Former President Donald Trump is slated to return to New York City to provide a videotaped deposition in a case about his security team’s crackdown on a protest during the early days of his presidential campaign in 2015. Trump is expected to record the deposition on Monday in Trump Tower, court papers in Bronx state Supreme Court show. Three attorneys who represent Trump didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the deposition. The lawsuit stems from a Sept. 3, 2015, protest outside that same New York City tower over comments Trump had made about Mexico and Mexican immigrants. Six protesters of Mexican origin who said they were assaulted sued Trump, the Trump Organization, his presidential campaign and security personnel.

The NYPD is investigating a bias crime which occurred in the heart of the Flatbush Orthodox Jewish Community on Thursday night. The NYPD tells YWN that at around 8:30PM, a black female dressed in all black clothing arrived at Yeshiva of Flatbush on Avenue J and East 17th Street and began yelling anti-Semitic obscenities. She then poured gasoline on the sidewalk from a container that she was holding and set it on fire. The suspect fled before police arrived. The incident triggered a massive NYPD and Flatbush Shomrim response. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force as well as the FDNY Fire Investigation Unit were on the scene. Flatbush Shomrim greatly assisted the NYPD with canvassing the area as well as retrieving security camera footage from nearby buildings.

A shooting in Flatbush ended with a hit-and-run and a police pursuit on Thursday afternoon. It began at around 4:30PM on East 36th Street and Ave J, when two suspects opened fire on a victim. The two suspects fled the scene and crashed into a vehicle on Ocean Avenue and Quentin Road. The two suspects bailed from their crashed vehicle, and fled on foot. This triggered a heavy police response and a foot pursuit ensued. A police chopper was hovering overhead, and one suspect was taken into custody. A second suspect managed to get away. Police were seen looking into the sewers for a gun that may have been tossed inside. Flatbush Hatzolah transported the victims from the crash who were in stable condition. The gunshot victim is critical, and was transported by EMS to a local hospital.

Lawyers opened the trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday with plenty of talk about $1 million from a Russian financier that prosecutors contend was aimed at illegally influencing U.S. politicians, but there was little mention of Giuliani and other prominent political figures whose names will arise later in the trial. As it turns out, only about $100,000 of the $1 million ever made it into the hands of U.S. politicians, prosecutors say. The trial of Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin began a day after jury selection with claims by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aline Flodr that the men conspired to hide illegal foreign campaign contributions made with money from Andrey Muraviev.

A $2 billion project to build a rail link connecting New York City to LaGuardia Airport was officially put on hold Tuesday, after weeks of criticism from public officials and a lawsuit from neighborhood and environmental groups. In a news release, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it is pausing the project to consider alternatives. In recent weeks, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had criticized the project, which was championed by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo. Democratic Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who represents part of the area the link would pass through, also has spoken out against it, as has outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues is going so well that only 15 businesses have been fined for not enforcing the policy, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. De Blasio said the high rate of compliance with the vaccine mandate that was announced last summer and has been enforced since Sept. 13 shows that “the vast, vast, vast majority of restaurants and all the other businesses are saying, ‘Yes we’re going to work with this, we’re going to make it work for our employees, for our customers, keep everyone safe.’ Very few are standing apart.” The mandate requires staff members at places where people gather inside to check for proof of vaccination.

New Jersey Jewish community leaders spent a productive morning meeting with the head of the FBI’s NJ field office, Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch. Special Agent in Charge Crouch has been with the FBI since 1998 and had previously served as deputy assistant director at the FBI’s Washington D.C. headquarters’ human resources division before joining the FBI in Newark.

If you’re a Honda Accord driver in the Tri-State area, you might want to make sure your doors are locked. The National Insurance Crime Bureau released its “Hot Wheels” report Tuesday, which identifies the top 10 most stolen vehicles nationwide and state-by-state. While Ford and Chevy’s full-size pick-ups topped the list across the country, the Honda Accord was in the unsought-after spot in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — mounting a total of 1,775 thefts in the three states in 2020, according to the report. Here’s the breakdown in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and across the country.

The longtime CEO and President of Lakewood’s Beth Medrash Govoha, Reb Aharon Kotler, announced his resignation on Tuesday. Reb Aharon made the announcement in a meeting of BMG staff, including his brother HaRav Malkiel Kotler, one of the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva. Rumors about his possible resignation had been swirling for more than a year, but on Tuesday, he informed his staff of his decision. Reb Aharon has been the CEO of the famed Yeshiva for the past 27 years. Under his leadership, the Kollel never once missed a check, as he worked tirelessly day and night to raise tens of millions of dollars a year to provide for the Yungerleit.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Reb Chaim Yaakov Fortgang Z”L, a well-respected philanthropist and Baal Chesed in Flatbush. The Niftar was one of the puillars of the Sasreigin Shul for decades. he delivered a Shiur for many years for balabatim at the Shul. In addition to being a Baal Chesed and Baal Tzedaka, the Niftar was a well-known bankruptcy attorney. The Levaya will take place Tuesday today (Tuesday) at New Montefiore Cemetery at 11:00AM, 1180 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon.