Vigil Held For Hudson River Park Bike Path Victims

"All of us, I know feel shocked, and saddened and angry that this beautiful part of our daily lives as New Yorkers this incredible stretch of parkland where we ride our bikes and walk with our children and our loved ones was turned into an instrument of death and destruction."  -  Brad Hoylman - New York State Senator


Two women originally from Argentina hold the country flag during the vigil.  Five of the victims killed in Tuesday's murder spree were Argentine. The attack was the deadliest incident of terrorism in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.  After the march police began installing cement barriers along the four plus miles of bike path, protections the public had been calling for over more than a decade.  (Photos by Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Hundreds of mourners turned out yesterday evening for a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of Tuesday horrific tragedy in Hudson River Park.

The crowed converged at Pier 40 at West Houston Street near where the murderer entered the park.

Parents pushed strollers,  people held hands, some cried, some hugged, others were consoled.  

 They walked in silence along the esplanade, parallel to the bike path twenty feet away, the sun setting over the Hudson River on the right. 

Police on motor scooters lead the precession. 

The crowd makes its way along the Hudson River.

The crowd stopped at Pier 25 where the group gathered to say a few words.

"All of us, I know feel shocked, and saddened and angry that this beautiful part of our daily lives as New Yorkers this incredible stretch of parkland where we ride our bikes and walk with our children and our loved ones was turned into an instrument of death and destruction," New York State Senator Brad Hoylman said in a moving tribute.   

Hoylman, a former chair of Community Board 2 noted that one of the victims grew up nearby and was a constituent. 

"I'm also here to say we stand in solidarity with the victims and their loved ones. Those who lost their lives including a constituent of mine Nicholas Cleves who lives in Greenwich Village. Twenty-three years old and undertaking that very simple and pleasurable experience that so many of us have shared, riding his bicycle,  struck down. We can not explain it but we can be defiant in the face of such darkness and that’s why I think we are here."   

After the march police began installing cement barriers on the bike lane where the vehicle entered, and throughout the four mile long greenway, protections the public had been calling for over more than a decade.

The burning question is why did it take more than a decade and the needless deaths of eight innocent people and injuries of eleven more for the authorities finally install barriers, protections which would have easy prevented this.

West Houston St. & West Street.  After the march police installed cement barriers on the bike lane where the vehicle entered, protections the public had been calling for since at least 2006, more than a decade. 

On Tuesday a terrorist plowed a truck into unsuspecting Hudson River Park bike path users killing eight and wounding eleven more. The horrifying incident occurred around 3:00 when the driver entered the unprotected bike path at West Houston St. and West Street and sped south, indiscriminately hitting pedestrians and cyclists.

Five of the victims killed were Argentine tourists in New York for a 30-year high school reunion. Those killed were Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. A sixth member of the reunion group, was among the wounded.  

Another victim, Ann-Laure Decadt, 31,  a mother of 3-year-old and 3-month-old, from the town of Staden, Belgium was also killed. Three of those injured were also Belgian according to officials. 

Twenty-three-year old Nicholas Cleves, a software engineer from the West Village went to Elisabeth Irwin High School on Charlton St, four blocks from where he was murdered.  

Darren Drake, 32, of New Milford, New Jersey was the last person killed to be identified. 

Darren was a project manager for Moody’s Investors Service at the World Trade Center.  He was out for a bike ride, exercising between meetings when he was murdered.

According to his father he would have turned 33 on November 18th.  Darren was his only child.  

(Photos by Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

Read More:

Hudson River Park Bike Path Used To Kill 8 In Terror Attack, 11 More injured

The Hudson River Park Bike Path was strewn with bodies and mangled bicycles after Tuesday's terrorist attack that killed eight and wounded eleven more.  (Photo: Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)  

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A terrorist plowed into unsuspecting Hudson River Park bike path users killing eight and wounding eleven more in what officials called a terrorist attack.

The horrifying incident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 3:00 when the driver of a rented Home Depot pick up truck entered the popular bike path at West Houston St. and drove straight down the path. He began hitting pedestrians and cyclists as he headed south.  

The vehicle stopped less than a mile later when the driver crashed into a school bus on Chambers and West Street across from Stuyvesant High School. 

The driver got out of the vehicle and was confronted by police after waving what appeared to be firearms.  After the suspect did not comply with orders to drop the weapons an officer opened fire, striking him in the stomach. 

