Latest news with #PaulMartinka
New York Post
10-07-2025
- New York Post
NYC woman haunted by horrifying July 4th rape on Coney Island — where she says bystanders laughed and filmed ‘like it was a movie'
A Brooklyn woman said she was raped by a stranger while boozing it up on Coney Island on the Fourth of July — while bystanders laughed and shot video 'like it was a movie.' Melissa Harris, 25, told The Post she was at the Brooklyn beach to meet a pal who never showed up — so she stayed to celebrate the holiday with a group of strangers into the early morning. That's when things took a horrible turn, Harris said. 4 Brooklyn woman Melissa Harris says she was raped on Coney Island while attending a July 4th celebration last week. Paul Martinka 'All of a sudden, this dude came out of nowhere,' she said Thursday. 'I kept looking at him. Is he drunk? I don't know. It was a lot on my mind when that person was approaching me because he was a complete and total stranger. 'He was holding on to me. Every time I pushed him off, he grabbed me harder,' Harris said. 'He grabbed me harder. He had strength.' She said she fell onto a mat on the ground and he jumped on her, sexually assaulting her while she screamed for help. 'There were people around,' Harris recalled. 'I started hearing people laughing. They sat across and watched like it was a movie.' At one point during her ordeal, the light from a golf cart — presumably driven by beach security — shone on the group during the attack, but simply drove off and left her behind, she said. 4 Harris claims bystanders laughed and filmed her 'like a movie' during the horrifying assault. Paul Martinka 4 A screenshot from a video of people standing around a bonfire during the alleged rape. Melasia Harris But the nightmare didn't end there. Harris said after she broke free the creep followed her, threw her into a nearby fence and raped her, all while she called for help. 'People were there,' she said. 'He had my face in the sand. He had my face in the bushes. I was screaming.' Bizarrely, she said her attacker then followed her to the West 8th subway station and sat next to her, 'like we were a couple.' When she was finally able to break away from the man, she ran home and said she was later taken to the hospital by ambulance, where a rape kit was done. According to police, a rape was reported at the southeast corner of Boardwalk West and Stillwell Avenue around 3 a.m. on Saturday — the same time Harris said the attack occurred. The attacker was described as a man in his 20s, who remains on the loose, according to an NYPD spokesperson. For Harris, it was a horrific turn in what started out as a 'super good night' when she arrived at the beach around 11 p.m. on Independence Day — even though she missed the fireworks. 4 The alleged attacker followed Harris to the subway when she finally escaped and left for home. Paul Martinka Now, she remains haunted by the vicious assault — and was back at the hospital Thursday after suffering a panic attack. 'I'm not having a good time,' Harris said. 'Every day I wake up at 6 a.m. on the dot. I have panic attacks. 'I feel crazy every single day, like I'm still there,' she added. She said she's sharing the story in the hopes it will help police nab the brute.
New York Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani ID'd himself as Asian and African American on Columbia application: report
Democratic socialist New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim immigrant, identified as both Asian and African American on his college application, a report claims. The 33-year-old checked both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' on his Columbia University application, which was ultimately rejected, when he applied to the elite institution as a high school senior in 2009, the New York Times reported Thursday. Zohran Mamdani holds a rally with union leaders on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Paul Martinka for NY Post Advertisement Mamdani, born in Uganda, told the outlet he doesn't identify as either race but rather 'an American who was born in Africa.' 'Most college applications don't have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,' the Queens lawmaker said. This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
New York Post
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC July 4th fireworks returning to East River after last year's display on Hudson
New York City's Fourth of July fireworks show will be returning to the East River next month to dazzle revelers after the display had moved across town to the Hudson River for last year's celebration, city officials said. The 49th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show will launch thousands of shells from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and four surrounding barges in the East River near Manhattan's Seaport District as part of the Big Apple's 400th birthday, according to the mayor's office. 'The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show is one of New York City's most iconic traditions, drawing thousands from across our city, the country, and the globe to witness a world-class celebration of America's birthday,' Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show will be back in the East River this year. Paul Martinka Last year's display was in the Hudson River for the first time in nearly a decade. James Keivom 'As we celebrate 400 years since New York City's founding, we're thrilled to welcome the crowds, once again, to experience an unforgettable Independence Day at our world-famous Brooklyn Bridge and East River skyline,' Hizzoner added. The display was moved to the East River nearly 10 years ago, with officials saying more New Yorkers could see them — however last year's show went back to the Hudson river off lower Manhattan. While the location shake-up may have delighted New Jerseyans and West siders, the sudden change left residents in Brooklyn, Queens, Roosevelt island and Manhattan's East Side feeling dumped. Public viewing this year will be available from any area with an unobstructed view of the sky above the lower East River, officials said. Additional details on viewing locations, live broadcasts, and a city-sponsored lottery for free public viewing tickets will be announced in the coming weeks, the mayor's office said.
