Bronx car explosion: dramatic video shows explosion erupting into massive Fireball 

Part of a seven-story building in the Bronx, New York suddenly collapsed on Monday afternoon (Dec 11) as firefighters were seen tunnelling through a huge pile of debris in search of possible victims.&nbsp;

The FDNY said there have been no reports of injuries thus far. As per the official, there's no confirmation on what caused the collapse.&nbsp;

Local reports said that the collapse happened around 3:30 pm (local time) on West Burnside Avenue and Phelan Place in Morris Heights.&nbsp;

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There are businesses on the first floor of the building, and the rest of the building is residential. The building was evacuated, initial reports suggest.&nbsp;

Images and videos shared on social media showed people running for their lives as the building collapsed near them.&nbsp;

As quoted by CBS News, OEM Commissioner Zach Iscol said that FDNY members were on the scene 1 minute, and 36 seconds after they received the call.&nbsp;

Watch the video here:&nbsp;

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The FDNY is responding to a partial building collapse of a six-story apartment building at 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx. So far no injuries have been reported. <a href="https://t.co/9FhCSOwbSW">pic.twitter.com/9FhCSOwbSW</a>
— FDNY (@FDNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/1734324363896213966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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NEW YORK: BREAKING: Partial building collapse at 172 W Burnside Ave in the Bronx. Reports of people trapped. <a href="https://t.co/1ZYOTt8f3F">pic.twitter.com/1ZYOTt8f3F</a>
— TRACKER DEEP (@tracker_deep) <a href="https://twitter.com/tracker_deep/status/1734319699486532081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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All people have been evacuated from the partially collapsed building at 1915 Billingsley Terrace, Bronx. The building has 47 residential units and 6 businesses. Search for potential victims ongoing. <a href="https://t.co/UAq3CRnDrT">pic.twitter.com/UAq3CRnDrT</a>
— FDNY (@FDNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/1734345388340264996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Surveillance video shows the harrowing moments of the building collapse in the Bronx. We bring you the latest at 10p on <a href="https://twitter.com/fox5ny?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fox5ny</a> <a href="https://t.co/HetXWAzQXb">pic.twitter.com/HetXWAzQXb</a>
— Arthur Chi'en (@Arthur_Chien) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arthur_Chien/status/1734375793126433061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said: "We immediately vacated and evacuated the building and started to concentrate on the debris pile in front of the building&nbsp;to search for any victims."&nbsp;

"We're tunnelling into that debris pile as safely as we can. Firefighters right now are in a dangerous position. We don't know what caused the corner of this building to collapse, and we don't know if any more of it is going to come down. But we're searching for life. That's the main objective at this time," the official added.&nbsp;

As quoted, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said, "All of our specialised training and resources that we have for an incident like this have gone to work. We have our drone up, surveying the area, seeing if we can find additional information about potential patients and areas of potential instability."&nbsp;

"We have our K9 unit here, helping us search for potential victims. And we have all of our specially trained firefighters, tactical units, collapse units, and our EMTs and rescue medics who are trained specifically to treat someone in a collapse," added Kavanagh as she provided details on what the firefighters were doing.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Part of a seven-story building in the Bronx, New York suddenly collapsed on Monday afternoon (Dec 11) as firefighters were seen tunnelling through a huge pile of debris in search of possible victims.

