Suspect in Chambers Street Subway Stabbing Taken Into Custody
Amado Garzon Morales, seen here on police surveillance video, is shown fleeing from the scene of an October 4 murder at the Chambers Street subway station, across the street from City Hall.
A suspect in the October murder of a man at the Chambers Street subway station of the J and Z trains (located beneath the Municipal Building and across the street from City Hall) has been taken into custody.
On Wednesday, officers from the NYPD’s Warrant Squad arrested 29-year-old Amado Garzon Morales, a resident of New Brunswick, New Jersey, who was tracked down in the Richmond Hill section of Queens.
Police allege that Mr. Morales encountered 20-year-old Julio Cesar Cantero Hernandez on the platform shortly before 3:00 pm last October 4, where the two men (who appear to have been strangers) engaged in a verbal dispute. After a brief exchange of words, authorities charge, Mr. Morales brandished a knife and stabbed Mr. Hernandez several times in the legs, and then fled.
Mr. Hernandez was conscious, but bleeding heavily, when emergency medical technicians arrived at the scene. He was evacuated by ambulance to the nearby New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
This incident is one among a spate of recent violent crimes in Lower Manhattan. On December 11, a teenage boy was shot twice in the chest while opening the door to his room at the DoubleTree Hilton New York on Stone Street, in the Financial District. The victim survived, but no arrests have yet been made in this case.
On January 29, a man patronizing the Dunkin Donuts location within the Fulton Center subway and retail complex was attacked by a gang of six teenagers, who simultaneously punched, kicked, and tackled him, also dosing the man with pepper spray. The suspects then fled with his backpack and wallet. (The victim escaped with injuries.)
And on February 2, 26-year-old Rafael Wilson was standing on a train platform within the Fulton Center—facing the tracks and wearing headphones—when, police allege, Calvin Wilson (no relation to the victim) approached him from behind. Without any warning or provocation, police say, Calvin Wilson shoved Rafael Wilson onto the tracks. The victim suffered minor injuries, but was able to climb back onto the platform before the next train pulled into the station. The suspect immediately fled the station, but was apprehended nearby a short time later. Police say he has a history of mental illness and multiple prior arrests—most recently for threatening a subway employee with a pipe.
Matthew Fenton
A Debt of Gratitude
City Council Candidate Argues Against Squeezing Schools
City Council candidate Christopher Marte led a February 4 rally on the steps of Tweed Courthouse (the headquarters of the City’s Department of Education, or DOE) to demand “budget amnesty” for public schools in the Downtown district he hopes to represent. To read more, click here.
Fulton Felonies
Transit Hub Becomes Venue for Multiple Violent Crime
The Fulton Center subway and retail complex (at the corner of Broadway and Fulton Street) has been the scene of several violent assaults in recent days. On Friday, January 29, shortly after 11:00 pm, a gang of six young people (four male and two female) quietly entered the Dunkin Donuts location within the facility, and crept up behind a man who was placing an order at the counter. To read more…
A Shore Thing
HRPT Moves Ahead with Plans for ‘Beach,’ Park and Historic Sculpture for Gansevoort Peninsula
The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) has released a package of three requests for proposals (RFPs) intended to kickstart the process of transforming the Gansevoort Peninsula—a five-acre-plus chersonese that juts out from the West Side waterfront, between Gansevoort and West 13th Streets—into a new public amenity.
Plans call for a scenic beach (more for viewing the water than public bathing, owing to concerns about hygiene and safety), along with a 56,000-square-foot ballfield for use by local youth leagues, a playground, an outdoor “river gym” (consisting of rust-proof calisthenics equipment), a dog run, and public restrooms.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to capture public health official’s attention, teenagers are still vaping in high numbers, putting their health at risk. This youth vaping epidemic highlights the urgent need to understand the science of nicotine addiction, in particular with regard to the developing brain, and the potential long term health effects of compounds found in vapes. This symposium will convene experts from academic, clinical, public health, and policy communities to discuss new approaches for prevention — with a focus on emerging science to support evidence-based policy recommendations. $15-$85.
