16 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 4, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New city bills aim to protect and restore Jamaica Bay area
BY EMMA MILLER
editorial@qns.com / @QNS
Th e City Council approved legislation last
week designed to restore and protect fl oodprone
areas surrounding Jamaica Bay.
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer
Amato and City Council members Costa
Constantinides, Eric Ulrich, I. Daneek Miller
and Adrienne Adams joined community
members and advocates on Sept. 28 at
the Cross Bay Kiteboarding Launch Area in
Broad Channel to celebrate the bills’ passing.
Th e bills — Intros. 628, 749 and 750 —
were passed unanimously on Wednesday,
Sept. 26.
Intro. 628 requires the city to study
which areas are at risk of fl ooding and
create plans for future fl oods. Floodprone
areas must be reevaluated every
four years.
Intro. 749 helps buildings with groundwater
fl ooding discover whether they can
use the water for geothermal heating and
cooling. Intro. 750 reestablishes the New
York City Jamaica Bay Task Force aft er
fi ve years of unoffi cial operation.
Constantinides, who is the chair of the
Committee on Environmental Protection,
called the laws a “big win in the fi ght
against rising sea levels, pollution and
extreme weather.”
“While the road to a healthier Jamaica
Bay is still long, we now have a roadmap
for protecting the health of Queens’
crown jewel along with the communities
that live around it,” he said.
Ulrich, Adams and Amato expressed
similar sentiments.
“Investing, protecting and preserving
our environment must be a top priority
not only now but for generations to
come,” Amato said.
Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers President
Dan Mundy was grateful for the legislation,
Photo: Google Maps/Aaron Tso
calling the bay the “most important
urban park in the National Parks System.”
“Jamaica Bay is home to thousands of
species of birds, fi sh and marine life and
is one of the greatest natural resources in
the Northeast,” he said.
Miller said the laws will help the community
prepare for future fl ooding, protect
the bay and create energy sources.
Suspect sought for months-long
burglary pattern throughout Queens
BY RYAN KELLEY
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Police are still searching for a suspect
believed to be involved in a widespread
burglary pattern in southern Queens that
has lasted for two months.
According to authorities, the crime
spree involves 11 break-ins between the
102nd and 106th precincts and thousands
of dollars in stolen cash and jewelry.
Th e fi rst incident on July 22 between
12:01 a.m. and 7 a.m. was by far the most
profi table when the suspect entered a residence
near 84th Street and 133rd Avenue
in Ozone Park through an unlocked door.
Once inside, the thief swiped $8,000 from
the home and fl ed the location, police said.
In the second attempt on Aug. 2 at
approximately 3:45 a.m., the suspect
gained entry to a residence near 83rd
Street and 133rd Avenue through an open
storm door but did not steal any property,
according to authorities.
On Aug. 10 at approximately 5:15 a.m.,
the suspect failed to steal anything again
aft er entering through an open side window
of a residence near 88th Street and
Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, law
enforcement sources said.
Th e suspect did cash in again during the
next break-in on Aug. 18 at approximately
5:30 a.m. Th e individual entered a home
near 79th Street and Glenmore Avenue in
Ozone Park through an unlocked kitchen
window and stole $400, police said. A
21-year-old victim at the residence witnessed
the crook leave the residence and
fl ee on a bike southbound on 79th Street.
A few days later on Aug. 21 between
12:01 a.m. and 5 a.m., police said, the suspect
entered through an open side window
of a residence near 96th Street and
86th Avenue in Woodhaven and stole
$500 before fl eeing the location.
Th e suspect failed again on the next
attempt on Aug. 25 at approximately 9:25
a.m. Aft er entering through an open rear
window at a residence near 89th Street
and Atlantic Avenue, the suspect did not
remove any property and fl ed the location,
authorities said.
In the seventh incident of the spree,
the suspect entered an open ground-fl oor
window of a residence near 89th Street
and 85th Road on Aug. 28 between 12:01
a.m. and 4:30 a.m. According to police,
the suspect stole $1,500 worth of jewelry
before fl eeing the location.
Th e crook struck again on Sept. 1
between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. at a residence
near 84th Street and 108th Avenue in
Ozone Park. Aft er entering the home
through an open side window, the thief
removed $600 and fl ed the location,
authorities said.
On Sept. 4 between 1:30 a.m. and 7
a.m., the suspect gained entry into another
home near 86th Street and Pitkin
Avenue through an open rear window
and stole $100 before fl eeing the location,
according to police.
Nearly two weeks passed before the
thief hit another home near 79th Street
and Pitkin Avenue on Sept. 19 at approximately
4:40 a.m. Th e suspect entered
through an open rear window, stole $180
and a credit card from a bag and fl ed the
location southbound on 88th Street, law
enforcement sources said.
In the last incident on Sept. 22 at
approximately 6:30 a.m., the suspect
entered an open rear window of a residence
near 88th Street and Jamaica
Avenue in Woodhaven. Once inside, the
suspect was confronted by a 48-year-old
male victim at the location and fl ed without
any property, police said.
Th ere were no injuries reported in the
last incident, authorities said.
Th e suspect is described as a black male
who was last seen wearing a blue hooded
sweatshirt and headphones.
Th e photo provided by the NYPD was
obtained from a store near Euclid Avenue
and Belmont Avenue in Brooklyn, where
the suspect is believed to have used the
stolen credit card on Sept. 19 at approximately
5:27 a.m.
Anyone with information in regards
to these incidents is asked to call the
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-
577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-
PISTA (74782). Th e public can also submit
their tips by logging onto the Crime
stoppers website or by texting their tips
to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls and messages are kept confi -
dential.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD
Cops collar
Woodhaven
purse thief
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Cops arrested a man who beat up
a woman and stole her purse in front
of her son on a Woodhaven street on
Monday aft ernoon.
According to police, at 2:01 p.m. on
Oct. 1, a 35-year-old woman was walking
with her 4-year-old son on 84th
Street when she was approached by
an unknown man who demanded her
property. Th e suspect proceeded to
punch the woman in the face, head,
chest and back, rendering her unconscious.
Law enforcement sources said that
the crook then grabbed the victim’s
purse and fl ed westbound on 84th
Street. A group of good Samaritans
who witnessed the attack then chased
the suspect behind a home on 84th
Street, where he climbed onto the roof
of a nearby CVS, located at 83-02
Atlantic Ave., and fl ed in an unknown
direction.
Offi cers from the 102nd Precinct
responded to the incident. Th e victim
suff ered bruising and swelling to
her face and body and was treated and
released from a nearby hospital. Her
son was not harmed.
Following an ongoing investigation,
police arrested Derrick Chirse, 57, at
10 a.m. on Oct. 2. He was charged with
robbery, criminal possession of stolen
property and endangering the welfare
of a child.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
The individual pictured is wanted for a burglary
pattern in the 102nd and 106th precincts in
Queens.
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