Part of a seven-story building in the Bronx, New York suddenly collapsed on Monday afternoon (Dec 11) as firefighters were seen tunnelling through a huge pile of debris in search of possible victims. The FDNY said there have been no reports of injuries thus far. As per the official, there's no confirmation on what caused the collapse. Local reports said that the collapse happened around 3:30 pm (local time) on West Burnside Avenue and Phelan Place in Morris Heights. Also read: Kate Cox, a Texas woman, forced to leave state for emergency abortion There are businesses on the first floor of the building, and the rest of the building is residential. The building was evacuated, initial reports suggest. Images and videos shared on social media showed people running for their lives as the building collapsed near them. As quoted by CBS News, OEM Commissioner Zach Iscol said that FDNY members were on the scene 1 minute, and 36 seconds after they received the call. Watch the video here: The FDNY is responding to a partial building collapse of a six-story apartment building at 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx. So far no injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/9FhCSOwbSW — FDNY (@FDNY) December 11, 2023 × NEW YORK: BREAKING: Partial building collapse at 172 W Burnside Ave in the Bronx. Reports of people trapped. pic.twitter.com/1ZYOTt8f3F — TRACKER DEEP (@tracker_deep) December 11, 2023 × All people have been evacuated from the partially collapsed building at 1915 Billingsley Terrace, Bronx. The building has 47 residential units and 6 businesses. Search for potential victims ongoing. pic.twitter.com/UAq3CRnDrT — FDNY (@FDNY) December 11, 2023 × Surveillance video shows the harrowing moments of the building collapse in the Bronx. We bring you the latest at 10p on @fox5ny pic.twitter.com/HetXWAzQXb — Arthur Chi'en (@Arthur_Chien) December 12, 2023 × Also read: FBI director meets CBI chief amid US allegations against India over alleged Pannun 'murder plot' FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens said: "We immediately vacated and evacuated the building and started to concentrate on the debris pile in front of the building to search for any victims." "We're tunnelling into that debris pile as safely as we can. Firefighters right now are in a dangerous position. We don't know what caused the corner of this building to collapse, and we don't know if any more of it is going to come down. But we're searching for life. That's the main objective at this time," the official added. As quoted, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said, "All of our specialised training and resources that we have for an incident like this have gone to work. We have our drone up, surveying the area, seeing if we can find additional information about potential patients and areas of potential instability." "We have our K9 unit here, helping us search for potential victims. And we have all of our specially trained firefighters, tactical units, collapse units, and our EMTs and rescue medics who are trained specifically to treat someone in a collapse," added Kavanagh as she provided details on what the firefighters were doing. (With inputs from agencies)

New York: Part of residential building in the Bronx collapses, officials search for possible victims

A 17-year-old girl from Bronx, New York City, has been charged for murder and manslaughter for throwing her newborn son out a fifth-floor window, police said.

The teenager, whose name was not released because she is younger than 18, showed up at Lincoln Hospital on October 24, 2021, admitting that she gave birth in her apartment on East 158th Street apartment.

Hospital staff called 911, and police raced to her home. She told the officers that she had given birth inside of her apartment.

Authorities searched the area and found the infant unconscious and unresponsive inside a flowerbed, cops said.&nbsp;

An investigation further revealed that the mother had tossed the baby boy out the fifth-floor window. The newborn landed in the flowerbed in front of the building, according to police.

In April, the police deemed the death a homicide and not stillbirth in April.

Following the completion of the probe, the young mother was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder and manslaughter. She has been taken into custody.

The crime rate in New York City has been witnessing an upward trend over the past decade.

As of April 2022, the city recorded a 42.7 per cent increase in major reported crimes compared to the same period in 2021, according to the NYPD statistics.

Among the reported crimes, there has been a 46.7 per cent rise in robberies, a 54 per cent spike in grand larceny incidents and a 14.9 per cent jump in rapes.

Murder rates have also increased by 9.2 per cent over the last two years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A 17-year-old girl from Bronx, New York City, has been charged for murder and manslaughter for throwing her newborn son out a fifth-floor window, police said. The teenager, whose name was not released because she is younger than 18, showed up at Lincoln Hospital on October 24, 2021, admitting that she gave birth in her apartment on East 158th Street apartment.

A 17-year-old girl from Bronx, New York City, has been charged for murder and manslaughter for throwing her newborn son out a fifth-floor window, police said. The teenager, whose name was not released because she is younger than 18, showed up at Lincoln Hospital on October 24, 2021, admitting that she gave birth in her apartment on East 158th Street apartment. Hospital staff called 911, and police raced to her home. She told the officers that she had given birth inside of her apartment. Authorities searched the area and found the infant unconscious and unresponsive inside a flowerbed, cops said. An investigation further revealed that the mother had tossed the baby boy out the fifth-floor window. The newborn landed in the flowerbed in front of the building, according to police. In April, the police deemed the death a homicide and not stillbirth in April. Following the completion of the probe, the young mother was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder and manslaughter. She has been taken into custody. The crime rate in New York City has been witnessing an upward trend over the past decade. As of April 2022, the city recorded a 42.7 per cent increase in major reported crimes compared to the same period in 2021, according to the NYPD statistics. Among the reported crimes, there has been a 46.7 per cent rise in robberies, a 54 per cent spike in grand larceny incidents and a 14.9 per cent jump in rapes. Murder rates have also increased by 9.2 per cent over the last two years. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

17-year-old mother arrested for throwing one-day-old baby out of fifth floor window

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9).&nbsp;

As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also. Dozens of people are seriously injured and receiving treatment in the hospital.&nbsp;

"We know that we have 19 people who are confirmed dead, as well as several others in critical condition," Adams told CNN, adding that 63 people had been injured. He added that this is going to be one of the "worst fires in our history."

