Four More Teens Busted In Worlds Fair Towers

Four teens were caught sneaking into the Worlds Fair's Astro Towers on Tuesday afternoon. Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers caught up to the group on the first observation deck,  126 feet in the air, and surprised them. The New York State Pavilion,  can be seen in the background. 

Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

Four more teens were caught sneaking up into the Worlds Fair towers NYC Park Advocates has learned. 

When Park Enforcement officers arrived this time they found the gate wide-open and the flimsy lock missing.   The rusted metal door that leads to the deteriorated staircase was also wide open and the small lock was nowhere to be found.  



The group was caught on the first platform.

"The locks magically disappeared," said an officer at the scene.

The kids from nearby Bowne High School made it as far as the first observation deck - 126 feet in the air -  Tuesday afternoon at 3:00pm when officers surprised them.

PEP officers detain four teens 126 feet in the air one of the three Worlds Fair Astro Towers observational platforms. 

"It's very dangerous up there," an officer said.  

"One slip and it's all over.

The officer said one teen mentioned he saw photos people had taken on instagram from the site.

Two 15-year olds and 16-year old were given trespassing summons. 

Another 16-year old,  who had multiple ID's belonging to other people and a bank card belong to someone else, was arrested. 

A few weeks ago, PEP officers caught five teens hanging out and graffiting 226 feet up on the highest tower.   Five teens were caught by park police after they broke into and climbed to the top of the observation deck.

When Park Enforcement Patrol Officers arrived this time they found the perimeter fence wide-open and the lock missing.  Safely on the ground  (background) officers issued summonses to three and took one teen into custody.  




Nearly $ six million dollars has been allocated for improvements to the three structures.


When PEP officers arrived at the base of the tower they saw the door leading inside wide open and the lock missing. 


Read More:

Sky-High Graffiti Bust: Teens Caught On Top Of Flushing Meadows
Corona Park Worlds Fair Towers
A wAlk In  The Park - March 15, 2015 -  By Geoffrey Croft

Parks' Holds Firm On Off-Leach Policy In Battery Park

At a CB 1 meeting on Monday, Manhattan Borough Commissioner William Castro said the city was willing to install a removable 250-foot-long dog run on one of the park’s paved pathways, from 6 to 9 each morning. According to Mr. Castro, the Parks Department has installed similar dog runs in several other Manhattan parks—including Morningside Park and St. Nicholas Park, both in Harlem—where residents have requested designated off-leash areas, mostly to protect existing gardens and planted areas. This summer the Parks Department began issuing $150 tickets to dog owners, enforcing a leash policy that had long been ignored.

Manhattan

Lower Manhattan dog owners and their pets got a clear message from city Parks Department officials Monday night: paws off the Battery Park lawn.

Until Parks Enforcement Patrol officers cracked down on them this summer, dog owners let their pets run free on the park’s main lawn. Then the ticketing began and a group of pet owners, the Downtown Dog Owners Association, pushed for a designated period of “off-leash” time. But at a Monday Community Board 1 meeting, the Parks Department’s Manhattan Borough Commissioner, William Castro, said the city would continue to enforce its rules, according to Tribeca Trib.

“This is our position, and it’s not changing,” Castro said at the Nov. 22 meeting, adding that the department’s commissioner, Adrian Benepe, also opposed dogs on the lawn.

As a compromise, Castro said, the city was willing to install a removable 250-foot-long dog run on one of the park’s paved pathways, from 6 to 9 each morning

“Ninety-nine percent of other dog groups would jump at a chance like this, and have in the past,” Castro said. The department has installed similar dog runs in several other Manhattan parks—including Morningside Park and St. Nicholas Park, both in Harlem—where residents have requested designated off-leash areas, mostly to protect existing gardens and planted areas.

“We’ve tried to work it out to where we think it works for everyone,” Castro said. “It seems to me it’s a very reasonable compromise that’s worked in other parks in the city.”

“We all want to get to a reasonable place,” said Battery Park City resident Elizabeth Whelan, who addressed Castro on behalf of the group. “We believe that there is room for the dogs on the green space, and we think it will make the park better.”

Others said they weren’t satisfied with a paved dog run and objected to Castro calling them uncooperative. Rector Street resident Caterina DePeralta pointed out that the standard off-leash hours in parks are typically 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. She and others in her group said they were willing to yield on most point if their pets could roam on at least some section of grass.

Read More:

City Won’t Bend on Off-Leash Laws on Battery Park Lawn

The Tribeca Trib - November 23, 2010 - By Matt Dunning

Battery Park Dog Owners Fight Leash Rules

A Walk In The Park - October 14, 2010