The rampage left bodies and mangled bicycles strewn along the bike path along West Street.

Map: NY Times 

Five of the victims killed were Argentine tourists from Santa Fe Province who were in New York for a 30-year high school reunion. Those killed were Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi according to Argentine authorities the NY Times reported. 

A sixth member of the reunion group, was among the wounded. 

Another victim, Ann-Laure Decadt, 31,  a mother of 3-year-old and 3-month-old, from the town of Staden, Belgium was also killed. Three of those injured were also Belgian according to officials.

The two other victims have now been identified as American. 

Nicholas Cleves, 23, a software engineer from the West Village.  He went to Elisabeth Irwin High School on Charlton St, four blocks away from where he was murdered.  A 33-year-old man from New Milford, New Jersey has also been Identified, but his name has not yet been released. 

The suspect was identified as Sayfullo Saipov, 29, from Uzbekistan who was in critical condition on Tuesday night.  He was expected to live law enforcement authorities said.

Saipov was living in Patterson, N.J.

The carnage along the bike path near West Houston St. in the aftermath of Tuesday's rampage in lower Manhattan.  (Photo: Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News)

Teen, 17, Robbed At Gun-Point In Hudson River Park

A 17-year-old male told police he was attacked by a man with a gun in the bathroom at Pier 45 located between 10th and Christopher Streets & West Street in Hudson River Park. 

Manhattan

A 17-year-old told police he was robbed and struck in the forehead by a man wielding a pistol, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The incident occurred inside a bathroom near Pier 45 today about 11:15 a.m. 

 The victim sustained a cut to his forehead. 

 The victim was inistailly being uncooperative according to a law enforcement source.

 No arrests have been made. 

- Geoffrey Croft

$ 170 Mil. Secret Pier 55 Deal: Barry Diller To Create Park & Entertainment Complex

The Hudson River Park Trust finally found a solution for the crumbling Pier 54 delema - get a billionaire to foot the bill and exclude the public from having any say.  The proposed 
$ 170 million dollar Pier 55 project will be built between the soon-to-be-demolished Pier 54 and the already demolished Pier 56 between 13/14th Street in the West Village.  (Renderings: Heatherwick Studio) 

The Barry Diller-Diane von Furstenberg Family Foundation will contribute $ 130 million dollars to design and build the off-shore pier then lease it from the park trust for 20 years.   The city and state are contributing $39 million for construction.  The nonprofit Pier55 Inc. will run the pier’s programming and fund day-to-day operations. 

The unique space will feature lush lawns, gardens and several performance spaces. 

See how a confused Madelyn Wills, president and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust attempts to get around a reporter's question regarding whether the deal was done behind closed doors and misrepresents that it was discussed with many in the community including elected officials and contradicts herself all in a matter of seconds.

"The funding of this, although discussed with many in the community and many electeds was obviously a funding agreement is done not in the public….   

"The Trust also said they kept and elected officials and community leaders apprized during the process," WCBS's Dick Brennan reported.

Area representative State Assemblymember Deborah Glick's has a differant view on this subject according to the NY Times.

Elected officials weren't the only ones left in the dark.

Several members of the Trust's own Advisory Council have expressed not knowing as well.

The Hudson River Park Trust continues to push the Bloomberg public/private partnership agenda to abdicate its responsibility for caring for its public spaces.  They approached billionaire Barry Diller more than two years ago and have been negotiating behind closed-doors since. 

“Somebody’s got to pay for it. We don’t have the money,” Diana L. Taylor, the chairwoman of the Trust told the NY Times.  

That statement is true because people like her partner former Michael Bloomberg and other elected officials simply refuse to allocate the necessary funds. Over the years several media outlets have erroneously reported that Hudson River Park is supposed to be self-sustaining.  

Ms. Taylor famously told a group of public school parent representatives hoping to include a school during a meeting regarding the stalled redevelopment of Pier 40,  "I don't give a shit I don't live around here."   

The deal was supposed  be announced today by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mr. Diller.  

 - Geoffrey Croft

Manhattan

The Hudson River is about to get a spectacular new floating park, thanks to media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, celebrity fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, according to the New Yor Daily News. 

The couple has partnered with the Hudson River Park Trust to build a $130 million pier and performance space to replace the unused and decaying Pier 54 at W. 13th St., Diller told the Daily News. 

 "There is no performance center in New York with these kinds of aspirations," said Diller, who heads media conglomerate IAC. 

The plan calls for a square pier the size of two football fields to rise on stilts between the existing, but decrepit, Pier 54 and the remains of Pier 56. Both piers’ pilings will remain as a habitat for fish.  

The new pier, to be known as Pier 55, will feature undulating gardens, lush lawns and pathways and a 700-seat waterfront amphitheater.


The platform would sit atop 300 mushroom-shaped concrete columns that are to range in height from 70 feet above the water to 15 feet above.

It was designed by Heatherwick Studio, the same company behind the flaming cauldron at the 2012 London Olympic Games.  

"New York has always reminded me of Venice, so I am happy the time has come to properly honor its waterways," von Furstenberg said.  The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation will design, build and maintain the pier — then lease it from the park trust for 20 years. 

Oscar-winning movie producer Scott Rudin, theater director Stephen Daldry, and playwright George Wolfe are all on board to select acts to perform on the pier.  The city and state are contributing $35 million for construction, but most of the financial burden will fall on the famous couple.

“We are so lucky as a family that we get to do this,” Diller said. 

 One park watchdog was more critical, saying such a project should have local input. 

 “Diller is obviously being extremely generous, but private citizens are being able to dictate public spaces,” said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates.

 “The public has been completely left out.”  But the Hudson River Park Trust defends the partnership.

"This is not privatization," said Madelyn Wils, president and CEO of the trust.

 "They're going to be operating in a public park so the park has to remain open and accessible."  

The lease still must be approved by the trust’s board, and will undergo a 60-day public review. Plans will be presented to Community Board 2 next month. 

For Croft, it’s too little, too late. 

“It’s already a foregone conclusion,” he said. 

If approved, work will begin next year with a scheduled completion date of late 2018 or early 2019.

Barry Diller, chair and Scott Rudin, vice chair of nonprofit Pier55 Inc. will run the pier’s programming and fund day-to-day operations under a 20-year lease with the Hudson River Park Trust.

The crumbling Pier 54, which juts 875 feet into the Hudson River will be demolished and replaced by a 2.4 acre off-shore park and performance spaces.    (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

The Hudson River Park Trust has rented out the former Cunard-White Star pier for events including concerts and the annual Gay Pride dance each June.  In 1998 it became part of Hudson River Park.   

The rusting Cunard & White Star arch at the foot of Pier 54 will be restored under the plan and will provide one of two access points to the park which will be 186 feet off-shore. 

Read More:

Questions Raised Over Plans For New Hudson River Park

WCBS - November 17, 2014 - By Dick Brennan

Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg propose $130 million park pier in Hudson River

New 'Pier 55' would offer two football fields worth of greenspace. Critics see 'privatization.' 

New York Daily News -  November 17, 2014 - By Katherine Clarke  

With Bold Park Plan, Mogul Hopes to Leave Mark on New York’s West Side

New York Times - November 17, 2014 - By Charles V Bagli AGLI and Robin Pogrebin 

Pier 55 gets $130M bid to create an ‘island oasis’

New York Post - By Steve Cuozzo  November 17,  2014 

Beloved PEP Officer Gerald Esposito Passes Away

PEP Officer Gerald "Jerry" Esposito.  "It is my belief that God called him, whom I know he loved very much, after a life of kindness, service and example to others."  -  Friend


Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

A beloved Park Enforcement Patrol officer has passed away NYC Park Advocates has learned. 

Gerald Esposito, 65, was found in his home on Pauling Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx Monday by colleagues after he failed to report for work on Sunday.

It is believed he passed due to natural causes. 

He had just celebrated his 65th birthday and his ninth year as a PEP officer.

"Jerry" Esposito served in the Battery Park City Command and in Hudson River Park. 

A veteran of the United States Navy he served on active duty for two years and eight more as a reservist  before he joined the Parks Department as an officer on September 19, 2005, according to Parks'. 

"I just started crying,"  fellow officer Jessica Torres said when she found out.

"He was a very compassionate caring person who went out of his way to help people. He was never confrontational," she said.

Torres, who worked with him at Hudson River Park,  was told that when he left work on Saturday he complained about neck and shoulder pain.  He died later that night.

"We just saw him. He just turned sixty-five. We were just talking about how there were only four of us left who graduated from the academy together.  Everyone left.

"He was just so nice, so humble," she said.

