NYC News - Local News

Smoke Shop Robbed at Knifepoint for $27 The NYPD is searching for this man in connection with the robbery of a smoke shop at knifepoint. -Photo by NYPD By Dan Gesslein  Manhattan Voice  December 12, 2023 MANHATTAN - A thief threatened to cut a smoke shop worker with a knife during a robbery which netted the crook $27 worth of smoke goods, the NYPD said.  The robbery took place in broad daylight down the block from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Mount Sinai at 247 East 14th Street. At around 1:24 pm on December 11, a man in a multi-colored windbreaker walked into the American Dead Smoke Shop.  Cops said he pulled out a knife on the 24-year-old cashier and forcibly removed smoke goods from the counter. Investigators said the stolen items totaled $27.   The suspect is described as a male with a dark complexion and medium build. He was last seen wearing a windbreaker with colored orange, blue and purple. He wore a baseball cap and wore a light hoodie underneath the windbreaker

Saving New Yorkers from the Opioid Crisis Mayor Eric Adams announces an additional $12 million to combat the opioid epidemic as part of funds secured by New York Attorney General Letitia James from settlements reached in her numerous lawsuits against different manufacturers and distributors of opioids at Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island. Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. By Mayor Eric Adams  Community Op-Ed Manhattan Voice  December 11, 2023 MANHATTAN - A fatal overdose occurs in New York City every 3 hours. The opioid epidemic is a growing public health crisis that we must end. It has inflicted too much heartache in our city. Manufacturers and distributors have hooked thousands of New Yorkers on opioids and other painkillers. They have raked in billions of dollars — profiting off of addiction and tragedy while people’s lives have been lost and destroyed. Last year was the deadliest year on record for overdose deaths in our city. In 2022 alone, over 3,00

Man Tried to Steal Church Statue off Altar - Caught on Surveillance Video  The NYPD is searching for this man for allegedly trying to steal a statue off of a church altar. -Photo by NYPD By Dan Gesslein  Manhattan Voice  December 10, 2023 MANHATTAN - An unholy crook tried to rob a statue off the altar of a popular Manhattan church, the NYPD said. At around 8:30 pm on December 3, a man walked into the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on Amsterdam Avenue. Cops said the man walked up to the altar and removed a statue. When he noticed security cameras he dropped the statue and ran out of the church.  The suspect is described a make between the ages of 45 and 50. He is 5 foot 10 and 220 pounds with a light complexion. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black sneakers. Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at  1-800-577-TIPS  (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public ca

Cops Make Arrest in Shooting During Restaurant Robbery  The NYPD made an arrest in the shocking shooting caught on surveillance video during a restaurant robbery. -Photo by NYPD By Dan Gesslein  Manhattan Voice December 10, 2023 MANHATTAN - The NYPD has made an arrest in the shooting inside a restaurant in which the gunman shot a customer seated at the counter in the back of the head. The NYPD announced the arrest of 37-year-old Heiton Camacho Bonilla of Amsterdam Avenue. He was charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and  menacing. Investigators are mum on why the gunman shot the victim after he handed over his cell phone and money as instructed.

Shoplifter Pulls Knife on Walgreens Employee in Garment District  The NYPD is searching for this man in connection with a shoplifting at a Walgreens. The man is suspected of pulling a knife on a worker. -Photo by NYPD By Dan Gesslein  Manhattan Voice  December 8, 2023  MANHATTAN - A shoplifter pulled a knife on a store worker when he tried to stop him at a Walgreens in the Garment District, the NYPD said.  At around 2:30 pm on November 26, a 27-year-old store employee inside a Walgreens observed a man with merchandise who tried to leave the store without paying. As the worker tried to stop the man, the shoplifter pulled out a knife and threatened him, cops said.   When the worker backed off, the shoplifter hopped on a CitiBike and rode northbound on 10th Avenue.

Diner Shot in Head During Robbery A gunman shot a diner in the back of the head at a Manhattan restaurant during a robbery. The victim was shot in the cheek. -Photo by WABC By Dan Gesslein Manhattan Voice December 7, 2023 MANHATTAN - A man eating at the counter of an Upper Manhattan eatery was shot in the head when a gunman robbed the fish restaurant, cops said. The diner is in critical condition after the bullet went through his cheek. The NYPD released dramatic video of the robber pointing a blue handgun in the back of the head of the diner sitting at the counter of Seafood King Fish Market at Broadway and West 163rd Street.  Cops said the gunman fired into the back of the man’s head as he was robbing the eatery.  It is unknown the reason why he fired at the patron- if this was a simple robbery, since the victim had already handed over his cell phone and money. The NYPD is searching for this man in connection with a shooting inside a seafood restaurant in Manhattan. -Pho

Mayor Unveils Pilot for E-Bike Charging Stations Charging technologies participating in the city’s pilot, produced by (from left to right) Swobbee, Swiftmile, and Popwheels. Delivery Workers Can Safely Charge Lithium-Ion Batteries Outside Residences in NYC  Manhattan Voice  December 6, 2023  NEW YORK - Mayor Eric Adams plans on ringing in the New Year with launching e-bike charging stations throughout the city in an attempt to stop the problem of fires started by cheap lithium-ion batteries. The plan will include battery-swapping networks, as well as secure bike parking docks that supply fast charging to delivery workers’ e-bikes.  “New Yorkers rely on delivery workers for so much, and this innovative pilot program will test different technologies to make this technology safer as we continue to do all we can to help protect workers from the dangers that lithium-ion batteries can pose,” said Mayor Adams.  “By investing in battery-swapping networks and fast-charging e-bike dock