SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Source: Angelo Viscoso

A would-be burglar had to be rescued by police and firefighters and then hospitalized after his failed heist at il Fornetto Restaurant left him trapped in an air duct overnight.

Williams (Source: Angelo Viscoso)

Lorenzo Williams, 30, of Coney Island, was cuffed and packed into an FDNY ambulance after authorities removed him from the air duct, booking him with burglary. Cops were called to the 2902 Emmons Avenue restaurant around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, after workers said they heard cries for help coming from the ceiling.

It began with banging, said owner Angelo Viscoso. The restaurant’s manager sent staffers up to the roof, where they found a large hole cut into the vent, and they at first though a possum had found its way in.

“After a few minutes the banging intensified and they started to hear a faint cry for help. At this point they called 911 immediately. When the police came they verified that someone was stuck in the vent and had to call the fire department to cut open the duct on the roof to extract the man out,” said Viscoso.

Apparently, the perp was stuck overnight. The restaurant’s porter said he had heard faint banging noises the night before but couldn’t pinpoint the source. Damages to the roof are expected to exceed $3,000.

Williams was taken to Lutheran Medical Center for minor injuries.

“There were no visual injuries but I guess he had a head rush being stuck upside down until they got him out,” said Viscoso.

The rescue took about an hour, according to the FDNY.

Il Fornetto was playing host to a bridal shower during the cacophonous rescue operation. Viscoso said the party-goers made the most of it.

“The women from the shower were taking pictures with the firemen and police. I heard they cuffed the bride to be,” he said.

The hole in the air duct Williams used to attempt the break-in. (Source: Angelo Viscoso)

Source: onesevenone/Flickr

B LINE

From 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Friday, Manhattan-bound B trains run local from Sheepshead Bay to Prospect Park.

Q LINE

From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Tuesday to Friday, Q service operates in two sections:

1. Between 57 St-7 Av and Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.
2. Between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Coney Island.
   • To continue your trip, transfer via passageway at Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr.

From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Tuesday to Friday, Q trains run every 30 minutes between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Coney Island.

From 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., Wednesday to Friday, Manhattan-bound Q trains skip DeKalb Av.

From 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Friday, Coney Island-bound Q trains run express from Prospect Park to Sheepshead Bay.

F LINE

From 11:45 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday to Friday, Coney Island-bound F trains skip 23 St and 14 St.

From 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., Wednesday to Friday, Coney Island-bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Av to 21 St-Queensbridge.

In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Here are some of the big stories you may have missed this week. You can keep up with what’s going on in the neighborhood all week long. Just follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our daily newsletter. If you have any news tips, story ideas, questions or anything else, e-mail us at editor [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.

• An educator at a District 75 school in Brighton Beach was arrested for allegedly “punching out” an autistic student.
• Gourmanoff, Brighton Beach’s opulent new supermarket, has opened up in the Millenium Theater building.
• A Community Board 15 member was arrested as part of a $1 million Medicaid fraud bust.
• Blinoff Creperie, on Coney Island Avenue, is now open.
• Randazzo’s updated their iconic lobster sign, and it looks pretty darn cool.
• The NYPD installed two security cameras in Manhattan Beach.
• A Marine Park man was sentenced to prison time for shooting into a crowd of rowdy teens in 2011.
• Pesticides being sprayed in New York City parks may be linked to cancer.
• The NYPD launched a two-week long crackdown on bike-related offenses, including for drivers who block the bicycle lane.

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:

The NYPD is cracking down on cyclists…for two weeks. [Park Slope Stoop]

Shake Shack is open! Shake Shack is open! [PSS]

Should Barclays host the Democratic National Convention? [PSS]

A new twice-monthly storytelling event launched at a 5th Ave bar. [South Slope News]

A new restaurant is already set to replace Lindos diner, which abruptly closed. [SSN]

A Long Island man allegedly robbed jazz legend Cecil Taylor of $500,000. [Fort Greene Focus]

Sister’s Restaurant, from Park Slope’s Flatbush Farm crew, will open within the month. [FGF]

Yafa Deli owner Anis Naser opens neighboring restaurant Sahara Ark. [FGF]

From Morocco to Belgium to Myrtle Avenue, Wally Abdel captures people through their portraits. [FGF]

A pan-ethnic food court in Bath Beach gets good reviews. [Bensonhurst Bean]

They keep finding bed bugs on N trains. [BB]

A driver lost control of a packed school bus and crashed into a Boro Park gas station. [BB]

A Brooklyn Community Board member was arrested in connection to a $1M Medicaid fraud scheme. [Sheepshead Bites]

How opulent can a supermarket be? In Brighton Beach, the answer is “very.” [SB]

Some jerk allegedly punched out a kid with autism. [SB]

Sheepshead Bay’s legendary Randazzo’s Clam Bar updated its iconic sign. [SB]

The Newkirk Plaza subway station has had some troubling incidents lately. [Ditmas Park Corner]

Employers should not ask about criminal or credit history, area leaders charge. [DPC]

Meet Malani, the incredible force behind Coney Island Avenue’s House of Fashion. [DPC]

A turn-of-the-century home is being torn down to make way for a seven-story development. [DPC]

Kensington library had to pull two iPads from its children’s section after patrons were apparently sneaking off with them to shop and play violent video games. [Kensington BK]

Already hit with flooding and sewer backup, Windsor Terrace residents are worried about what three incoming developments are going to mean for them. [KBK]

A food co-op is looking for help with grant writing. [KBK]

You never know who’s drawing you on a napkin at the bar... [FiPS]

Photographer Chris Arnade will miss Brooklyn, but we’ll miss him more. [The Awl]

“Trader Joe’s is coming to Washington Avenue!” – A couple guys [FiPS]

“Um, no, it’s not.” – Journalists/former TJs employees [Brokelyn]

Commenting about commenting about commenting. [Brooklyn Magazine]

Tips for being an unarmed black teen. [The Onion]

Stop dumping ice on your head. Start donating $100. [Vice]

Source: gmpicket/Flickr

Q LINE

There are no scheduled service advisories at this time.