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Daniel Nigro, who is the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, revealed the cause of the fire. As quoted by CNN, Nigro said that a "malfunctioning electric space heater" was the source of the fire.&nbsp;

He further added that the fire-causing heater was in the bedroom of an apartment and the fire consumed the room, spreading in the entire apartment.

He informed that the apartment door was left open and that's how the smoke spread throughout the multistoried building.&nbsp;

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At least 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out mid-morning on the second and third floors of a 19-story building on East 181st Street, several blocks west of the Bronx Zoo.&nbsp;

Flames quickly engulfed much of the structure, and Nigro said the smoke was so dense as to be "unprecedented."&nbsp;

Photographs and videos posted on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing out of a third-story window of the brick building as firefighters operated on a nearby ladder.

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9). As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also.

At least 19 people have died in a major fire in high-rise apartment building in the Bronx in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams informed on Sunday (January 9). As per media reports in the United States, the death toll includes nine children also. Dozens of people are seriously injured and receiving treatment in the hospital. "We know that we have 19 people who are confirmed dead, as well as several others in critical condition," Adams told CNN, adding that 63 people had been injured. He added that this is going to be one of the "worst fires in our history." ALSO READ | In another case of anti-Asian hate crimes, man brutally attacked last year in US dies after 8 months Daniel Nigro, who is the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, revealed the cause of the fire. As quoted by CNN, Nigro said that a "malfunctioning electric space heater" was the source of the fire. He further added that the fire-causing heater was in the bedroom of an apartment and the fire consumed the room, spreading in the entire apartment. He informed that the apartment door was left open and that's how the smoke spread throughout the multistoried building. ALSO READ | 164 people killed in Kazakhstan, 'strategic facilities' under guard At least 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out mid-morning on the second and third floors of a 19-story building on East 181st Street, several blocks west of the Bronx Zoo. Flames quickly engulfed much of the structure, and Nigro said the smoke was so dense as to be "unprecedented." Photographs and videos posted on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing out of a third-story window of the brick building as firefighters operated on a nearby ladder.

New York City apartment fire kills at least 19 people, including nine children

Wilton Cartagena, who runs a grocery store on Coney Island, is relieved that a new ferry service connecting the remote beachfront community to Manhattan will cut the four-hour commute for his employees, most of whom live in the Bronx.

He anticipates that the ferries will also bring an economic boon to its shores, which are best known for an amusement park but tethered to a limited summer season. "Coney Island has been very neglected for a long time, so this is going to be good for business," said Cartagena, who owns J-R Market near the anticipated pier.

Except that what is good for business may be coming at the expense of Brooklyn's last remaining creek and the wildlife that live there. Scientists for the city's Parks Department, which oversees Coney Island Creek Park, say city officials pushed ahead with the plan to build the ferry landing on the creek despite concerns that a service there would damage the ecosystem and release toxic pollution.

The Coney Island Creek — popular among bird-watchers, fishermen, schoolchildren and even those who perform baptisms — attracts nearly 250 bird species, some of them rarities such as the white-winged dove and the thick-billed murre that fly all the way from the Arctic. The creek bottom is filled with horseshoe crabs, a major food source for the birds.

Construction of the pier and waves caused by the ferries will probably disrupt the habitat for the crabs that are dependent on quiet waters, scientists say, toppling the entire food chain and erasing a precious wildlife sanctuary in New York City.

The new ferry line, which is expected to cut the daily slog to Manhattan by half an hour, is part of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s flagship initiative to connect the five boroughs via water, and is tied to redevelopment efforts on Coney Island.

Concerns about the environmental impact flared up almost immediately after the city issued a feasibility study in 2018, offering as options two locations: one to the east and the other to the west of the narrow waterway that connects the creek with Gravesend Bay. The city initially did not consider a Coney Island service for the ferry project, and only started looking into it seriously three years ago.

