Tragedy unfolded in Bensonhurst this morning, when a young child was R”L struck and killed as he arrived to Yeshiva. Sources tell YWN that two children were struck by the vehicle as they were being dropped off at Yeshiva K’Tana of Bensonhurst on 67 Street. Boro Park Hatzolah rushed to the scene, where they found one child in grave condition. Paramedics did all they could to save his life, but were unfortunately unsuccessful. Misaskim was on the scene and dealing with Kavod Hames. The second child was taken to Maimonides Hospital in stable condition. Sources tell YWN that the vehicle had initially left the scene, although it appears he may not have known he had struck the child. He was contacted and returned to the scene. The NYPD is on the scene conducting an investigation.

Former U.S. Rep. Max Rose said Sunday he won’t run for mayor of New York City after all. In a statement, Rose said that he has decided not to enter the race to succeed fellow Democrat Bill de Blasio, who is term limited. Rose ran campaign ads last fall charging de Blasio with being anti-police. Rose added that “across the five boroughs, no one believes that City Hall is on the side of the working class” and said the next mayor “must build a social contract that leaves no one behind.” Rose, a Democrat and Army combat veteran, defeated incumbent Republican Dan Donovan in 2018 to represent a congressional district that includes all of Staten Island and a slice of Brooklyn. He served one term in Congress but lost to state Assembly member Republican Nicole Malliotakis in November.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that he won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine until it’s available for Black, Hispanic and poor communities in his group in New York state. During pre-recorded remarks at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, the governor said that “one of our pressing challenges is to make sure that the vaccine is made available fairly.” “I am committed to social and racial justice in the distribution of this vaccine,” Cuomo said. “Race or income will not determine who lives and who dies. And I mean it. And that’s why I say to you today that I want to take the vaccine. I move around a lot and come into contact with many people and I would feel much safer if I took the vaccine.

Officials at the Nassau County jail on Long Island seized drugs or drug paraphernalia from inmates 237 times over a period of less than four years, a Newsday analysis of state records found. The drugs confiscated from inmates at the 1,540-bed jail between 2016 and the summer or 2019 included marijuana, prescription pills, heroin, cocaine and other banned substances. Newsday obtained the reports on contraband seizures from the New York State Commission of Correction through a Freedom of Information Law request. Steve Martin, a lawyer who is a court-appointed monitor of New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex, said the data on drug seizures are fairly typical for a correctional facility of the Nassau jail’s size and location.

New York State officials say they have finished work on a 750-mile trail for cyclists, hikers and runners that spans the state. The Empire State Trail is expected to attract 8.6 million residents and tourists a year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week. The trail, most of which is off road, runs north from New York City through the Hudson and Champlain Valleys to Canada, and from Albany west to Buffalo along the Erie Canal. The project included the creation of more than 180 miles of new off-road trail and also connected 400 miles of previous trails. “There’s no trail like it in the nation,” Cuomo said in a news release.

Attorney General Letitia James is recusing herself from a state investigation into a Brooklyn-based health care network that officials say may have fraudulently obtained COVID vaccines The case was handed to James by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who called it possible fraud. Parcare Community Health Network allegedly misrepresented itself on vaccine applications in order to receive 2,300 doses of Moderna’s vaccine, state officials said. James’ office said she is recusing herself from the investigation “to avoid even an appearance of conflict,” according to a statement obtained by the New York Post. James and Parcare CEO Gary Schlesinger have a well-documented friendship going back to James’ days as a City Council member in central Brooklyn.

A state trooper shot and wounded a domestic violence suspect in western New York after the man advanced toward officers with a bow and arrow, police said. The confrontation happened at 1:30 a.m. Friday in Portville. Troopers were dispatched to a home by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office after a report of domestic violence was called in, state police said. Troopers arrived at the home and were speaking to the victim when a man advanced toward them with a bow and arrow, police said. The man, identified as 40-year-old Ryan Ehman, ignored several commands to drop the weapon, they said. One trooper fired his gun and struck Ehman, police said. Ehman was flown to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. No information on his condition was released.

The NYPD is investigating a shots fired incident at a Jewish-owned business on Walworth Street in Williamsburg. Sources tell YWN that a the business owner arrived at his establishment on Friday (New Years morning), and noticed the front window broken. The man figured it was caused by fireworks. But tonight, the man took a closer look at the window, and thought it may have been caused by a gunshot. The man called Williamsburg Shomrim to look, who advised the man that it appeared to be a gunshot. The NYPD was called, and Detectives are investigating the incident. JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status.

A woman was found dead inside the garbage chute of a Staten Island apartment building, police said Saturday. Officers responded to a 911 call just before 2:30 p.m. Friday and found the victim inside the garbage chute on the the third floor of a building on Victory Boulevard in the Silver Lake neighborhood, a police spokesperson said. The woman, identified as 34-year-old Lisa Maria Hernandez, was pronounced dead at a hospital. The medical examiner’s office will determine her cause of death. (AP)

The New York City Sheriff’s Department shut down a series of illegal New Year’s Eve parties for violating coronavirus restrictions, operating without a liquor license and other infractions, authorities announced Friday. More than 300 people gathered Thursday night for karaoke and dancing at an illegal bottle club on 58th Street in Queens, the department said on Twitter. Five people were charged with offenses including violating emergency orders that ban indoor gatherings, providing alcohol without a liquor license and obstructed egress. Deputies also raided an illegal gathering on Prince Street in Soho, where more than 145 people were partying in a space with no liquor license, the department said. Four people were charged with multiple offenses.