 “Gerald Esposito touched many lives during his tenure at Parks and he became an important presence on his post at Battery Park City," the Parks Department said in a statement.

"His love of the City and its history made him a welcome presence for so many New Yorkers. Our thoughts are with Gerald’s family and friends at this time.”

He is survived by a younger brother Phillip Esposito who lives in California.

Electeds Say Deal To Transfer Unused Development Rights To Pay For Pier 40 Repairs Is News To Them

Pier 40, part of Hudson River Park,  is deteriorating and the government has refused to pay for the repairs which has created a mess.  (Photos:  Richard Perry/The New York Times

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Assemblymember Deborah Glick sent out a press release this afternoon titled, SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON PIER 40 AND THE HUDSON RIVER PARK after the NY Times revealed that the Cuomo administration and park officials struck a tentative agreement with a developer to transfer unused development rights from Pier 40 to the St. John’s Terminal Building across the West Side Highway in return for more than $100 million that would be used to rehabilitate the deteriorating pier.    

The press release stated that the local elected officials were united in opposing a General Project Plan (GPP) that would silence the community's voice.  Six officials -  Congressman Jerry Nadler, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, State Senator Brad Hoylman, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Councilmember Corey Johnson wrote to both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio on May 1st, spelling out their strong opposition.

"A GPP would completely usurp local zoning and local input from the community and is in no way condoned by the Hudson River Park Act," the release states. 

"It is the same land use procedure that brought the Barclays Center to the Atlantic Yards, despite widespread disapproval from that community." 

The release also included a letter (below) elected officials sent more than two weeks ago outlining their unified opposition to any such plan. 

"There was no response from the Cuomo Administration to this letter. Apparently, they felt a NY Times article would suffice in alerting the community and their elected representatives to what they should expect.  Active engagement by the local community may not be preferable to the developer, but it is an important process, by which all voices are heard, and is the hallmark of democracy." 

A deal to develop the St. John’s Terminal Building, left, could fund the repairs at Pier 40. 

May 1, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 Mayor Bill de Blasio City Hall New York, NY 10007 Dear Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo, As elected officials who represent Manhattan's West Village neighborhood, we are becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility that the State and the City are working towards the adoption of a General Project Plan (GPP) to transfer air rights from Pier 40 in the Hudson River Park to the St. John's Building at 550 Washington Street. Such an action would enable air rights from the park/commercial pier to be transferred to a property across the West Side Highway without going through New York City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). This would demonstrate a blatant disregard for our community, and deny the local community board and local elected officials a real voice on what will no doubt be a controversial proposal.  The idea of a GPP has been a non-starter from the moment it was first introduced to local elected officials as a possibility in the fall of 2013. We are all strong advocates of increased funding for Hudson River Park. However, the state legislation that was enacted in 2013 and codifies the Hudson River Park Trust's ability to generate revenue through the transfer of air rights was predicated on the premise that local zoning laws would dictate the process. This was to ensure that resources would be made available to the Park but not at the expense of local input. A GPP would be in direct violation of this principle and would rightfully enrage the community, which would be effectively left powerless through this process. Any lip service paid to the needs of the community would only be that, as the local officials who have a formal role in the ULURP process, the City Council Member and Borough President, will have no binding authority when it comes to negotiating any agreement, or voting on whether to approve the proposal. Furthermore, if a GPP is being considered, it is difficult to understand why. This action would obviously create enormous benefit for the developers of the transfer site, and would provide the Park with a quick infusion of capital, but it is highly unlikely that the value of the air rights would decrease during the time needed for a transfer mechanism to be established and a proper ULURP process to take place. In fact, there is a great chance that time will only increase the value of these air rights leading to even more money for the Hudson River Park. Active engagement by the local community may not be preferable to the developer, but it is that sometimes messy process, in which all voices are heard, that is the hallmark of democracy. And most importantly, it ensures that government takes actions that accurately reflect the wants and needs of its citizens. If a GPP moves forward, we will actively oppose it.  The public process must unfold in the way that it is designed to, and failure to do so is extremely bad precedent.  Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to discussing this issue further.

