Queens Carjacker Shot In Manhattan Park

Manhattan/Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

A vicious criminal wanted by police for kidnapping after he stabbed his victim twenty times during a carjacking was shot in the back on Tuesday in a Harlem park during a counterfeit money scheme gone bad NYC Park Advocates has learned. 

Ramel Christian, 20, of 148th St in Rosedale Queens was shot inside Marcus Garvey Park, on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m,. near 120th Street and 5th Avenue, within the confines of the 25 Pct.

A man caught fleeing the park after the shooting told police he was contacted on Facebook by the victim who said he had $5,000 in counterfeit money he wanted to sell for a discounted price of $2,000.

The man thought that was a good deal and met the victim in the park for the exchange.

He claims they were inside the park talking when he heard a single shot and fled.

He maintains he didn’t know who fired the shot and he was not charged with a crime.

Police found a single 9mm shell casing inside the park.

It remains unclear who is responsible for the shooting. Police have classified the motive as an attempted robbery.

The victim was removed to in stable condition to Harlem Hospital.

At the time of Tuesday's shooting Ramel Christian had an outstanding kidnapping warrant in connection with a carjacking incident in Queens on May 17, 2016. 

A twenty-two-year old was carjacked by three assailants in front of Wendi's at 219-44 Hillside Avenue at 5:30 am.  

Christian tortured his victim to obtain his pin number, stabbing him twenty times according to police.

The victim was found in an alley and brought to Jamaica Hospital where he survived.

The incident occurred within the confines of the 105 pct. in Queens.

Police say Christian faces Robbery, Assault, Grand larceny and Kidnapping charges.

The defendant has not yet been arraigned according to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.

Two others were apprehended a day after the May incident - Iyonna Burton, 19, and Romario Alen, 18. Both were charged with Robbery, Assault, Grand larceny and Kidnapping.

On Tuesday Christian was also arrested on Robbery and Criminal possession of a weapon, charges.  That complaint is sealed.  

He has at least seven arrests on charges including assault, weapons possession and aggravated harassment.  

More Delays In Restoring Crumbling Historic Harlem Fire Watchtower

The historic Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, (1856) sits atop the Acropolis, the highest elevation in Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mt. Morris Park) deteriorating. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 

The area has long been a hotbed for drugs and prostitution. Instead of providing the necessary resources to secure and maintain the area which would allow the public to enjoy this formerly majestic spot,  for decades the city has instead allowed it to remain in disrepair.  The watchtower,  a city landmark, has been allowed to severally deteriorate. Instead of fixing it the Parks Department shamefully erected a chain link fence around a large section of the perimitor of the crumbling watchtower which has created additonal public safety issues.    

The watchtower, a city landmark, is the only surviving one of eleven cast-iron watchtowers placed throughout New York City in the 1850s.  $ 4 million dollars was allocated last year to repair the crumbling structure however delays have continued.

The Parks Department has entered into a $2.5 million emergency contract with Nicholson & Galloway, a leading preservation firm, to remove the tower and  put it into storage at Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens.

That area of the park was in the news earlier this month when a man was shot by police.

Manhattan

The project is going to get done, city officials say, but it’s going to have to be done differently than initially planned.  

The decaying state of Manahttan’s only remaining cast-iron fire watchtower forced officials to re-think earlier plans to dismantle, restore, refabricate and re-install it under one contract, said Parks Department spokesman Philip Abramson, according to the New York Daily News.  

August 28, 2013. Last Summer Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer held a press conference to announce the restoration of Harlem fire watchtower and a $1 million allocation.

The last of eight 19th century Manhattan emergency alert systems was found to be in “poor to failed structural condition” by a Department of Buildings inspector earlier this year. 

Additional supports were found to be insufficient and even dangerous, Abramson said. 

“The only responsible action is to dismantle and store the structure as quickly as possible so that we do not risk losing it entirely,” he added.  

The agency entered into a $2.5 million emergency contract with Nicholson & Galloway, a leading preservation firm, to take the tower apart and get it into storage at Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens.

A decrepit staircase leading to the Harlem Fire Watchtower.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 

City and elected local officials doled out a combined $4.2 million last year toward the restoration of the watchtower, and preservationists and residents have expressed concern that the city-ordered changes in the plans could delay the project.

“Everybody has a sense of interest and pride (in the watchtower) — it’s in our neighborhood,” said Sam McClendon, president of the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association. 

“The concern is the down time, the lag time in getting the (work started). It’s the delay that concerns everyone the most.”  

Councilwoman Inez Dickens, who contributed nearly $2 million toward the project, said she was going to meet with the Parks Department for an update. She also hopes to add WiFi to the tower.  