New York Post
01-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC sees fewest reported murders, shootings in modern history to start year: mayor
New York City has recorded the lowest number of murders and shootings in modern history through the first five months of the year, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday. There were 112 homicides from January through May, one fewer than the 113 recorded in 2014 and 2017, the previous records for the same time period, according to NYPD data obtained by The Post. There were 18 murders reported for the month of May, one fewer than the previous low of 19 recorded in May 2019. Meanwhile, there were 264 shootings for the five months of 2025, three less than the 267 recorded in 2018. 3 There were 112 homicides between January and May, one fewer than the previous record stretch from 2014 to 2017. Paul Martinka There were 54 shootings in the month of May, besting the previous low of 61 in 2019, the data showed. Adams, who is seeking reelection this year on an independent ballot line, heralded the data. 'When I took the oath of office as mayor, I made a promise that we would make this city safer and that we would drive down crime. Today, the numbers prove that we have not just kept that promise — we have exceeded it,' Adams told The Post. 'I am exceptionally proud to share that from January 2025 to May 2025, New York City has seen the lowest number of shootings and homicides in recorded history.' 3 Mayor Eric Adams speaks at his weekly press briefing on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Paul Martinka 3 NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised officers for the new record. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch thanked officers and the mayor – but took a jab at the state's recent criminal justice reforms. 'Results like this never happen by accident, and certainly not at a time when the state's criminal justice laws have made a revolving door out of our criminal justice system,' Tisch said. 'Here's how your Mayor and your NYPD cops delivered the safest January-May for gun violence in New York City: Three-plus years of relentlessly going after guns on our streets; and a data driven policing strategy that puts more cops in the right places at the right times to do what they do better than anyone else in the world.' Tisch vowed that the NYPD 'will not let up' and said a Summer Violence Reduction Plan by the department is 'bold and aggressive and designed to continue driving the same historic safety gains.'
New York Post
23-05-2025
- New York Post
Crypto investor allegedly tortured captive Italian tourist for weeks in luxe NYC apartment: sources
A cryptocurrency investor from Kentucky was arrested Friday after an Italian tourist who had apparently been tied up and tortured inside a ritzy New York City apartment was able to escape, police sources said. The victim, 28, broke out of the SoHo house of horrors Friday morning and immediately ran over to a police officer and told them he'd been held captive for more than two weeks, according to the sources. John Woeltz, 37, was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with assault, the sources said. 4 Cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with assault after an Italian tourist had apparently been tied up inside a ritzy apartment, according to cops. Paul Martinka 4 Sources say the victim broke out of the SoHo house and immediately ran over to a police officer. Paul Martinka Two other people believed to be employed by Woeltz, a crypto entrepreneur and investor, were waiting to be interviewed by police, sources said. Woeltz and the victim apparently knew each other from previous business dealings, the sources said. The tourist arrived in New York City from Italy on May 6 and went to the luxurious apartment — but when he arrived, the suspect snatched his passport and tied him up, sources said. After speaking with the victim, police searched the posh pad and discovered multiple torture items in plain sight. 4 The inside of the SOHO house. Paul Martinka 4 Police at the 5th Precinct investigate the alleged torture incident at 38 Prince Street in SOHO. Paul Martinka Officers also found polaroid photographs showing the victim being tied up and tortured as well as a gun, the sources said. The department's emergency service unit searched the premises to make sure their were no other torture victims, sources said. The eight-bedroom apartment in one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods rents for $30,000 to $40,000 per month.