The Economic Development Corporation, a semi-independent city agency in charge of the project, ultimately settled on the location to the west, just across Kaiser Park, saying it had more water depth and was less exposed to adverse weather.

But in recent weeks, local residents have stepped up their opposition to having the pier on the waterway, after they learned that scientists within the Parks Department had cautioned against the selection.

They have questioned whether there was pressure to rush the ferry service to meet de Blasio’s goal for a robust ferry system before his term ends and to support the luxury condominiums being built there by John Catsimatidis, a billionaire developer who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying the city over the past three years to build a ferry stop on Coney Island.

A lobbying firm hired by Catsimatidis pushed officials for a stop on Coney Island as well as funding for a shuttle service from the ferry landing to the beachfront, where Catsimatidis’ condos and the amusement park stand.

Catsimatidis, in an interview, confirmed that sales of condo units hinged on an operational ferry service. He has already constructed two buildings as part of his Ocean Drive complex, and even though it was yet to be completed, ads were placed in newspapers with the catch: “Ferry to Manhattan Coming Soon!”

“As far as we’re concerned, we built two beautiful buildings and we spent $400 million,” he said. “You know, that’s a lot of money.” He used an expletive to describe the environmental concerns.

Although the ferry service is set to begin within weeks, residents are still asking the city to slow down.

Besides the effects on the wildlife, there are fears that dredging during construction and the shaking of waters by high-speed ferries would release carcinogens such as mercury, lead and dioxins trapped in the creek bed. The area sits across Calvert Vaux Park, a former industrial dump site, and toxins released in the air and water could affect nearby residents, many of whom live in affordable housing, scientists and environmentalists familiar with the area said.

Last month, video footage showed a subcontractor dredging the creek bed without following stringent protocols used to prevent contaminants from being stirred up. The city Economic Development Corporation responded by firing the subcontractor, saying in an email it had not followed rules properly.

Ann Valdez, 55, who lives in a public-housing complex right across the creek, started having breathing problems over the past couple of months, and her doctor prescribed her a nebulizer. She worried that her breathing would get worse when the ferries stir up toxins from the creek bed.

“People are going to get sick. I have children, grandchildren, and I wouldn’t want them to have to be exposed to that,” she said, adding, “The one thought in my mind is — environmentally, it’s crazy.”

The ferry service wouldn’t necessarily relieve commutes for residents like her either, she said, because she would have to pay extra for the ferry ride to lower Manhattan on top of the subway ride from Pier 11, which is a few blocks away from the nearest station. A one-way ticket on the ferry would cost $2.75, the same amount for a single ride on the subway.

“It makes no sense whatsoever because in reality, they’re not trying to make traveling for us, the average person here, any better because the average person still would have to take other transportation to continue their ride,” she said.

Several scientists employed by NYC Parks told The New York Times that they had provided their superiors extensive data showing the negative impacts of operating a ferry service from Coney Island Creek, including the disruption to the birds and horseshoe crabs.

Crabs depend on quiet waters, and because the shoreline is not armored — meaning it cannot withstand boat waves — wake impacts and dredging during construction would lead to lower sand content, reducing shoreline habitat used by aquatic organisms.

The scientists said their comments were not reflected in a key report sent to regulators to help determine whether to issue a permit, and instead the document said the opposite — that there would be no significant environmental impact.

“We do not see how it was concluded that there will be no significant impacts from expanding ferry service to Coney Island Creek,” the parks scientists wrote to their superiors. “The criteria for such a determination were not set out and were never provided.”

Anessa Hodgson, a parks spokesperson, said the environmental impact statement went through several rounds of review by experts across the agency and also considered public comment. The Parks Department, she added, came to the “ultimate concurrence with the conclusions” outlined in the development agency’s final statement.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said it follows its own process for approving projects, but that much of its assessment is based on statements provided by the applicant itself — in this case, the Economic Development Corporation. (The conservation scientists themselves do not inspect a site.)

The Army Corps of Engineers, a separate regulator that primarily looks at dredging and in-water construction activities, also concluded that there would not be a significant ecological impact and issued a permit.

In an email, the Economic Development Corporation said it took environmental concerns seriously and that construction would not have proceeded without full approval by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Still, critics questioned the process and said that had the Parks Department aligned with its own scientists, regulators may have taken more time to assess the situation before issuing the permit. But that could mean delaying the launch of the ferry service to a later date — probably not during de Blasio’s tenure, which ends Dec. 31.

