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Patch •

Campus Protest 'Agitators' Remain Elusive, Despite Outsider Arrests

Nearly half of protesters — 134 people of 282 total — arrested in the Tuesday night crackdowns didn't go to either school, according to reports, citing unnamed NYPD sources.

But outlets, notably the New York Daily News, pointed out the figures lacked many details, including on where exactly people were arrested. Others pointed out CUNY's campus was publicly accessible before the crackdowns.

Students or outsiders, some of the 282 protesters arrested Tuesday night remain in custody despite a lo
Patch •

NYC Nightclub The Box Settles Sex Harassment, Unpaid Wages Lawsuit

Read more: Sex, Drugs Forced On Women Employees At Exclusive NYC Nightclub: Lawsuit A former bottle server received an undisclosed amount in a settlement over her claims that the Lower East Side club's management allowed "customers to sexually harass and abuse her" and pressured her "to lure male customers to The Box so that they could be sexually serviced by others," according to court documents filed this week.

Male customers would be "serviced with sexual acts, sexual intercourse, drugs, and
Patch •

Lady Gaga Scraps Event At The Box Amid NYC Club's Sex Harassment Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — Pop superstar Lady Gaga has pulled out of hosting her sister’s bachelorette party at infamous downtown club The Box later after Patch first reported on a lawsuit accusing the nightclub’s management of allowing male clients to sexually assault waitresses and instructing female employees to engage in sex, excessive alcohol consumption and drug use, all under the threat of punishment or termination.

The nightclub, which opened in 2007, has long been known for its racy cabaret perfo
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Mayor Pitches Tent Conspiracy Theory Over NYC Campus Protest Camps

But where are these so-called "agitators" getting their bulk shipments of protest tents? The same place a New York City college student would: Amazon or Five Below, for as low as $15 a pop, according to a Patch review of tents spotted at multiple campus demonstrations.

"Students on campus were telling us about how the folks outside campus (not students) were where a lot of the vitriol we are seeing is starting," a City Hall spokesperson told Patch in response to a question about the mayor's rem
Patch •

Columbia, NYU Antiwar Protests Yield 230 Arrests, Finger-Pointing

Cops cuffed 120 students and faculty at NYU late Monday, in addition to more than 100 in the past week on Columbia's campus, officials said. All but a handful received a trespassing summons — a ticket that won't go on criminal records, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch.

The crackdowns may legally be a slap on the wrist, but the actions by the NYPD — and university administrators at both schools who called cops onto their campuses — have been seen by protesters as an indefensible escalation. "NYU
Patch •

Dozens Arrested In Columbia Protests As NYPD Moves On Campus

University President Minouche Shafik made the call to clear the campus earlier on Thursday, according to a letter posted to Columbia's website. "I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances," Shafik wrote. "The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies. Through direct conversations and in writing, the university provided multiple notices of these violations."


The unfolding chaos prompted predictably polarized reactio
Patch •

19 Hospitalized From Botched Botox Shots Sold In NJ, Elsewhere: CDC

NEW JERSEY — Counterfeit or mishandled units of botox, an injection used to smooth wrinkles, are being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after at least 19 women in several states reported harsh reactions to the product, the agency said Monday.

The bad botox, which hospitalized nine of the 19 women to date, was sold in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Washington, the agency said. Four of the women were “treated with
Patch •

Sex, Drugs Forced On Women Employees At Exclusive NYC Nightclub: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — Bosses at exclusive New York City nightclub The Box had a directive for what a former waitress should do for clients: "ANYthing they wanted."

The ex-bottle server contends in a recently filed federal lawsuit that she was physically, verbal and sexually harassed by a management team who not only allowed "customers to sexually harass and abuse her," but pressured her "to lure male customers to The Box so that they could be sexually serviced by others."

After recruiting male clie
Patch •

NYC Children’s Services Worker Slapped With Assault Charge After Brawl

BROOKLYN, NY - An off-duty children’s services worker was charged with assault after a brawl with another woman outside a medical facility on Monday, authorities said.

Michelle Molette, 58, a special officer for the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), was observed disputing with Angelita Paton Bacchus, 49, outside a dermatology facility at 101 Pennsylvania Ave. in East New York about 1:33 p.m., prompting a 911 call from a bystander, police said. The women reportedly shoved each other
Patch •

17K NYC Construction Worker Safety Cards Invalidated After Issuer Indictment

The mass deactivation stems from a a criminal indictment filed in Manhattan Criminal Court on Feb. 28 against Valor’s senior executives and employees, which accuses the Coney Island-headquartered company of selling construction safety training identification cards to laborers without providing any actual training. “Effective immediately, any SST cards that have been issued as a result of training certificates issued by Valor have been deactivated, and construction workers with these SST cards wi
Patch •

Central Park Fest Caused $205K+ In Damages Before 2023 Mayhem: Records

Records obtained by Patch show the Global Citizen Festival — the marquee event of the nonprofit advocacy organization Global Poverty Project — has repeatedly been issued damage fees dating back to at least 2018 over "failure to perform its restoration obligations" in accordance with agreements with the city. The recurring damage, capped by the September 2023 festival's unusually high damage bill, has prompted the Central Park Conservancy — the nonprofit that oversees the park — to discourage sim
Patch •

BK Pedestrian Struck, Killed On Linden Boulevard: NYPD

Police responded to a 911 call of a collision involving a pedestrian struck at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street just before 1:30 p.m. on Monday, police said. A preliminary investigation determined Mark Schumaker, 36, of East New York, was crossing the street when he was struck by a 2015 Chevy Malibu traveling eastbound on Linden Boulevard, police said.

