Riverdalian behaving badly?

Bernard Kerik.

Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik is now under indictment, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The indictment charges that he lied to White House officials who were vetting him as a potential Homeland Security chief.

He told them that he had no financial dealings with people seeking to do business with the city. In reality, contractors seeking city business spent over $255,000 on his Riverdale apartment.

He's awaiting trial on "tax fraud and illegal payoff charges," adds the Daily News.

Ari Hoffnung withdraws from race

Rep. Anthony Weiner isn't the only one to recently bow out of this year's campaigning.

Last night Ari Hoffnung, co-president of the Riverdale Jewish Community Council, announced on his blog that he will not challenge Oliver Koppell for the incumbent councilman's seat, and has withdrawn from the campaign.

His withdrawal marked the end of his second run for City Council. He lost to Mr. Koppell four years ago.

The last-minute announcement came as a surprise to Stephen J. Budihas, president of the Association of Riverdale Cooperatives & Condominiums. ARC hosted a candidates forum last night, and Mr. Hoffnung was expected to be there. Before the forum began last night, Mr. Budihas said, Mr. Hoffnung called to explain his sudden move.

We'll have more on the candidates forum later today.

Eyewitness account of alleged terror plot’s end

By Jason Fields
jfields@riverdalepress.com

Sitting on his terrace four floors above the intersection of West 239th Street and Independence Avenue, Daniel Langer was pulled out of his chair by what he described as a bang followed by loud, sustained shouting. When he looked down onto the street, he saw numerous police and other cars with lights flashing, as well as uniformed NYPD officers and people wearing jackets with “FBI” branded on the back.

As he watched, more police cars and emergency service vehicles “streamed,” into the area surrounding the Riverdale Jewish Center, one of the targets of the alleged plot.

He also witnessed a dark-skinned man being led into a police car, possibly one of the suspects, Mr. Langer said.

“When I first saw the police, I thought it was just some local crime thing,” Mr. Langer.

Instead, what Mr. Langer saw was the foiling of an alleged terrorist plot involving four men and neutralized C-4 explosive, which authorities said they planned to use to destroy Riverdale Temple and the RJC.

Standing amid a crowd of media the following morning, David Winter, executive director of RJC, said of the media throng, “It could be a lot worse. They could be here for something terrible. Instead they’re here for a victory against terrorism.

'Petty criminals' behind bomb attempt met in prison

By N. Clark Judd
njudd@riverdalepress.com

It was all over in about 25 minutes.

That’s what Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said about last night’s attempted bombings at Riverdale Temple and Riverdale Jewish Center. Four men planted what they believed was active C-4 explosive in two parked cars, one for each Independence Avenue institution.

The explosives were inert, Mr. Kelly said; an FBI informant had sold it to the alleged would-be bombers, along with an inoperable Stinger missile launcher they planned to use to shoot down planes at a New York Air National Guard base near their homes in Newburgh, N.Y.

Mr. Kelly said the institutions’ proximity to the Henry Hudson Parkway may have made them “convenient” targets for James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, the men accused of attempting the bombings.

With the exception of Mr. Payen, who is Haitian, the men are all American citizens. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men believed they were receiving their supplies from Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization based in Pakistan. Mr. Kelly said the men wished to retaliate against the United States for its involvement there and in Afghanistan.

Asked if it was safe to infer the men were amateurs because they could not tell they had been sold inoperable equipment, Mr. Kelly replied, “The only thing I would infer is they wanted to kill people.”

He added the men apparently had virulent anti-Semitic tendencies.

In a press conference this morning, Mr. Kelly said the men were “petty criminals” who had all spent time in prison, where they are believed to have met.

NYPD Emergency Services Unit officers waited nearby last night as the men planted what they thought were explosives outside the temple and the Jewish center, Mr. Kelly said. When the men returned to their sport-utility vehicle, police approached in an armored vehicle called a BearCat, shattered the windows — the windows were tinted and the officers needed to see inside — and made their arrests, said Mr. Kelly.

A witness previously told The Riverdale Press she heard gunshots. Mr. Kelly said no weapons were discharged in the event; it’s likely the witness was hearing the SUV’s windows being shattered.

Mr. Kelly said Riverdale would see an increased police presence in the coming weeks; local elected officials expressed fear that someone would attempt a copycat attack.

“I think our community needs special protection now,” said City Councilman Oliver Koppell. “I’m sure we’ll get it.”