A former Economic Development Corporation official involved in the project said that despite the agency being technically independent, pushing back against the mayor’s wishes was virtually impossible.

“If Parks said that there are impacts, this can add significant cost to the project and results in a lot of arguing back and forth about what should be done, where and how,” said Ida Sanoff, executive director of the Natural Resources Protective Association.

Many residents want the ferry service and are hopeful that it would bring a much-needed boost to the local economy. Businesses are hoping it will make the seasonally operated amusement park open year-round.

The ferry at Coney Island Creek also means bringing more people to the side of Coney Island, opposite from the beach and amusement district, where they normally would not venture.

Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus, whose district includes Coney Island and who has been leading the opposition to the Coney Island Creek location, said she wanted a ferry service too — but not at any cost.

“We would be thrilled and do backflips if we have a ferry in Coney Island, so we want it done properly,” she said.

“If we’re not ready now, we should in fact wait a little longer. Our health is so important that it’s much more important to have it done the right way than any old way.”

Wilton Cartagena, who runs a grocery store on Coney Island, is relieved that a new ferry service connecting the remote beachfront community to Manhattan will cut the four-hour commute for his employees, most of whom live in the Bronx.

Wilton Cartagena, who runs a grocery store on Coney Island, is relieved that a new ferry service connecting the remote beachfront community to Manhattan will cut the four-hour commute for his employees, most of whom live in the Bronx. He anticipates that the ferries will also bring an economic boon to its shores, which are best known for an amusement park but tethered to a limited summer season. "Coney Island has been very neglected for a long time, so this is going to be good for business," said Cartagena, who owns J-R Market near the anticipated pier. Except that what is good for business may be coming at the expense of Brooklyn's last remaining creek and the wildlife that live there. Scientists for the city's Parks Department, which oversees Coney Island Creek Park, say city officials pushed ahead with the plan to build the ferry landing on the creek despite concerns that a service there would damage the ecosystem and release toxic pollution. The Coney Island Creek — popular among bird-watchers, fishermen, schoolchildren and even those who perform baptisms — attracts nearly 250 bird species, some of them rarities such as the white-winged dove and the thick-billed murre that fly all the way from the Arctic. The creek bottom is filled with horseshoe crabs, a major food source for the birds. Construction of the pier and waves caused by the ferries will probably disrupt the habitat for the crabs that are dependent on quiet waters, scientists say, toppling the entire food chain and erasing a precious wildlife sanctuary in New York City. The new ferry line, which is expected to cut the daily slog to Manhattan by half an hour, is part of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s flagship initiative to connect the five boroughs via water, and is tied to redevelopment efforts on Coney Island. Concerns about the environmental impact flared up almost immediately after the city issued a feasibility study in 2018, offering as options two locations: one to the east and the other to the west of the narrow waterway that connects the creek with Gravesend Bay. The city initially did not consider a Coney Island service for the ferry project, and only started looking into it seriously three years ago. The Economic Development Corporation, a semi-independent city agency in charge of the project, ultimately settled on the location to the west, just across Kaiser Park, saying it had more water depth and was less exposed to adverse weather. But in recent weeks, local residents have stepped up their opposition to having the pier on the waterway, after they learned that scientists within the Parks Department had cautioned against the selection. They have questioned whether there was pressure to rush the ferry service to meet de Blasio’s goal for a robust ferry system before his term ends and to support the luxury condominiums being built there by John Catsimatidis, a billionaire developer who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying the city over the past three years to build a ferry stop on Coney Island. A lobbying firm hired by Catsimatidis pushed officials for a stop on Coney Island as well as funding for a shuttle service from the ferry landing to the beachfront, where Catsimatidis’ condos and the amusement park stand. Catsimatidis, in an interview, confirmed that sales of condo units hinged on an operational ferry service. He has already constructed two buildings as part of his Ocean Drive complex, and even though it was yet to be completed, ads were placed in newspapers with the catch: “Ferry to Manhattan Coming Soon!” “As far as we’re concerned, we built two beautiful buildings and we spent $400 million,” he said. “You know, that’s a lot of money.” He used an expletive to describe the environmental concerns. Although the ferry service is set to begin within weeks, residents are still asking the city to slow down. Besides the effects on the wildlife, there are fears that dredging during construction and the shaking of waters by high-speed ferries would release carcinogens such as mercury, lead and dioxins trapped in the creek bed. The