, a resident of South Road in Jamaica. According to prosecutors, Bernazard climbed through an open window and began to assault the woman and her 10-year-old son. Koch, off-duty at the time and attending a barbecue with family, heard screams coming from inside the home, law enforcement sources said. He displayed his shield on his waistband and went to confront Bernazard. This led to a physical struggle during which Bernazard grabbed Koch’s gun and fired several shots. One of the bullets hit Koch’s left hand, while another slug struck Bernazard in the stomach. Officers from the 103rd Precinct and EMS units rushed to the scene. Koch, Bernazard, the woman and her son were brought to Jamaica Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Though everyone made a recovery, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown noted, Koch’s injuries forced him to retire from the force. For his valor while off-duty, Koch received honors from President Obama during a 2014 ceremony at the White House. Upon further investigation, police learned that the woman had an order of protection preventing Bernazard from contacting her as a result of a repeated history of attacks. Brown said Bernazard assaulted his ex-girlfriend on three separate occasions prior to the June 16, 2013, incident. “The defendant is a clear danger to the woman he had briefly dated, her son and to the general public,” Brown said in a statement on Thursday. “In this case, a lengthy prison term was more than warranted, and the defendant will likely spend the rest of his days behind bars.” Howard Beach bicyclists help clean up bike pathway Photo courtesy of Jack and Corrine Wlody From left to right: Ken Podziba, Michael Wlody, Jack Wlody and Corrine Wlody. Actor Chris Victor, Friendship Lights Inventor Jack Giambanco, MS 137 Student Asim Alsaidi and Celebrity Cabbie Manny Anzalota. An enlightening lesson on bullying at Ozone Park school BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected]/@robbpoz Ozone Park’s M.S. 137 recently received three special visitors who delivered a message of friendship and good will. Jack Giambanco, a graphics artist at The Queens Courier and inventor of the “Friendship Lights,” met with students along with Manny Anzalota, a cab driver known for shuttling celebrities around the city, and actor Chris Victor, who appeared in the feature independent film “Back in the Day” starring Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover. “The Three Amigos,” as Giambanco called himself and his friends, appeared during the school’s career day not only to talk about what they do for a living, but to encourage the students to work hard and be friendly to one another. “It is a pleasure to participate in Career Day and to inspire the kids with my story of overcoming all odds to create a product from a dream,” said Giambanco, referring to his Friendship Lights, a light-up toy that’s mean to be a message of hope to all who possess one. “When the kids hear the story of how I overcame all odds to create Friendship Lights, their eyes light up and they feel they can conquer any challenge.” Giambanco, Anzalota and Victor visited six classrooms and shared their stories with the students. They also performed a short skit and asked students to volunteer. Giambanco said that he and his friends plan to make similar visits to other schools around the borough. BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz They tackled one personal challenge; now they’re looking to handle a public challenge. Howard Beach’s Jack and Corrine Wlody, avid cyclists who recently pedaled more than 11,000 miles in 96 days during the National Bike Challenge, are now working to clean up the pedestrian and bicycle pathway along the Belt Parkway between Queens and Brooklyn. According to Corrine Wlody, they decided to become active in keeping the pathway clean after finding all kinds of debris along the path, endangering anyone traveling on it. The Wlodys experienced this first-hand, as they repeatedly suffered flat tires as a result of striking debris, buckling asphalt and potholes along the path. As a result, they called on some friends and Bike New York, a nonprofit group promoting bicycling citywide, to team up and help clean the roadway. Team Wlody, as they called themselves, bought brooms, rakes, shovels, garbage bags and gloves for the volunteers who worked three hours to clean and bag debris along the path between Cross Bay Boulevard and Erskine Street in Brooklyn. Corrine Wlody said numerous cyclists and pedestrians thanked the volunteers for their work as they passed by. All told, the volunteers removed 15 bags full of debris. “If you want things to change and improve, you’ve got to be the solution,” the Wlodys said.
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