Bombing attempt foiled at Riverdale Jewish centers

NYPD officers stand guard outside Riverdale Jewish Center earlier tonight after law enforcement officials briefed elected officials and temple leaders about an attempt, foiled earlier that evening, to plant explosives outside the center and outside Riverdale Temple just a few blocks to the north on Independence Avenue. N. Clark Judd // Riverdale Press

By N. Clark Judd
njudd@riverdalepress.com

Four men were arrested in connection with an attempt to plant what they believed to be car bombs in front of Riverdale Temple on Independence Avenue on Wednesday night, according to eyewitnesses and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The men also allegedly planned to plant explosives near Riverdale Jewish Center, just a few blocks away, and to shoot down military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles.

“At about 9:15 we heard screaming, and then two gunshots,” said Lindsay Sherman, who lives in an Independence Avenue apartment building.

When she went outside with her boyfriend and members of her family, she said, she saw dozens of law enforcement officers arresting two men near Riverdale Temple.

The two men were whisked into unmarked cars and taken away. She saw a van and another, smaller car, both near Riverdale Temple, also towed away.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and NYPD arrested James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen tonight in connection with this plot.

It is as yet unclear who was arrested at the scene and who wasn’t.

“We were having this nice women’s night out,” said Marilyn Sopher, who was standing in front of the RJC, “and there were, all of a sudden, helicopters and planes … I thought I was in a flight pattern.”

Ms. Sopher later said that aircraft occasionally fly over her house, but “she never saw so many.”

Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt of Riverdale Jewish Center got a call from Det. Luis Rodriguez, the 50th Precinct’s community affairs officer, asking him if he could open RJC’s shul for a meeting — Det. Rodriguez couldn’t say what it was about, Mr. Rosenblatt said.

“That’s as much as I knew three minutes before the meeting.”

The alleged would-be bombers believed they were acting in conjunction with a Pakistani terrorist group, said Rabbi Rosenblatt, who was briefed by law enforcement.

The alleged bombers wanted to get back at the United States for its involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Rabbi Rosenblatt said he was told.

The person the suspects went to for munitions was an informant working with the FBI, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Meeting with the group in Newburgh and driving with them to a location closer to Stamford, Conn., this person supplied the group with an inactive Stinger missile and three IEDs (improvised explosive devices) that each contained over 30 pounds of inert C-4 plastic explosives, according to the U.S. Attorney’s press release.

The weapons were inoperative. Law enforcement officials watched and waited for the plot to reach its climax, on Independence Avenue under the dim streetlights on this warm summer night, before swooping in to arrest the alleged conspirators.

Asked why Riverdale Jewish Center was targeted, Rabbi Rosenblatt responded, “That’s a good question.”

He said that for those in parts of the world where people eat “the diet of hate,” Israel, the United States and Jewish people in general get conflated.

“Scared? I’m not scared, but it’s sad that two religious institutions would be the target of people filled with hate,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who was on the scene.

His wife was in Riverdale Temple all evening, practicing for a bat mitzvah the weekend after next, he said.

The services, for adults wishing to perform the Jewish rite of passage, will continue as planned, Mr. Dinowitz said.

Horace Mann closing due to flu concerns

The Horace Mann School in Riverdale will close for the remainder of the week due to flu fears, as of this afternoon.
This morning the school sent an e-mail out to parents and students, saying that the closure was due to “an unusually-high number of student absences, the majority of which have been related to flu-like symptoms, including several confirmed cases of Influenza A, but not Swine Flu.”
The decision to close all the school’s divisions was made in consultation with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the e-mail says. Right now, the plan is to reopen Tuesday, May 26.
Afternoon and evening activities run by the school are canceled today.

PS 24's Principal Scharper ousted

By Kate Pastor
kpastor@riverdalepress.com

Principal Philip Scharper has been reassigned from PS 24, according to sources.
Marvin Shelton, President of District 10’s Community Education Council, confirmed Mr. Scharper’s removal from the school by District Superintendent Sonia Menendez, saying he had been “temporarily reassigned pending investigation.”
The principal, who has had complaints lodged against him for religious proselytizing and for contributing to an environment rife with bullying as well as instances of corporal punishment, was last at school on Friday, Mr. Shelton said.
“Where he’s reassigned to, I have no idea,” he said.

Campaign finances are out

The city Campaign Finance Board produced the latest campaign filings today.

According to city records available online, incumbent City Councilman Oliver Koppell has been busy, raising nearly $66,000 since October. He's raised $106,000 and spent about $54,000 on the 2009 election, according to city records.

This is a pretty significant swing, since Mr. Koppell actually started fundraising after the other two candidates.

Then again, he is an eight year incumbent who has been getting elected out of Riverdale for decades.

Ari Hoffnung raised no money in the same time period.

Mr. Hoffnung said he couldn't recall when he last raised a dime, but it's been a while.

"This is not a time to knock on doors," he said, referring to the dismal economy.

Also, his campaign kitty is full anyway — at $81,000 — and matching funds, which match dollars raised by contributors in the city with taxpayer dollars, kick in this year. He said he'll try to raise a little more closer to the election.

