UPDATE (2:06 p.m.): Con Edison just informed us that the restoration time has been bumped up to 3:00 p.m.
Power went out due to “equipment failure” in the Sheepshead Bay area, according to the spokesperson, and they’re still investigating.
It’s also not just Gerritsen Beach – it looks like the outage spans that entire neighborhood, as well as a chunk of Sheepshead Bay / Plumb Beach. The borders they’ve given are Avenue U to the north, “Plumb Beach Avenue” to the south, Gerritsen Avenue to the east and Coyle Street to the west. (We’re looking for clarification on “Plumb Beach Avenue,” as there’s no such street in the area that we know of.)
Original post:
Residents of Gerritsen Beach are in the dark after power cut out, according to Con Edison.
A spokesperson for the company said 924 clients are without power after it went out at approximately 1:30 p.m.
Crews are on the scene working to restore it, and service is expected to resume by 5:00 p.m.
The spokesperson said the cause and geographical boundaries of the outage had not yet been determined. We will update this post when we hear back.
If you live in the area and are without power (yet somehow have access to this website), let us know the location in the comments.
Cops believe the same perp is behind eight burglaries that hit Borough Park and Midwood within a month and a half, in which a combined total of $228,330 in valuables was taken from neighbors’ homes.
Authorities are turning to the public for help identifying their suspect, who was caught on surveillance cameras rummaging through a home during one of the heists. The eight incidents took place between June 23 and August 11, in many cases while the homeowners appear to have been traveling.
The thief entered through a rear window, and limited his haul to silver and jewelry in almost every incident.
According to the NYPD, the following homes were hit (details below the map):
1551 East 5th Street, between 8 p.m. on June 23 and 8 p.m. on July 1. Items totaling more than $13,000 were reported missing.
1571 40th Street, between noon on June 27 and 8 p.m. on June 29. Items valued at $23,480 were reported missing.
1436 50th Street, between noon on July 14 and 4:30 p.m. on August 14. Silver valued at $27,000 was reported missing.
1449A 46th Street, between 8 p.m. on July 24 and 5 p.m. on July 29. Silver valued at $7,250 was reported missing.
1672 43rd Street, between 11 a.m. on August 7 and 11:30 p.m. on August 18. Jewelry valued at $93,000 was reported missing.
1545 East 5th Street, between 8:30 a.m. on August 8 and 11:20 p.m. on August 10. Silver valued at $40,600 was reported missing.
1423 46th Street, between 1 p.m. on August 8 and 11 p.m. on August 10. Silver valued at $14,700 was reported missing.
1623 42nd Street, at approximately 3 p.m. on August 11. Silver valued at $9,300 was reported missing.
The thief was caught on tape during the 43rd Street burglary.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
Sheepshead Bites reminds our readers to take the following precautions to prevent a burglary while on vacation.
Stop your mail, or ask a friend or neighbor to pick it up. Mail and newspapers piling up at the front door tip off would-be burglars.
Buy a light timer, and set lights in the house to go on and off during the day to give the appearance somebody is home. Don’t leave your lights on all night, as that is another sign to burglars that no one is home.
Have a friend stop by to check on the property.
Don’t close the curtains. Leave them exactly as you would when home.
Do not post information about your whereabouts on social media, or your plans to go on vacation.
Authorities are turning to the public for help in their search for Efigencia Aviles, a 79-year-old woman who has been missing since Saturday.
Aviles was last seen at approximately 6:00 p.m. at her home on Quentin Road, near Ocean Avenue. She is described as 4’8″ tall, 80 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
The woman previously sparked a silver alert in February when she went missing from a Staten Island shopping plaza. She was found the following morning in good health.
Descriptions from that alert add that she is Hispanic, is of sound mental health and walks with bow legs.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
After a busy week, here’s a chance to catch up on some of the news happening outside of our neighborhood! We’ve pulled together some of our favorite recent stories from our sister sites, as well as some other fascinating pieces that are worth a read this weekend:
Looking for a new place to call home? Sheepshead Bites has got you covered. Our rental roundup showcases some of the deals on the market now. If you know of a great place available for rent or are a broker representing a property you want included, contact nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.