Read More:

Possible Deal May Bring Money to Repair Pier 40 in Manhattan

New York Times - May 15,  2014 - By Charles V. Bagli

Where's Government Money As Bloomberg’s Girlfriend Helps Raise $2.5M for Hudson River Park

A Walk In The Park -  October 6, 2013 

Future Of Two Hudson River Park Proposals Forum Draws A Crowd

A Walk In The Park  - March 8,  2013

Friends of Hudson River Park's Improvement District Funding Scheme Rears Its Ugly Head Again

A Walk In The Park  - June 28,  2012 

Facing Deficits Hudson River Park Trust Looking For State Legislation

To Loosen Development Restrictions-Major League Soccer Hoping To Come To Pier 40

A Walk In The Park  - April 5,  2012 

Reliance On Self- Sustaining Hudson River Park "Model" Continues To Plague Project

A Walk In The Park  -  January 28,  2012 

Where's Government Money As Bloomberg’s Girlfriend Helps Raise $2.5M for Hudson River Park

Hudson River Park Trust president Diana Taylor at last years gala.   Mayor Bloomberg's longtime girlfriend helped raise $ 2. 5 on Thursday for Friends of Hudson River Park, while her boyfriend refuses to allocate govement funds needed for the park.  

Manhattan

At a fundraiser at Pier 57 on Thursday evening thrown by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's longtime girlfriend,  Diana Taylor,  to raise money for Friends of Hudson River Park,  the auctioneer is actor Hugh Jackman; Goldman Sachs is being honored; and the props include a 16-foot decorative tree, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

 All of the trimmings mask a hard truth for the Hudson River Park Trust and Ms. Taylor,  the trust's chairwoman: The park faces a financial crisis,  and her efforts to right its books face steep challenges,  including opposition to her vision for the 550-acre waterfront park.

Ms. Taylor is hoping the gala will raise $2 million for the park, which has been credited with helping drive the rejuvenation of Manhattan's West Side. Even if she reaches her target, the trust—a nonprofit group that maintains and runs the park—would still be millions of dollars short, according to park board members. It is running a $7 million deficit, and the gala is timed close to the one-year anniversary of superstorm Sandy, which caused $30 million in damage to the park.

"We need people to realize the park is internally funded," Ms. Taylor said in a rare interview. "[People] look around and say, 'Of course it's getting money from the government,' but we're not. It has to be funded by the people who can afford it, frankly. And it's an effort. And we're going to get there."

Complicating matters for Ms. Taylor is that Hudson River Park represents one of Mr. Bloomberg's lasting legacies—public parks funded long-term by private money. The policy has helped new parks spring up across the city, but some parks advocates are critical, saying Hudson River Park's financial struggles shows that government is needed.

Geoffrey Croft, president of the nonprofit group NYC Park Advocates, said he wondered whether Ms. Taylor had done enough to lobby Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire, to help save the park. "If anyone has influence over the one person who could change things, it would be her," he said. "But Bloomberg has shown us time and time again: He does not want to fund parks."

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg said the administration has made "historic investments" in public parks resulting in 850 acres of new parkland. Mr. Bloomberg has tapped his personal fortune to help the Hudson River Park Trust, said people familiar with the matter. Mr. Bloomberg is set to speak at the gala Thursday night, according to his public schedule.

The park's finances have tested the resolve of Ms. Taylor, a former banker and bank regulator who doesn't shy away from the occasional photo opportunity but has long been more comfortable calling shots behind the scenes. On a recent morning in her West Village office, she was busy plotting the details of Thursday's gala, down to who sits where.

"The secret," she said, "is everyone who gave any money at all has to feel really, really important…and be seated at the front."

On a larger scale, Ms. Taylor and other park directors are looking elsewhere for money, including the controversial route of developing Pier 40 at the west end of Houston Street for commercial revenue to offset operating costs.

Previous development plans for Pier 40 have met stiff political resistance, but Ms. Taylor has high hopes for the park's economic future. In 10 years' time, she said she wants to see "restaurants, art galleries, and activities…people like to do and spend a lot of money [doing]."

It should be a place where, she said, one could take a visiting U.S. president and say: "Look at that! It's gorgeous."

Ms. Taylor has drawn criticism for her vision for the park. Douglas Durst, the developer who resigned from a Hudson River Park fundraising group over disagreements with the trust's plans, said: "Restaurants and art galleries don't get you to $30 million." He has his own ideas for Pier 40.

Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, the Lower Manhattan Democrat who blocked the trust's previous development plans, called the trust's fundraising efforts thus far "disappointing, considering some of the well-connected people on the board."

Others say Ms. Taylor has the right mix of social grace and financial common sense for the task at hand.

