Hit and Run? A reader sent in the above photo, saying, “May not be able to see to the left of the man in yellow shirt, but it is a man leaning over a woman who was just hit by a car turning on Ocean and W. Her leg is broken. I was asleep and awoke to screams. I thought someone might have been mugged but instead this was the case. It might have been a hit and run.” This happened on Saturday, around midnight.
Drowning in Brighton? Reader Elina N. sent in a note a little before 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, saying, “Someone drowned right now in Brighton beach, search crew and boats and helicopters everywhere.” Well, boats and choppers don’t always mean someone drowned, as we’ve already learned. Gothamist Maps has this listed as “Water Job” at West 12th Street on the boardwalk.
Trapped Under the Boardwalk: No, it’s not a new R. Kelly hip hopera. A few hours after the above incident on Sunday, there were reports of a person being trapped under the boardwalk on Brighton 4th Street.
Gerritsen Fire: And since we were over at Gothamist Maps checking on some of the above incidents, there was this one that no one’s mentioned. A fire broke out at around 5:13 p.m. yesterday. That’s all we’ve got.
If you have any information about the above incidents or any other news, please leave it in the comments section or e-mail us. Thanks!
The online public vote that will ultimately determine the seven finalists in the Mr. Cyclone contest has gone live, and we’re calling on Sheepshead Bites’ readers to head over there and support our ‘hoods two representatives to the competition.
That’s right, two! We told you about Mark Medina, a retired Sheepshead Bay firefighter, last week. Now that all 21 semi-finalists have been revealed, we’ve found that there’s a second local in the contest: singer, songwriter and, uh, weight trainer Daniel Milea.
Miss Cyclone Angie Pontani - Source: angiepontani.com
Sheepshead Bay is moving in on Coney Island territory, as a local retired firefighter is one of 21 semifinalists tapped in the first ever Mr. Cyclone competition.
The Mr. Cyclone Pageant is set for Saturday, August 7, in front of the Cyclone Roller Coaster in Coney Island. After riding the Cyclone with Miss Cyclone Angie Pontani, contestants will be judged in the following categories: Coney Island Wits, Talent, Style and Romance. In the Strength & Endurance category, contestants will carry a five-pound greased watermelon through an obstacle course while fetching a hot dog and a beer. Now those are skills every man needs…
Gothamist dug up 14 old Life Magazine photos of Brooklyn from 1943. Among them was this shot of Sheepshead Bay. It makes me long for an irregular shaped watefront, naturally-hemmed, instead of our cold, sterile bulkheads and cement piers. Can anyone figure out the location? If I had to guess, I’d say this is over by Knapp Street, and that’s Gerritsen Beach in the background. But what do I know?
Julianna Reynolds became the first recipient of the Mary Powell Award for Community Service during Marine Park Junior High School’s annual awards ceremony this past Wednesday.
Reynolds is a Gerritsen Beach resident who works with Gerritsen Beach Cares, an organization that helps clean up the beach and its environs. She also volunteers to train younger students at her local dance studio, and is part of Marine Park J.H.S.’s drama club, where she recently played Anne Sullivan in a production of the Miracle Worker. Reynolds will attend Edward R. Murrow High School this fall in the Vocal Music Program.
The Mary Powell Award is a $250 gift sponsored by the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association in honor of Mary Powell, the group’s late president. Powell passed away in February, leaving behind a legacy of community service. Members of the group conceived of the award to inspire future generations to be involved in their community.
For the inaugural awarding, Powell’s son Michael traveled from Connecticut to present the award to Reynolds.
To raise funds for the award, MMH organized a community yard sale on Saturday, June 12. For $25 each, residents of the area reserved 18 tables at The Kings Chapel on Quentin Road and East 27th Street. Revenues from the table reservations will be used to replenish the fund for future years, and Pastor Ron Weinbaum said many left asking when the organization will do another sale.