One Brighton Bedroom Price: $1,550 Location: Brighton 2nd Street Description: This apartment is one block away from the beach and has parquet floors, good lighting and a bedroom the size of a king. And, holy of holies, a dishwasher! Contact: Diana Rodriguez, CitiHabitats, (917) 736-3203
One Bedroom With a Questionable Beach View Price: $1,525 Location: East 17th Street and Avenue V Description: Real estate agents tend to stretch the truth when trying to sell an apartment, but claiming there’s a beach view on East 17th Street and Avenue V is, well, purely fictional. Barring roof-top access with powerful binoculars on hand, no beach will be viewed, nor even smelled. Contact: Aaron Hillel, Hillel Realty, (718) 417-7000
Two bedrooms and a Really Long Living Room Price: $1,700 Location: Homecrest Avenue Description: Fancy-shmancy “forman foyer.” Mountain Dew-chugging “extreme space.” A kitchen “for any cook.” Rooms that look… rectangular. Wow. Contact: Chris Shiamilis, Ardor New York, (212) 588-3000
If you know of a great place available for rent or are a broker representing a property you want included, contact nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.
An unidentified teen waited for the Q train to pull into the Ocean Parkway station, snatched an unsuspecting straphanger’s iPhone and bolted, according to police.
The August 10 incident took place at approximately 10:50 a.m. Cops say the suspect waited on the platform until a southbound train pulled in. He then entered a train car and grabbed the device out of the hands of a 19-year-old woman before fleeing the station.
Surveillance video captured his escape, and now police are sharing photos in their search for the perp. He is wanted for grand larceny.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
Cell phone theft remains one of the leading crimes in New York City. Sheepshead Bites reminds our readers that the following tips can go a long way in keeping a cell phone in your hands, and not those of a thief:
Always be aware of your surroundings when using your device. Avoid flashing it in public, using it while walking down dark streets alone, etc.
Avoid using it on the subway altogether. More than 70 percent of thefts occur on the subway. If you must use it, try not to do so near the car doors.
Activate your phone’s security features, such as the lock screen.
Install/activate a phone locator app, such as Find my iPhone.
Register your phone with the NYPD. Operation I.D. allows residents to register their phone’s serial number with the name and contact information, so that if a phone is found it can be returned. More information is available here.
The following is a press release from the offices of Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz:
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) is urging the Board of Standards and Appeals to reject a special permit application by a Sheepshead Bay ambulatory health care facility that would severely impact residential parking.
The applicant, Eric Palatnik, P.C., for 2464 Coney Island Avenue, wants BSA to reduce the facility’s required number of parking spaces in the building’s indoor garage. Thirty-four spaces are currently reserved but BSA can reduce that number to 17. BSA is conducting a hearing on the matter tomorrow at 10 a.m. [Ed. — The meeting has now passed.]
Community Board 15 has already voted against the proposal.
Assemblyman Cymbrowitz says eliminating indoor parking spaces will cause parking woes for people on East 9th Street, located around the corner from the facility, in addition to other nearby streets. “East 9th Street consists of attached homes with no garages. Residents here must rely solely on street parking, which is already in short supply,” he said in a letter to BSA.
Curb cuts have been installed on East 9th Street for the health care center’s underground parking garage, limiting parking for residents even further, he said.
Exacerbating the situation is a car rental business on the first floor of the same building, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said. The car rental business will use the underground garage spaces when necessary, meaning that patients at the health care facility will need to look for available street parking when the indoor spots are occupied.
“In order to minimize the impact on residents’ quality of life, it is essential that BSA vote against the application to reduce the required number of parking spaces for the ambulatory health facility,” he said.
Another allegation has surfaced against indicted State Senator John Sampson, with a former top aide admitting to federal prosecutors that he swiped $100,000 from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and forked most of it over to a senator believed to be Sampson.
Melvin Lowe admitted during confidential meetings with prosecutors that he defrauded the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee out of $100,000 – and gave $75,000 of the money to “Senator #1,” the filing says. A source said “Senator #1” is Lowe’s ex-boss, Sampson (D-Brooklyn), who is fighting charges that he, himself, also committed fraud and tax crimes.
… Prosecutors also said they have a witness who’ll testify hearing Lowe and Sampson discuss the cash exchange.
Lowe is facing tax evasion charges, as well as allegations that he swindled the DCSS out of the cash in 2010. He faces 80 years in prison if convicted.
Despite campaign debt stemming from the legal charges, Sampson is still a formidable contender in this year’s state elections. An incumbent since 1996, it remains to be seen whether union organizer Dell Smitherman or homeless advocate Sean Henry will be able to overcome his name recognition.