The agency has begun discussions with an engineering firm, Thornton Tomasetti, to revise the design contract, Abramson said, adding that the plans will be modified and shared with community groups this summer.  

Shortly thereafter, the agency will start looking for a contractor to begin restoring the rusty, crumbling 47-foot relic.

The historic Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, sits atop the Acropolis, the highest elevation in Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mt. Morris Park).

Read More:

City promises to restore historic Harlem watchtower - albeit differently than planned

New York Daily News - September 23, 2014 - By Jan Ranson 

Landmarked 19th Century Fire Watchtower To Undergo $4 Million Facelift 

Harlem Structure Is Last Remaining Fire Watchtower In New York City 

WCBS - August 28, 2013 

Man Shot By Police In Marcus Garvey Park Charged With Multiple Counts

On Thursday police closed off part of Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem near where an officer shot Daniel Cabrera, 28, of White Plains, NY. in the chest after the man resisted arrest and attacked the officer according to police.  Cabrera has a history of mental illness and has been arrested multiple times including for assault and possession of stolen property.  He has an open warrant after he failed to show in court for a disorderly conduct arrest in June. (Photo: Credit Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)

Cabrera was charged with assault on a police officer, menacing a police officer, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration on Friday. 


The decrepit staircase where the officer chased down Daniel Cabrerra.  (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click on images to enlarge

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A police officer on patrol in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem shot a 28-year-old man with a history of mental illness after a struggle according to the police.  

Daniel Cabrerra, 28, of Gibson Ave in White Plains, NY was shot once on the right chest area during a confrontation. 

The incident happened at around 1:30 p.m. near the Acropolis,  located in the upper portion of Marcus Garvey Park near the historic fire watchtower which has long been a hotbed for drugs and prostitution.

Cops said the uniform officer was on patrol in the park near 120th Street and Fifth Avenue,  due to complaints from the community inside the park regarding drug activity.  The officer was ascending the stairs to the Acropolis when he spotted two men with some type of bag.  The cop was approached by a third man, Daniel Cabrerra, who appeared unsteady on his feet and walked toward the officer.



Looking South down 5th Avenue - the landing where Cabrerra was shot. (photographed April 2014)   


During the interaction Cabrerra "got in the cops face" and he put his hands on the officer.  

A struggle ensued and the cop pepper-sprayed Cabrerra. He wiped the pepper spray from his face and ran.

The officer chased him down the steps about 150 feet and pepper sprayed him again.

The cop was trying to handcuff but Cabrerra resisted causing him to drop his handcuffs.  Cabrerra attempted to get up and he reached for his own waistband, as if he had a weapon and the cop shot him in the chest according to police accounts.

The two other men, one holding some type of bag ran off but they were apprehended nearby by responding officers. It was determined they were not with the Cabrerra and they are not charged with a crime but questioned and retained as witnesses.

The officer does have bruising to his face consistent with a punch but authorities are unclear if he was punched but witnesses confirm a struggle.

Police say Cabrerra has a mental history, including being diagnosed as bi-polar. He has an open warrant after he failed to show in court for a disorderly conduct arrest in June in the 94 Pct. in Greenpoint, Bk.

He was arrested in 2012 for an assault in the 46 Pct in the Bronx. In 2010 he was arrested for possession of stolen property and had several arrests for fare evasion on the subway.

Cabrerra was taken to Harlem Hospital with a gunshot wound and was in stable condition. 

The 39-year-old police officer was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for evaluation,  treated for facial injuries released on Thursday.  

Authorities say the officer has been with the department since 2005.



The historic Harlem Fire Watchtower, also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, (1856) sits atop the Acropolis, the highest elevation in Marcus Garvey Park.The area has long been a hotbed for drugs and prostitution. Instead of providing the necessary resources to secure and maintain the area which would allow the public to enjoy this formerly majestic spot,  for decades the city has instead allowed it to remain in disrepair.  The watchtower,  a city landmark, has been allowed to severally deteriorate. The Parks Department shamefully erected a chain link fence around a large section of the perimitor of the crumbling watchtower which has created additonal public safety issues.   

The watchtower, a city landmark, is the only surviving one of eleven cast-iron watchtowers placed throughout New York City in the 1850s.  $ 4 million dollars was allocated last year to repair the crumbling structure.


Crumbling staircase wall.

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New York Daily News - September 6,  2014 - By ThomasTracy    

Man Shot By Police In Marcus Garvey Park Hit With Multiple Charges
WCBS -  September 5, 2014

Unarmed Man Shot by Police Is Arrested on Various Charges
New York Times - September 5, 2014 -  By Ashley Southall

MAN CRITICALLY WOUNDED IN POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING
IN EAST HARLEM PARK
WABC -  September 5, 2014

Police Arrest Suspect In Marcus Garvey Stabbing

Three days after Timothy Goodwin, 41,  was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Marcus Garvey Park police arrested a suspect.

