4 The Courier sun • OCTOBER 13, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Photo via Shutterstock Clown sightings and threats made by Facebook users with names like Billy Clownsmith have been made in Queens. Creepy clown sightings and online threats have spread to Queens By Angela Matua amatua@qns.com/@AngelaMatua If you suffer from coulrophobia, you might want to look away. The recent nationwide craze in which people dress up in creepy clown makeup and make threats and disturbing gestures has arrived in Queens. According to the New York Post, a 30-year-old man reported to police on Oct. 5 that a knife-wielding clown in white face paint, a red wig and oversized shoes stared at him outside of his home at 76th Street in East Elmhurst and made threatening gestures. On Oct. 2, Facebook user “Billy Clownsmith” threatened students and faculty at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows and Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, according to a NYPD spokesperson. The spokesperson said the words “Coming to kill y’all on Wednesday. Can’t wait to have fun” were posted on Facebook by the user. The NYPD is currently investigating the incident. Another Facebook user by the name of Stephen Kingclown threatened Hillcrest High School and Jamaica High school, the New York Post reported. “Hillcrest? I will put a bomb of course,” the user warns. “Next is Jamaica High School. Get ya ass ready no joke. I might do it.” The clown sightings began in Greenville County, SC in August where children reported to police that clowns had been coming out of the woods trying to lure them in with money. The sightings lasted about three weeks after the sheriff’s office in Greenville County tripled their patrol force and the reports eventually stopped. Reports of sightings have spread to three dozen states since August and police have made arrests in several cases after people dressed in clown costumes participated in robberies. NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Deputy Commissioner John Miller told reporters at a recent press conference that the threats do not seem to be credible. “We’re tracking it but we don’t see any real threat here,” Miller said. “We have tried to avoid falling into the trap of putting extra police protection or presence in places where we’ve had these.” “Our main message is don’t believe the hype and don’t be afraid of the clowns,” Miller added. Stephen King, the creator of the terrifying clown Pennywise from his novel “It,” has told people that it’s “time to cool down the clown hysteria” on Twitter. Boss of 106th Precinct retiring for a teaching career By Domenick Rafter editorial@qns.com/@QNS Captain James Fey, the commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, surprised members of Community Board 10 on Oct. 6 when he unexpectedly announced his retirement at the board’s October meeting in South Ozone Park. Fey, who has only been at the helm of the south Queens precinct since March, will take a job at C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y starting Oct. 17. A replacement has not yet been named. “It’s hard to leave the Police Department in general,” the 27-year veteran of the NYPD said. “”It saddens me a great deal. I was very conflicted.” Fey thanked the community for the support they have given to himself and his officers. “I can’t thank this community enough,” he said. “I know I haven’t been here long. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned to love the community. The support you guys give is really phenomenal.” Fey replaced Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff as commanding officer of the precinct, which covers Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park and Howard Beach in March. Schiff was reassigned to lead the 105th Precinct in Queens Village. Despite several tragic incidents over the summer, including the murders of Karina Vetrano in Howard Beach and Imam Maulama Akonjee and an associate of his in Ozone Park, the precinct command has seen a tremendous drop in crime during Fey’s sixmonth tenure. Overall major crime is down more than 12 percent year to date over last year, notably with a d o u b l e - d i g i t drop in grand larceny autos, which have been an issue in the precinct for years. Fey noted that the precinct is down 42 robberies this year as compared to last year, which he called “record low numbers.” “We are way down on stolen vehicles; we are 100 less stolen Photo by Domenick Rafter Captain James Fey, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, announces his retirement to Community Board 10 on Oct. 6. vehicles on the year,” he said. The precinct is also down in robberies, which Fey described as a “good indicator on how a community is doing.” The number of robberies is less than in any year dating back to at least 1993. “I can’t go back far enough to figure out how far down we are, but definitely in the past two decades,” he said. “My records go back to 1993, but I know there were a lot of robberies in the ’80s with the crack epidemic.” NEW CHIEF OF NYPD HONORED BY QUEENS DA New NYPD Chief of Department Carlos M. Gomez, a familiar face to Queens, was recognized last week by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown with his office’s 11th annual Hispanic Heritage award. Gomez was just a child when he emigrated with his father from their native Cuba. Chief Gomez served many Queens precincts during his 32-year law enforcement career, including stints at the 101st Precinct in the Rockaways; the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill; the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica; the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park; and the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights. Gomez, who had been chief of patrol, was promoted to chief of department by new Police Commissioner James O’Neill last month. Photo courtesy of Queens District Attorney’s office
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