Schumacher was rushed by medics to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scen
Patch •

1 Dead In BK NYCHA Shooting, No Arrests Made Yet: NYPD

Police officers responded to Brownsville Houses at 284 Sutter Ave. about 11:14 a.m. for a report of a man shot, police said. Naishan Davis, 37, of the 300 block of Sutter Ave., was found “unconscious and unresponsive” at the complex with a gunshot wound to the torso. Medics rushed Davis to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.

The deadly shooting comes less than two months after anoth
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BK Cyclist, 67, Dies After Losing Control Of E-Bike: NYPD

Medics found Jundi Hu of Bay Ridge laying in the roadway with “severe body trauma” at the intersection of 53 Street and 6 Avenue just after 4 p.m., police said. Hu was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

No other vehicles appeared to have played a role in the crash, per police. The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad. Hu lived about a mile, or less than a ten minute bicycle ride, from the
Patch •

BK Pedestrian Killed In Dump Truck Crash, Driver At Large: NYPD

The victim, Maria Piovanetti, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene at about 6 a.m. after medics found her laying in the intersection of Tilden Avenue and Bedford Avenue near Kings Theatre, police said. An initial investigation by the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad found that Piovanetti was walking westbound from the northeast corner to the northwest corner on the marked crosswalk on Bedford Avenue when she was struck by a 2014 Kenworth dump truck traveling southbound on Be
Patch •

2 MTA Employees Arrested In BK On Reckless Driving, DWI Charges

BROOKLYN, NY - Two MTA employees were arrested over the weekend on reckless driving and DWI charges, respectively, authorities said.

Pedro Nunez-Delacruz, 43, an NYPD auxiliary police officer, was charged in the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick about 4:41 a.m. Saturday with driving while intoxicated and refusal to take a breath test, police said. Holton Marcus, 31, was charged in the 67th Precinct (which comprises East Flatbush and Remsen Village) with reckless endangerment, reckless driving and drivi
Patch •

2 MTA Employees Arrested In BK On Reckless Driving, DWI Charges

BROOKLYN, NY - Two MTA employees were arrested over the weekend on reckless driving and DWI charges, respectively, authorities said.

Pedro Nunez-Delacruz, 43, an NYPD auxiliary police officer, was charged near the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick about 4:41 a.m. Saturday with DWI, driving while ability impaired by alcohol and refusal to take a breath test, police said. Holton Marcus, 31, was charged on Sunday about 5 p.m. in the 67th Precinct, , which comprises East Flatbush and Remsen Village, with r
Patch •

Harlem Building Owners Charged In NYC Sidewalk Shed Crackdown: DOB

City officials issued summonses last month to the owners of 27 West 129 St. on accusations they failed to upkeep the building’s facades and submit required reports. The building's scaffolding — or sidewalk shed, in city parlance — was first erected for routine maintenance in 2013, sources told Patch. Instead of making repairs within 90 days of filing a report, owners Francis and Donna Synmoie reportedly left the shed as a perennial safety fixture on the Harlem block for over a decade.

The latte
Patch •

Man Nabbed In PA ‘Sextortion’ Of 5 Minors, 30 Others: State Police

Alvaro Andres Valarezo Sandoval, a Miami resident and Ecuadorian national, allegedly received sexually explicit materials from children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old across Hamilton Township, Greene Township, Guilford Township and Saint Thomas Township in Franklin County and blackmailed those individuals in a scheme dating back to at least 2019. Valarezo Sandoval, 34, was arrested Jan. 18 at his Miami residence by Pennsylvania State Police with the help of U.S. Immigrations and Customs
Patch •

PA Property, Child Tax Credits Increased; Eligibility Expanded In 2024

Gov. Josh Shapiro joined local lawmakers this week in Cambria County’s Greater Johnstown Community YMCA to tout a slew of changes to the commonwealth’s tax credit and rebate programs, which is expected to put tens of thousands of dollars back into eligible Pennsylvanians’ pockets this year, Shapiro said. “We’re cutting costs, putting money back in people’s pockets, helping families and seniors get by – and we got this done by working together with Democrats and Republicans,” Shapiro said of the
Patch •

Water Rescues, Power Outages, School Delays: See NJ Storm Aftermath

The powerful storm dropped nearly 4 inches of rain and blew 70 mph winds in some parts of the state, with downed trees and flooding prompting road closures, local and state officials said. Scores of schools announced delayed openings Wednesday (see list below). Several rivers, especially in North Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania, are experiencing “moderate to major flooding” and will remain flooded though the week, the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Storm update: We are concerne
Patch •

Shelter Plans For Ex-UWS Calhoun School ‘Problematic,’ Brewer Says

“Big $ investment to convert historic school into homeless shelter,” Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, wrote via X. “Should become permanent affordable housing instead.” Investment firm Bayrock Capital bought the 127-year-old school building at 160 West 74th St. over the summer for $14 million, with initial plans aimed at turning the site into a five-story upscale residential building, according to reports at the time.

But in an unexpected turn of events, plans submitted last month in
Patch •

26 Injured In UWS Subway Train Crash, Derailment: MTA

A northbound commuter 1 train hit an out of service 1 train at the 96th Street station about 3 p.m., causing the first car of the commuter train to derail, MTA officials said at an evening press conference. The out of service train had been vandalized and had four workers aboard. 26 people, including at least one MTA worker, suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.

No serious injuries were reported, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Ian Swords said, adding that the injuries sustained "wer
Patch •

Harlem Charter Student ‘Permanently’ Injured In School Brawl: Lawsuit

HARLEM, NY - The mother of a Harlem charter school student is suing the school over a violent encounter between her son and another student that left her son permanently injured, according to a lawsuit filed in New York County Supreme Court Wednesday.

Neighborhood Charter Schools of Harlem student, identified using only his initials JMR, was seriously injured by another student during an unsupervised classroom brawl in 2022, according to a complaint filed by attorneys representing JMR and his m
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