Manhattan

On Sunday police arrested Melson Judkins, 20, who is accused of stabbing 41-year-old Timothy Goodwin to death in Marcus Garvey Park on Friday afternoon, according the NY Daily News.

A source at the scene told  A Walk In The Park that Goodwin was fighting with a woman on the sidewalk moments before he was murdered.

Read More:

Man Dies After Being Stabbed In Neck After Dispute in Marcus Garvey Park 
A Walk In The Park - August 8, 2014 

Marcus Garvey Park - Man Dies After Being Stabbed In Neck After Dispute

Timothy Goodwin, 41, was found about 1:30 p.m. Friday in the northeast end of Marcus Garvey Park  near 124th Street and Madison Avenue. Paramedics rushed him to Harlem Hospital, but he couldn't be saved.  The victim, a Bronx resident, got into a dispute with an unidentified assailant. The man was stabbed near a playground filled with children. Witnesses said he walked out of the park and tried to go across the street for help but did not make it far.  (Photo:  Tomas E. Gaston For New York Daily News) 

Manhattan

A 41-year-old man was killed Friday after being stabbed in the neck in Marcus Garvey Park, authorities said, according to the NY Daily News.

The victim, a Bronx resident, was on the northeastern end of the Harlem park at about 1:30 p.m. when he got into a dispute with an unidentified assailant, officials said. 

Paramedics rushed him to Harlem Hospital, where he died, officials said. The victim’s name was not immediately released. Cops were looking for his assailant Friday afternoon.

Read More:

Man dies after being stabbed in Harlem park

New York Daily News -  August 8,  2014 - By Thomas Tracy 

Man Fatally Stabbed in East Harlem Park: FDNY

WNBC - August 8,  2014

FATAL STABBING AT MARCUS GARVEY PARK IN EAST HARLEM

WABC - August 8, 2014

City Loses Tens Of Thousands Of Trees - Hundreds In Central Park

City and Federal Parks Remain Closed

The Great Lawn - Central Park.  34 people have lost lives in the city as a result of Hurricane Sandy so far. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

UPDATED

City-Wide

By Geoffrey Croft

Hurricane Sandy unleashed its deadly furry across the five boroughs.

Trees smashed into homes and cars and were directly responsible for killing at least three people. At least 34 people have lost thier lives, while others are still missing. 

Tens of thousands of trees were lost throughout city streets and in parks during the violent storm. 

"We lost hundreds of trees," said Central Park Conservancy head Doug Blonsky. 

The conservancy estimates they lost approximately 250 trees.

"The damage was not concentrated to certain areas this time, it was throughout the park."

"Thankfully we have plenty of crews both in-house and contracted out.  We were also lucky we did not lose any structures." 

Mr. Blonsky said Maples, Oaks and Linden trees were the hardest hit.

Cnetral Park - Merchant's Gate entrance.  South West corner of the park near Columbus Circle.

He said the park was shut until further notice to remove dangerous trees and survey the damage.

Asked when he thought the park might re-open he replied, "Maybe Thursday."

In Central Park metal barriers weighted down with sandbags were installed at entrances to prevent the public from accessing the park's 843 acres.  For the most part the public complied.

Yesterday morning Mr. Blonsky was seen opening up a barrier to let a stray female runner out of the park at Fifth Avenue and 90th Street.  

A number of large trees were lost in the Great Lawn, one crashed through a backstop. On the South West corner of the park near the Columbus Circle Merchant's Gate entrance tourists snapped photos of two large fallen trees.

A number of downed trees could also be seen along and from the park perimeter. 

W. 83rd St & Central Park West.  A tree dangles precariously in the park and onto Central Park West.  

This Sunday's NYC Marathon was another factor.

"It's a mess,"  said another Conservancy Park worker checking on fallen trees.  

"We trying to get it ready for the Marathon, there's a lot of pressure."

While playgrounds remained locked throughout the city the rest of the parks made due with  yellow caution tape strung across park entrances which many people ignored. Park Enforcement Parol and NYPD officers guarded some parks and interior roads and instructed the public to exit. 

Throughout the city crews are working feverishly to clear away trees and debris.  Downed trees were also littered across the city's parkways.

"The priority is to clear the street trees, and roads not inside the park," said one Parks Department gardener working a chain saw in the Bronx.

A woman examines a downed tree in Pelham Bay Park.  The city's largest park lost hundreds of trees. 

Hundreds of trees littered the ground of the city's largest park,  Pelham Bay in the Bronx. 