area sits across Calvert Vaux Park, a former industrial dump site, and toxins released in the air and water could affect nearby residents, many of whom live in affordable housing, scientists and environmentalists familiar with the area said. Last month, video footage showed a subcontractor dredging the creek bed without following stringent protocols used to prevent contaminants from being stirred up. The city Economic Development Corporation responded by firing the subcontractor, saying in an email it had not followed rules properly. Ann Valdez, 55, who lives in a public-housing complex right across the creek, started having breathing problems over the past couple of months, and her doctor prescribed her a nebulizer. She worried that her breathing would get worse when the ferries stir up toxins from the creek bed. “People are going to get sick. I have children, grandchildren, and I wouldn’t want them to have to be exposed to that,” she said, adding, “The one thought in my mind is — environmentally, it’s crazy.” The ferry service wouldn’t necessarily relieve commutes for residents like her either, she said, because she would have to pay extra for the ferry ride to lower Manhattan on top of the subway ride from Pier 11, which is a few blocks away from the nearest station. A one-way ticket on the ferry would cost $2.75, the same amount for a single ride on the subway. “It makes no sense whatsoever because in reality, they’re not trying to make traveling for us, the average person here, any better because the average person still would have to take other transportation to continue their ride,” she said. Several scientists employed by NYC Parks told The New York Times that they had provided their superiors extensive data showing the negative impacts of operating a ferry service from Coney Island Creek, including the disruption to the birds and horseshoe crabs. Crabs depend on quiet waters, and because the shoreline is not armored — meaning it cannot withstand boat waves — wake impacts and dredging during construction would lead to lower sand content, reducing shoreline habitat used by aquatic organisms. The scientists said their comments were not reflected in a key report sent to regulators to help determine whether to issue a permit, and instead the document said the opposite — that there would be no significant environmental impact. “We do not see how it was concluded that there will be no significant impacts from expanding ferry service to Coney Island Creek,” the parks scientists wrote to their superiors. “The criteria for such a determination were not set out and were never provided.” Anessa Hodgson, a parks spokesperson, said the environmental impact statement went through several rounds of review by experts across the agency and also considered public comment. The Parks Department, she added, came to the “ultimate concurrence with the conclusions” outlined in the development agency’s final statement. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said it follows its own process for approving projects, but that much of its assessment is based on statements provided by the applicant itself — in this case, the Economic Development Corporation. (The conservation scientists themselves do not inspect a site.) The Army Corps of Engineers, a separate regulator that primarily looks at dredging and in-water construction activities, also concluded that there would not be a significant ecological impact and issued a permit. In an email, the Economic Development Corporation said it took environmental concerns seriously and that construction would not have proceeded without full approval by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers. Still, critics questioned the process and said that had the Parks Department aligned with its own scientists, regulators may have taken more time to assess the situation before issuing the permit. But that could mean delaying the launch of the ferry service to a later date — probably not during de Blasio’s tenure, which ends Dec. 31. A former Economic Development Corporation official involved in the project said that despite the agency being technically independent, pushing back against the mayor’s wishes was virtually impossible. “If Parks said that there are impacts, this can add significant cost to the project and results in a lot of arguing back and forth about what should be done, where and how,” said Ida Sanoff, executive director of the Natural Resources Protective Association. Many residents want the ferry service and are hopeful that it would bring a much-needed boost to the local economy. Businesses are hoping it will make the seasonally operated amusement park open year-round. The ferry at Coney Island Creek also means bringing more people to the side of Coney Island, opposite from the beach and amusement district, where they normally would not venture. Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus, whose district includes Coney Island and who has been leading the opposition to the Coney Island Creek location, said she wanted a ferry service too — but not at any cost. “We would be thrilled and do backflips if we have a ferry in Coney Island, so we want it done properly,” she said. “If we’re not ready now, we should in fact wait a little longer. Our health is so important that it’s much more important to have it done the right way than any old way.”

A ferry is coming to coney island. Here’s why some residents are angry.

After nearly 50 years of hip-hop, the unique art form is getting a museum in its birthplace of the Bronx, New York.

'Sacrilegious to have it anywhere else' - hip hop museum opens in the Bronx

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