February 12th will mark the first day of the Year of the Ox, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. With a careful selection of Chinese music, Ms. Zhou Yi, pipa/qin soloist, and Ms. Shenzhan Liao, Head of the School of Chinese Studies at China Institute, will chat on the evolving culture, traditions and symbolism in celebrating Chinese lunar New Year through live music demonstrations and videos, revealing a continuing path of cultural exchanges between the east and the west. Music Chat is a lecture/performance series highlighting various regions, instruments, and musical forms and featuring discussions with leading experts as well as performances by world-class musicians. Free. China Institute.
Vaping, “juuling,” e-cigarettes – what’s the difference? Is it safer than smoking? Do flavored vaping products contain nicotine? How addictive is vaping, really? How would you know whether you are addicted? Are you at risk of lung injuries from vaping? How does it affect your brain? You’ve probably asked at least some of these questions without getting accurate answers. You may have read a few articles and listened to the newsreel, but you may have ended up feeling less informed. Indeed, there’s a lot of inaccurate information surrounding vaping, and it’s made it difficult for the public to grasp the facts. If you’re a parent, teacher, school nurse, student, or concerned friend who can’t tell what’s actually true about this phenomenon, then join us for an evening event where we bring together experts to help separate fact from fiction tell you what you really need to know. $12-$25. New York Academy of Science.
CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades, Respectable Employment, Lost and Found
needed for filing, packaging/mailing items, and computer work including spreadsheets. Handyman skills helpful. $25/hour, approximately 12 hours/week. email cathy@riverprojectnyc.org.
TUTOR AVAILABLE FOR HOMEWORK SUPPORT
Stuyvesant HS student available for homework help. All grades especially math. References available upon request
Sounding A Lot Like the Leftists of 2011, Young Republicans Re-Occupy Zuccotti Park
On Sunday afternoon, several dozen members of the New York Young Republican Club gathered in the Financial District to protest alleged stock market manipulation by large traders, at the expense of individual investors.
No judgment for those of you who will want to drop those new year’s resolutions (or whatever other health kicks you’ve got going on) after reading this PSA:
NYC Restaurant Week launched this week, as hundreds of hot spots citywide have been lining up special delivery deals through February 28.
Promotions include lunch or dinner with a side for $20.21, two-course brunches and lunches ($26) and three-course dinners ($42), mostly Monday through Friday. (Some participating restaurants are honoring those prices on weekends.)
Dozens of restaurants south of Chambers Street plan to take part in NYC Restaurant Week, including Brooklyn Chop House, The Fulton, Crown Shy, Stone Street Tavern, The Dead Rabbit and more.
The Restaurant Week website lists several more tempting options to treat yourself — even if it means playing it a little fast and loose with your commitments to fitness. (We won’t tell.)
On Thursday evening, Mayor Bill de Blasio, at his eighth (and final) State of the City address, announced that a dedicated bike lane would be coming to the Brooklyn Bridge (with another slated for the Ed Koch Bridge) before the end of this year. To read more…
TODAY IN HISTORY
February 9
Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina Davis
1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
1840 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
1861 – Jefferson Davis is notified by telegraph that he has been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
1906 – HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships is christened and launched by King Edward VII.
1947 – The Paris Peace Treaties are signed by Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland and the Allies of World War II.
1962 – Cold War: Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
1962 – Roy Lichtenstein’s first solo exhibition opened, and it included Look Mickey, which featured his first employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery sourcing, all of which he is now known for.
1996 – IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time.
2007 – Then Illinois senator Barack Obama announces his candidacy for president in the 2008 elections.
2009 – The communications satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 collide in orbit, destroying both.
Births
1890 – Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1960)
1893 – Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer, and pianist (d. 1980)
1894 – Harold Macmillan, English captain and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1986)
1898 – Bertolt Brecht, German director, playwright, and poet (d. 1956)
Deaths
1524 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (b. 1468)
1992 – Alex Haley, American soldier, journalist, and author (b. 1921)
2001 – Abraham Beame, 104th Mayor of New York City (b. 1906)
2003 – Ron Ziegler, 14th White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
2005 – Arthur Miller, American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1915)
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