A handful of workers were seen scattered throughout the park removing trees and clearing away. A few people walked dogs and carefully navigated ignoring the park's closed status.

The Park's main sign was blown into the ground. 

The Department of Sanitation crews had multiple vehicles set up in the parking lot of Orchard Beach.

In Marcus Garvey Park, DPR employees using chain saws cleared away fallen trees. By mid-afternoon crews had removed a tree at a park entrance on 5th Avenue and 120th Street.  

A large Oak tree that crashed into the outfield of the baseball field remained. A 9-year-old girl was seen climbing on top of the limbs much to her father's disapproval.

The city said it received more than 7000 calls for downed trees. 

The last few years has been tough for the Middle Village community who has seen it's share of storm damage including from Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Firemen attach chain to tree on 78th St & 58 Avenue to pull it off a house in Middle Village Queens.  (Photo: Robert Holden/Juniper Valley Park Civic Association)

"Almost every block in the neighborhood had trees or major limbs down,"  said Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Valley Park Civic Association. 

"Some people were trapped and had to be rescued. Many trees are still blocking the streets. Thankfully we did not have the rain. We were lucky compared to other areas. We've had no loss of life as far as we know."

"We hope there is an aggressive tree pruning program," he said.

Mr. Holden said half the people had no power.

"A lot of seniors are calling, they're worried."

He said the August 2011 micro-bust which ripped thought selected commuunities in the city and destroyed thousands of trees and properties was the worst. 

"It's been a tough last few years ," Mr. Holden said.

"We've lost a lot of mature trees. It's heart breaking."

Rockway Beach lost dozens of blocks of its historic boardwalk.

Residents stand on the remains of part of the historic Rockaway boardwalk  in Queens after large parts of it were washed away during Hurricane Sandy on October 31, 2012.  (Photo: Getty Images)

The foundations of the historic Rockaway Boardwalk and other Parks Department facilites in Queens are all that remain after it was washed away. (Photo:  Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Staten Island was hit particularly hard.

Officials have confirmed that 12  people have died as a result of the storm. Many people had to be evacuated from their homes.

Police and rescue personnel are still searching for Connor and Brandon Moore, ages 2 and 4 who were washed away from their mothers arms when their suv was swept away into wetlands off of Fr. Capodano Blvd below Sand Lane on Monday. 

Tens of thousands of residents are without power.

300,000 gallons of diesel fuel have leaked into the Arthur Kill from the Motiva oil tank facility according to the Coast Guard. Oil has started to wash up in Smith Creek.

The death toll in the city has risen to 34, and was expected to go up. 

The Hurricane has caused billions of dollars in damage, it has destroyed more than a hundred homes and more than 400, 000 lost power. 

Central Park - Closed.  Police prevent the public from accessing the park at the Engineers' Gate entrance at Fifth Avenue & 90th St.  (Photos Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

The Great Lawn.  Three downed trees. Field # 4 - A ballfield backstop in damaged by a fallen tree.

W. 83rd St. & Central Park West. 

An Oak tree crashed through a 16 foot high chain-link fence and into the outfield in Marcus Garvey Park. 

Marcus Garvey Park - Crews clear a downed tree blocking a path. 

Marcus Garvey Park. A father watches his 9-year-old girl climb on an Oak tree that fell into the baseball field. 

Marcus Garvey Park - Oak tree that fell into the baseball field.  

Marcus Garvey Park - Oak tree that fell into the baseball field. 

MillBrook Playground - Bronx.

Pelham Bay Park -  The  park's main sign was blown to the ground.

Pelham Bay Park - Park Enforcement Officers guard the road leading into Orchard Beach. 

Pelham Bay Park - Two trees and a lamp post.

Pelham Bay Park - Parks Department forestry crews go to work.

Pelham Bay Park - In the city largest park hundreds of downed trees litter the landscape.

Pelham Bay Park. 

Pelham Bay Park - A Parks Department worker clears a park entrance.

Pelham Bay Park

Gerard Avenue & E. 146th Street. 

York Avenue and E. 91St Street. A Department of Sanitation crew cleans up near the Asphalt Green

The Great Lawn.  Three downed trees. Field # 4 - A ballfield backstop in damaged by a fallen tree.

A number of trees fell around the Great Lawn in Central Park.    

The Great Lawn.  

The Great Lawn.

Firemen attach chain to tree on 78th St & 58 Avenue to pull it off a house in Middle Village Queens.  (Photos: Robert Holden/Juniper Valley Park Civic Association) 

 74th St near Pleasantview St, owner of vehicle walks by thankful that tree fell on car instead of her house.

 80th Street just north of Juniper Blvd North

Juniper Valley Park near Pullis Cemetery on Juniper Blvd North