F LINE

From 11:15 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, Coney Island-bound F trains are rerouted via the M from Roosevelt Av to 47-50 Sts. Jamaica-bound F trains are rerouted via the A from Jay St-MetroTech to W 4 St.

From 12:30 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday, F trains run local in Queens.

Manhattan Beach now has some eyes in the sky after two NYPD security cameras were installed last month in the beachfront community.

The cameras were made available with state funding, initiated by Borough Park Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who pushed for them after the tragic abduction and murder of Leiby Kletzky in 2011. While most of the cameras were placed in Borough Park and Midwood, Councilman Chaim Deutsch said he worked with the state pol to ensure some funds would be set aside for Manhattan Beach.

The cameras are on lightpoles on West End Avenue, one on Oriental Boulevard the other on Shore Boulevard, covering the two most utilized exits and entrances for the community.

Although the neighborhood is not a high-crime hotspot, Deutsch said it was important for Manhattan Beach to have the cameras, since it’s a heavily trafficked area with seniors and children using the parks, as well as thousands of Kingsborough Community College students coming and going every day.

“If a child leaves a house and is missing, or an Alzheimer’s patient, we can go back and look at it and see if they left or came in,” said Deutsch. “It’s not really for the high crime area. If there’s a missing person, child, patient, at least we have some kind of direction.”

The cameras are not monitored in real time, and will only be accessed by NYPD personnel, the pol said.

Source: Brandon Ungar / Flickr

Alternate side parking (street cleaning) regulations will be suspended Friday, August 15 in observance of the Feast of the Assumption. All other regulations, including parking meters, shall remain in effect.

You can download your own 2014 Alternate Side Parking Suspension calendar by going here.

A Department of Education employee allegedly punched an 11-year-old autistic boy at Brighton Beach’s P.S. 225 (1075 Oceanview Avenue), leading to felony assault and other charges, reports the Daily News.

The paper reports:

Milton Parker, 58, a paraprofessional at Public School 225 in Brighton Beach, attacked the youngster last Thursday after he had spilled water on the floor, according to the boy’s father, Anatoly Veltman.

Parker ordered Anatoly, Jr., to clean up the spill, but the boy apparently did not understand what he meant — further enraging the supervisor. He grabbed the boy and punched him in the face, according to court papers.

“The police officer told me Mr. Parker said my son said ‘something racial’ to him,” Veltman told The News. “I spoke to my son and all he could say was he told (Parker) to ‘keep your hands to yourself.’”

The boy, who has the cognitive and social skills of a 6-year-old, was treated at Coney Island Hospital for a possible concussion and severe bruising of his face.

While paraprofessionals are assigned to supervise some special needs students, Parker was not assigned to Veltman.

School security cameras caught the incident on tape, which police reviewed. Parker was charged with felony assault, manacing, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. He was been suspended without pay.

The NYPD has announced a two-week bicycle safety enforcement initiative called Operation Safe Cycle, which begins today, Wednesday, August 13 and continues through Tuesday, August 26.

They say they’ll be targeting cyclists who fail to stop at red lights, disobey traffic signals or signs, ride the wrong direction against traffic, ride on the sidewalk, and fail to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

But it’s not just cyclists — the NYPD says they’re also focus on motorists who obstruct bike lanes.

“The NYPD asks all persons bicycling and driving in the city to make safety a priority,” they said in a release. “The NYPD is committed to providing a safe environment for all New Yorkers.”

It seems that as the city continues to work on Vision Zero ideas, the NYPD will keep rolling out stings that focus on one aspect that makes traveling the streets in this city dangerous — they’ve already focused on texting and driving, speeding, and other hazardous driving behaviors.

If you have some experience with Operation Safe Cycle in the neighborhood, let us know in the comments.

Source: mikey k/Flickr

Thomas Dunikowski, who fired a rifle at a group of rowdy teens on his Stuart Street block in 2011, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Following a mistrial last year, when jurors acquitted him of attempted murder charges but deadlocked on assault charges, Dunikowski struck a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and agreed to an eight year sentence, with five years of supervision after his release.

“I would just like to say that I am sorry to everyone that I hurt with this whole ordeal,” Dunikowski, 33, said in court before sentencing, according to the New York Post. “I am sorry they got hurt, and I am sorry I hurt my family and [brought] them through this.”

Dunikowski was arrested in June 2011 after opening fire from his second floor window, wounding two teenagers who refused to leave his stoop. He fired 27 shots as the teens, ranging in age from 14 to 17, fled.

The noisy teens had refused to leave his property, and had allegedly been previously kicking over garbage cans and making a ruckus on the block.

The Marine Park dad also reportedly struck a 21-year-old female bystander.