"She's warm and friendly," said Jean Shafiroff, a philanthropist who works with Ms. Taylor at the New York Women's Foundation. "But she's a businesswoman. She knows how to get a job done."

The future of Ms. Taylor's efforts are clouded somewhat by the election of a new mayor and her boyfriend's exit from office on Jan. 1. Asked how the next mayor should handle developing the shoreline amid issues related to climate change, she said: "The current mayor has a plan, and [the next mayor] should follow that plan."

And if he doesn't? "I'll let you know in a year," she said.

Read More:

Jackman powers $2.5M fundraiser for Hudson River Park 

New York Post - October 4, 2013

Hope for Hurting Hudson River Park, Diana Taylor Pushes for More 
Money for Riverfront Space

The Wall Street Journal - October 2,  2013 - By Mike Vilensky 

Bloomberg’s girlfriend looks to raise $2M for Hudson River Park

The Real Deal - October 03, 2013 

Hudson River Park Rapist Jonathan Stewart Sentenced to 35 years

Hudson River Park rapist Jonathan Stewart after his arrest in September 2012. The 26-year-old was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Monday.   (Photo: Paul Martinka)

After the 21-year-old rape victim bravely fought him off in Hudson River Park on Spetember 22, 2012, she fled naked toward two Park Enforcement Patrol officers and screamed, “I’ve just been raped! I’ve just been raped!” sources said. 

In her court statement, she thanked the officers who helped her on that horrific morning,  “Because of you, I feel peace at night knowing he is not roaming around the streets assaulting more women or coming after me,” she wrote.  

Manhattan



‘WE CORNERED HIM’: Parks Officers Daniel Murphy (above left) and Luis Cabezas wait at a station house after helping nab accused Hudson River Park rapist Jonathan Stewart last year. (Photo: William Farrington)

The aspiring actress who was repeatedly raped by a vicious sex fiend in Hudson River Park last year said the gruesome memories were still too fresh to face her attacker at his sentencing Monday in Manhattan.

But she was there in spirit when prosecutors read her anguished statement as rapist Jonathan Stewart, 26, stared blankly ahead, showing no remorse for the heinous crime, according to the New York Post. 

“No one deserves to be put through what I was put through,” she wrote in the heart-wrenching letter read in Manhattan Supreme Court. “It’s hard to grasp how someone can be so selfish and disgusting. Jonathan, you know what you did and to the extent you did it. You deserve much more than what you are being put away for.”

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Renee White sentenced Stewart to 35 years, plus 20 years of post-release supervision, for the brutal assault.

Stewart chatted up the 21-year-old beauty as she sat in Hudson River Park near Harrison Street to watch the sunrise on Sept. 22, 2012. He then yanked her off a bench and dragged her in a choke hold to a cluster of nearby bushes where he strangled and punched her before raping her twice.

After the woman bravely fought him off, she fled naked toward two Parks Department cops and screamed, “I’ve just been raped! I’ve just been raped!” sources said.

In her court statement, she also thanked the officers who helped her on that horrific morning. “Because of you, I feel peace at night knowing he is not roaming around the streets assaulting more women or coming after me,” she wrote.

As the letter was read, the victim’s mother sobbed in the gallery. “And although today is a good day for me, it is very very hard,” said the 21-year-old who is still haunted by the terrifying ordeal. “I couldn’t come today. It is too fresh.”

Stewart was already a top-level sex offender before the savage assault and spent seven years in state prison on sex abuse and robbery convictions.

Read More:

Sicko gets 35 years for woman’s rape

New York Post - September 30, 2013 - By Rebecca Rosenberg

Hudson River Park Rape Victim Thanks PEP Officers

A Walk In The Park - September 24, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft  

21-Year-Old Raped And Strangled In Hudson River Park - 4th Park Rape In Three Weeks

A Walk In The Park - September 23, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft  

Pier 40 Fire Destroys Fours Vehicles

By Geoffrey Croft

An early morning fire destroyed four vehicles at the Pier 40 parking garage.

Witnesses said they heard pops and then loud explosions.

"All of a sudden cars started exploding," a witness told A Walk In The Park.  

Four cars including an suv, and a small wagon, a pick up truck,  and a Subaru wagon were destroyed.

Other vehicles were damaged. 

Fire officials said they received notification at 6:21am.  12 units responded with approximately 60 firefighters. 

The fire was under control by 7:10am.  

No injuries were reported.