“We had a great time being a part of this community,” Weinbaum said at last night’s MMH Civic meeting. “It was visible, there was presence, and, more than that, there was a great spirit among the people.”
I was born and raised in Sheepshead Bay. And yet, despite its proximity, I stay out of Gerritsen Beach. That’s how I like it, and it seems that’s how they like it, too.
But I decided to venture into the tick-filled taint of Brooklyn and see for myself just how unwelcoming it is.
What I found was a neighborhood dynamic that begs for quietude and autonomy, and sees the slightest glance from a stranger’s eye as a threat to its independence from the rest of the city.
Sure, we’ve all known Sheepshead Bay is one of the city’s best neighborhoods, but now we’re getting some much deserved attention from the city press. New York Magazine’s much touted “The Most Livable Neighborhoods in New York” list ranked Sheepshead Bay 27th, just above SoHo and below Chelsea.
The list aggregates data from a plethora of sources and then ranks it across 12 categories from cost of living, to diversity and nightlife. Sheepshead Bay ranked high in affordability, schools, health and wellness, and crime.
The only other Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods to even rank in the top 50 were Bay Ridge (12th) and Brighton Beach (30th), while the big-headed yuppies in Park Slope nabbed the top slot.
It’s easy to take issue with New York Mag’s methodology and say we should have been higher up, or their assessment of things like “creative” and “housing quality” were way too subjective. One could even point out that some numbers just seemed downright wrong, like the fact that we ranked 22nd for crime even though our precinct has the lowest crime stats in the city (not including Central Park).
But instead of whining, we choose to be happy. Why? Because we’re in the top 50. And Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, and Marine Park are not. Remember that, punks.
What do you think? Should we have ranked better? What did these scoundrels forget?
Police revealed the identity of the 22-year-old man killed in yesterday’s shootout near P.S. 194 in Gerritsen Beach: George D’Amato Jr., the son of a retired court officer.
His father, George D’Amato Sr., told the New York Post:
His devastated dad, George D’Amato Sr., said his son — who “had minor scrapes with the law, nothing serious” — worked at a Duane Reade, but yesterday told him “he wanted a day off.”
“I told him to go to work,” said the father, a former court officer.
“I am retired law-enforcement myself. I know what it’s like. I can’t blame the officer. He did what he had to do,” the dad said.
Over at GerritsenBeach.net they’ve dug up D’Amato’s police record, which appears to be a history of minor property damage and fights. All told, the residents of the community who frequent the site – some of who knew D’Amato – appear to agree the police officer did what he had to do. But always eager to find something to rabidly bicker about, commenters turned to discussing whether the kid “got what he deserved.” Your thoughts?
From the NYPD Deputy Commission of Public Information’s office:
On Monday March 8, 2010 at approximately 1510 hours, in the rear of 3117 Avenue W (P.S. 194), in the confines of the 61 Precinct, police received a 911 call of a man with a gun. Upon arrival, a uniformed police officer encountered a M/W/22 who pointed what appeared to be a silver handgun at the officer. The officer discharged three (3) rounds, striking the suspect. EMS transported the suspect to Coney Island Hospital where he is pronounced dead at 1611 hours. The Investigation is ongoing.
The statement came via GerritsenBeach.net, which also says the person with the toy gun was a Gerritsen Beach kid that lived on Ebony Court. We can’t confirm that.
The proposed overhaul of Paerdegat Basin Bridge includes building two new structures and demolishing the existing bridge
At 10:00 p.m. tonight, Department of Transportation workers will shut down lanes in both directions of the Belt Parkway, moving forward with a seven-year renovation plan of the highway’s bridges and overpasses.
The first lane closures will occur between the Fresh Creek and the Paerdegat Bridges. The closures – which occur during nights, weekends, and non-rush hour afternoons – are required for the installation of temporary concrete barriers, lighting, and paving and the removal of existing lighting systems and median guiderail. The expected duration of this phase of work is 6 to 8 weeks.
