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New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Horse carriage driver bursts into tears after jurors reach verdict in ‘Ryder' abuse case
A Manhattan carriage driver burst into tears Monday after a jury acquitted him of overworking his frail colt Ryder — who collapsed on a Manhattan street in 2022 and died months later. A jury of six Manhattanites acquitted Ian McKeever, 56, of a misdemeanor animal abuse count after a trial where the driver blasted the charge against him as 'ridiculous,' saying he's 'never been accused of abusing a horse' in his decades-long career. McKeever began sobbing after the not guilty was read aloud in Manhattan Criminal Court Monday morning. 3 Ryder the carriage horse died months after his sudden collapse on a Hells Kitchen street in August 2022. Robert Miller 3 Horse carriage driver Ian McKeever was charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. Steven Hirsch 3 NYPD officers tried to revive the fallen colt after he crumbled to the ground on the steamy summer day. FNTV After taking a moment to collect himself, he then turned around to the court gallery, flashed a grin and gave a thumbs up. 'I've been doing it 40 years, and I'll be going back.,' McKeever told reporters afterward. 'It's my life. I've been doing it my whole life.'
New York Post
15-07-2025
- New York Post
NYC carriage driver ‘ignored' signs of horse Ryder's distress before collapse: prosecutors
The handler of a frail carriage horse who collapsed on a busy Manhattan street 'ignored' clear signs of the struggling colt's distress, prosecutors charged Tuesday at the start of the alleged animal abuser's trial. But driver Ian McKeever's lawyer shot back that the horse 'Ryder' merely 'tripped and fell' at the end of his shift on a sweltering summer day — and that his death months later was tragic, but not criminal. 'Make no mistake about it: Ryder's fall is heartbreaking, but the evidence in this case is not going to show that Ryder fell because Ian overdrove him,' defense attorney Raymond Loving argued. Advertisement 3 Ryder the carriage horse died months after his sudden collapse on a Hells Kitchen street in August 2022. Robert Miller A jury of six Manhattanites heard the dueling narratives during opening statements at a trial where McKeever, 56, is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty stemming from Ryder's August 10, 2022 collapse onto the hot pavement in the middle of West 45th Street and Ninth Avenue. McKeever, an experienced horse driver, should have recognized that the malnourished Standardbred needed a break from lugging around his 100-pound carriage through Central Park, Assistant District Attorney Taylor Maurer contended. Advertisement 3 Horse carriage driver Ian McKeever is charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty in the episode. Steven Hirsch 'Ryder couldn't tell the defendant with words that he was unfit to pull the carriage, but there are several signs and symptoms a horse exhibits when he is underweight and overworked,' the prosecutor said. 'His hip bones were protruding out. He was having difficulty scaling the mildest of hills in Central Park at a decent pace. Despite the defendant's zealous insistence, he was panting rapidly with his tongue hanging out,' Maurer added. 'But rather than recognize these signs of Ryder's distress…he worked Ryder for nearly eight hours in the intense heat of the day.' 3 NYPD officers tried to revive the fallen colt after he crumbled to the ground on the steamy summer day. FNTV Advertisement Ryder's ordeal went viral after cellphone footage emerged of McKeever repeatedly trying to force the collapsed horse to stand back up by pulling on the reins. Ryder was sent in to retirement at an upstate farm following the episode, and was later euthanized after being diagnosed with serious medical ailments. McKeever was arrested more than a year after the incident, in what he's called a 'political' response from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to pressure from animal rights activists. The veteran horse handler will take the stand in his own defense, his lawyer Loving told the jury. 'Ian McKeever has been driving horses in Central Park for almost 20 years,' the attorney said. 'He's never been accused of mistreating a horse.' Advertisement Jurors heard Tuesday afternoon from Caroline Schmidt, a bystander who was in Central Park that day and took pictures of the malnourished horse out of concern, and Vincent Fontana, a sergeant in the NYPD's horse-riding Mounted Unit, who tried to revive the ailing steed after responding to the scene. The trial will continue in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday morning.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- New York Post
Scooter passenger clinging to life after NYC crash as police seek motorbike's driver
A teenager is in critical condition after getting thrown off the back of a scooter that collided with two other vehicles in the Bronx Saturday, said police, who are now looking for the motorbike's driver. The 18-year-old girl was left clinging to life after the cycle crashed into a Honda Pilot around 4 a.m. at exit 1C of the Hutchinson River Parkway, cops said. The collision set off a chain reaction which sent the car careening into a Honda Accord, authorities said. 4 A scooter passenger was thrown off the back of the motorbike on the Hutchinson River Parkway, cops said. FNTV 4 The bike's driver fled after the crash and is being hunted by police. FNTV The moped's driver fled with the bike before cops arrived, according to police. The scooter passenger, who was left lying in the road, was rushed to Jacobi Hospital. 4 Three passengers in each of the cars involved in the crash were also injured. FNTV 4 The injured teen was clinging to life Saturday after the early morning crash. FNTV Three passengers in each car were taken to the same hospital in stable condition. No arrests had been made by Saturday afternoon, police said.
