New York City consumer protection officials are putting hundreds of tow truck companies on notice, warning they’ll swiftly revoke licenses from operators that rip off drivers.
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NYC puts tow truck operators on notice following Gothamist investigation
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Ghost fleet: How New York City lost control of the tow truck industry
A Gothamist analysis of speeding and red light camera data reveals the number of unlicensed tow trucks in the city has increased from 54 in 2021 to at least 712 today. Meanwhile, the number of licensed tow trucks has fallen from 995 in 2021 to 764 today.
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NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers’ eyes, voices and faces
Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to “protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees,” according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot.
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NYC’s flying ‘Fan Man’ demands NYPD return his fan after he soars near Verrazzano Bridge
A 40-year-old Brooklynite who soars above the city like a superhero using a parachute and motorized propeller strapped to his back has been grounded by the NYPD. With Ramsey Khalifeh.
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Bronx tow truck owner who ordered a fatal drive-by amid turf war faces life in prison
The operator of a Bronx auto body shop who swindled customers and insurance companies faces life in prison after pleading guilty to ordering a drive-by shooting targeting a rival tow truck company.
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These NYC pools kept closing last summer after people pooped in them
New York City’s public pools turned into toilets at a surprisingly high rate last summer, as the parks department was forced to close its swimming holes 203 times to clean up a visitor’s poop.
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New NYPD commissioner reverses transfers of hundreds of ‘hiding’ officers
While news of an arrest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO dominated headlines on Dec. 9, newly appointed NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch quietly launched another search of her own: determining the whereabouts of hundreds of on-duty officers.
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Scion of Bronx trash empire with spotty safety record sidesteps NYC commercial waste reform
The heir to a disgraced Bronx trash empire is teaming up with a politically connected waste hauler to form a trash collection syndicate — a move that could undermine ongoing reforms of the city’s notoriously corrupt private garbage industry.
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Trash hauler won coveted garbage pickup rights after donating to Mayor Adams’ campaign
New York City’s campaign watchdog is scrutinizing a series of donations to Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign by owners and employees of a Queens waste hauling company that later won a set of coveted licenses from the sanitation department.
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Erosion is causing ‘extremely hazardous’ conditions on Riis Beach, where 2 teens were swept to sea
Erosion is rapidly washing away the shoreline of Jacob Riis Park in Rockaway — and the National Park Service says the ongoing problem has created “extremely hazardous” swimming conditions in an area of the beach where two teenage boys were swept out to sea last week.