Tony Cassino has been active and now has nearly $94,000. He's spent about $58,000 of that.

Much ado about Bloomberg

The candidates at the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club's forum Wednesday night were there to talk about themselves, but many of them did a lot of talking about Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

City comptroller candidate Melinda Katz and public advocate candidates Norman Siegel and Eric Gioia largely kept hizzoner out of their five-minute pitches and subsequent brief question-and-answer sessions with the crowd of over 60 people at Riverdale Temple. Ms. Katz spoke instead about a desire to investigate the city Department of Education; Mr. Siegel discussed wanting to be "the people's lawyer" and enjoying "the zaniness" of New York City, while Mr. Gioia pledged to go door-to-door if elected to get eligible New Yorkers signed up for government-subsized health insurance.

Others held forth on their ability to stand up to Mr. Bloomberg (see video above).

(I've reached out to the Bloomberg campaign and will update the post with their responses to the candidates' comments, if I get them.)

“No matter how much he tries to dress himself up to look like Barack Obama, he’s not going to be Barack Obama.” — Mayoral candidate City Comptroller William Thompson on Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Does this mean the candidates figure the likely Democratic candidate for mayor, City Comptroller William Thompson, has slim chances against Mayor Mike? Is David Weprin, for example, seeking to paint himself as the guy Riverdale should vote for in order to stand up to Mr. Bloomberg for the next four years?

I asked Bruce Feld, a Democratic district leader in Riverdale's 81st Assembly District and a long-time member of the Ben Franklin club.

"It surprised me," Mr. Feld admitted. "It seemed to be prominent no matter what people were running for."

He sought to paint that as a function of the roles the comptroller and public advocate play in New York's strong-mayor government.

"There are institutional rivalries that are built into the system."

In his remarks, City Councilman Bill de Blasio — running for public advocate — said he figured the race would be a lot closer than people expect.

While more or less every candidate invoked education, and one or two mentioned rising water rates, local issues were notably absent from both the candidates' speeches and questions from attendees.

The steep water rate increase going into effect this year is driven in large part by the rising cost of city Department of Environmental Protection capital projects. The plant being built in Van Cortlandt Park to filter water from the Croton watershed upstate was most recently estimated to cost $3.1 billion (up from an initial cost estimate of $1.3 billion) and is one of DEP's largest capital projects.

And the Bronx has served as a testing ground for what appears to be a policy of the Bloomberg administration: taking parkland for non-park uses in exchange for promises of replacement parkland elsewhere, and the jobs associated with building them. The strategy controversially brought $220 million for Bronx parks in exchange for the Croton project. A similar deal struck for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium is expected to bring billions in game tickets, Little League equipment and other benefits over a 40-year period, as well as replacement parks.

Notably absent was Rep. Anthony Weiner, the self-described "quasi-candidate" for mayor.

I have the entire forum recorded — albeit with some technical bloopers here and there.

If there's enough demand for the unedited two-hour evening, I will get all of it online. Give your opinion below.

Also, there will be more candidates forums in the Northwest Bronx soon. What should the candidates be asked?

Campaign watch

When I got off the subway at the West 242nd Street stop in Riverdale this morning, who greeted me at the bottom of the steps but City Councilman Oliver Koppell.

With a campaign volunteer, Mr. Koppell was out glad-handing constituents and distributing pamphlets.

MTA Fare Increases Reduced

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted this morning to rescind its prior slate of fare increases and institute a less onerous fare schedule.
The changes were instituted over the objection of some board members from the northern and Long Island reaches of the MTA service region.
The reductions in fare increases come because the state Legislature recently — finally and after much public back and forth — approved a package of taxes and fees to bring the public benefit corporation more revenue.

Riverdale resident interviewed on Gothamist

Gothamist today published an interview with Dr. Jonathan Zizmor, the dermatologist known for his subway ads, who is a Riverdale resident.

A timeline for MTA fare changes

The state Senate yesterday voted to adopt this bill, which generates more revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Liz Benjamin at the Daily News uploaded this copy of the floor memo, which summarizes the bill's contents.

Chief among the provisions approved by the Senate are a payroll tax of just over one third of 1 percent for most businesses and the self-employed in the 12-county region the MTA serves. The tax is supposed to be less for suburban counties to the north. School districts paying the tax will be reimbursed by the state.

There are also additional fees on licenses, learner's permits, vehicle registration and car rentals made in the region. There's also a 50-cent surcharge on medallion taxi trips.

The passage of the bill is expected to obviate the need for deep service cuts and fare hikes, including reduction or elimination of some Riverdale/Kingsbridge-area bus lines, which we have covered in the past.

The MTA's board will meet Monday, an MTA spokesman said. The meeting agenda should be set by tomorrow, said the spokesman, Kevin Ortiz.

It's expected that the board will then vote on reducing the level of the fare hikes and service cuts they previously approved.

There will likely still be some cuts to service and fares increases.

Discussion on the Senate floor stretched on late into the evening last night as Republican senators lambasted the Democrats floating the bill. Lawmakers Martin Dilan and Bill Perkins fielded most of the questions. Most of the questions focused on the impact of the payroll tax on small business; the exemption from the tax for school districts, which Republican senators repeatedly said had not been strongly worded enough to be enforceable; and the capital plan for roads and bridges, which the Senate leadership expects to be addressed at the same time as the MTA capital plan.

Blind man dies after fall down elevator shaft

By Kevin Deutsch
kdeutsch@riverdalepress.com

A 67-year-old legally blind man was found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft in his Spuyten Duyvil co-op after he walked through a malfunctioning elevator door and plunged 25 feet Thursday, police said.

Sheldon Scott, who friends say had severe macular degeneration, was reported missing by his wife after he failed to return from an errand to a nearby Chase bank branch on Thursday. He left his apartment about 11 a.m. Thursday, and police found him lying motionless in the shaft at 25 Knolls Crescent at approximately 4 p.m.

A preliminary investigation by the city's Building Department found that the accident was due to a faulty mechanical latch meant to prevent the manual elevator door from opening when the elevator is not there, said department spokesman Tony Sclafani. The department has issued one violation, as well as a cease use order for the elevator.

Since 1991, the Building Department has issued six violations related to the co-op's elevators. But there were no violations or complaints related to the device that malfunctioned Thursday, Mr. Sclafani said.

Residents say the building's two elevators have long been plagued by malfunctions, including shaky elevator cars and doors that open for no reason, exposing the shaft. They had long feared an accident like Thursday's would occur.

"You never feel safe in those elevators. You never feel comfortable," said one longtime resident, who didn't want to give her name for fear the co-op board would chastise her. "One or the other was always out of service. They had just put a new motor in one of them and they said it was going to be fine. Instead, a good man is dead."

Repairmen had been servicing the elevators for weeks due to the ongoing problems, residents said. On Friday. a truck from McGlynn Hays Elevator Company was parked in front of the co-op while men did repairs in the basement.

"They had just been called in to improve the elevator service," said Marvin Goodman, 81, a longtime friend and neighbor of Mr. Scott's. "Because of his vision problem, I don't think he knew that the elevator car wasn't there."

Michael Rowe, President of Knolls Cooperative Section II, where Mr. Scott lived, issued a statement saying the co-op was "deeply saddened by the death of one of our friends and longtime residents" and are cooperating with authorities. The co-op is owned and managed by its residents.

Mr. Scott, who lived in the co-op more than 30 years, was a favorite of the workers at Ben's market next door. He and his wife Elaine would come in for a roast beef or turkey sandwich, and Mr. Scott would play his lucky numbers in the lotto, workers said.

"He was a sweet old man," said Genevieve Martinez, 25, who said she practically grew up with Mr. Scott. "He was in three times a week, just the nicest man you can imagine."

Anna Rufino, 48, who works in the deli at Ben's, said she has a retarded brother who is enamored by the "state" quarters issued by the treasury. So Mr. Scott would put them aside for her whenever he got one.

"He'd do anything for you," said Ms. Rufino. "I used to kiss him on his cheek and warn him not to tell his wife or she'd be jealous. We had fun."

At the Chase branch where Mr. Scott was headed when he died, the branch manager said bank workers had hoped Mr. Scott show up there after his wife reported him missing.

"We tried to help and keep an eye out for him in case he showed," said Pierre Morales. "Unfortunately, he never did."

The medical examiner's office is working to determine the official cause of Mr. Scott's death.

Blind man found dead in elevator shaft

A 67-year-old blind man was found dead at the bottom of an elevator
shaft in his Spuyten Duyvil apartment building Thursday, police said.

Sheldon Scott, 67, was reported missing by his wife after he left home
to head for the bank about 11 a.m. Thursday. Four hours later, police
found him in the shaft at 25 Knolls Crescent.

Investigators are looking into whether there was an elevator
malfunction- such as the doors opening into an empty shaft- or
something else that led to his falling.

According to the Department of Buildings' Web site, inspectors have
reported a number of violations involving elevators at the building
since 1991 for complaints ranging from "failure to maintain elevator"
to "too much gap," slamming doors, and wiring problems, records show.

On Friday, a notation on the DOB site for the 25 Knolls crescent
address said "Elevator-danger condition/shaft open/unguarded."

The medical examiner's office is working to determine the official
cause of Mr. Scott's death.