New York Post
27-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Cops clash with anti-Israel protesters outside NYC synagogue where Israeli minister was set to speak before event canceled
Anti-Israel protesters Sunday clashed with cops outside a Brooklyn synagogue where Israel's embattled security minister was set to speak — with the event ending up canceled and several people arrested. The protest outside Congregation Shaare ZIon on Ocean Parkway turned violent shortly after 9:30 a.m. as NYPD officers and some members of the crowd scuffled while the rowdy mob demonstrated against Sunday's scheduled speech by Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The speech was nixed, and the under-fire minister is now set to return home a day early, the Israeli outlet Haaretz reported. 5 Anti-Israel protesters clash with counter-demonstrators outside a Brooklyn synagogue Sunday. FNTV 5 Several people were arrested at Sunday's protest. FNTV The violent clash came two days after anti-Israel demonstrators and Hasidic Jews scuffled outside the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where Ben-Gvir made an appearance. Police said at least a half-dozen people were arrested at that protest. Last week, protesters also hurled water bottles at Ben-Gvir after an event near Yale University's campus. Photos from Sunday's scene in Brooklyn showed cops taking some protesters into custody, including one who was wresting with police on the ground — as counter-protesters confronted the demonstrators. 5 Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked at least two protests in New York City on his latest visit to the US. REUTERS 5 Jews and anti-Israel protesters clash during the demonstration outside Congregation Shaare Zion in Brooklyn on Sunday. FNTV 5 The crowd grew violent at times. FNTV Video posted by Freedom News TV captured an angry exchange between the two sides. A rep for the NYPD said police were called to the scene at 9:43 a.m. and confirmed that there were several arrests, but details were not immediately available. The protest was scheduled by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation of New York and New Jersey.
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC ballet lovers yell ‘f–k you' at climate change protester who disrupted Lincoln Center performance
Climate activists disrupted a ballet performance at Lincoln Center on Earth Day — prompting well-heeled attendees to shout at them to 'Shut the f—k up' and get out of the theater, video shows. One of the eco-protesters made her way inside the David H. Koch Theater Tuesday evening, during the the launch of the acclaimed ballet's spring season. 'It is Earth Day and we are in climate emergency!' she bellowed, just as the third of four George Balanchine ballets on the program, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, was beginning. 'Our country has become a Fascist regime and we are enjoying this beauty.' 4 'How will you dance when you're dying of dehydration?' one of the protesters yelled as a security guard tried to grab his sign. FNTV Some attendees didn't take well to the disruption, snapping back, 'Shut the f–k up,' 'f–k you' and 'stop being morons,' according to the video. The curtain then came down and an announcement aired: 'Due to an issue in the house, we need to pause the performance. We are attempting to resolve this issue.' Front of house staff escorted the protester out of the theater, as cheers and jeers erupted in the audience. About five more minutes passed before the ballet restarted from the beginning and the performance continued without further interruption, the New York City Ballet said. Earlier, as attendees filed into the theater, two demonstrators with the Extinction Rebellion activist group stood outside, holding signs with the messages, 'No Billionaire Ballet on Earth Day' and '4°C 1 Billion Dead.' 'How will you dance when you're dying of dehydration?' one of the demonstrators yelled as security workers tried to pry the sign from his hands, according to video posted on X. 'How will you dance when you can't even afford decent groceries? How will you dance when they're scheming people out of their homes?' The NYPD said two men, one in his 30s and the other in his 50s, were taken into custody during the demonstration outside Lincoln Center just before 8 p.m. They were released with summonses. 4 The protesters gathered as the first night of the New York City Ballet's spring season fell on Earth Day. FNTV 4 A woman stood on the balcony level of the theater as she yelled, 'It is Earth Day and we are in climate emergency!' FNTV 'Our action today is not about drawing attention; it's about demanding accountability and leadership from all sectors of society,' one of the Extinction Rebellion demonstrators said in a statement. 'Cultural institutions hold significant influence, and their silence is deafening in the face of this crisis.' The demonstration marked the third brazen act of the day for the group. 4 The woman was escorted out of theater to cheers and jeers. FNTV Members of the group spray-painted the Wall Street Charging Bull — before wiping away their graffiti as cops looked on Tuesday morning. They later sprayed graffiti on the windows of Tesla's Meatpacking District showroom — which landed two of them in cuffs, authorities said. And on Wednesday, a climate protester was busted after he spray painted the word 'USA' over a presidential insignia inside Trump Tower, according to law enforcement sources and video from the scene. The man sprayed the bright green paint over the plaque inside the Midtown landmark before kneeling on the ground in front of it and closing his eyes, according to footage posted on X. Moments after a small crowd gathered — some snapping photos of the demonstrator — a security officer approached, and the man unfurled a small banner bearing the words, 'GAME OVER' with the symbol for the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion.
