Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
2 Workers Die In Hastings-On-Hudson Explosion
Two workers lost their lives while working on what is believed to be a 500 gallon heating oil tank located and buried in the backyard of a home at 65 Hillside Avenue. An unknown quantity of gasoline was also found stored in the adjacent garage and of-loaded into a 55-gallon drum. The multi-family home is owned by Django Morrison. Apparently, the two workers were attempting to cut the tank so it could be removed from the ground and were unaware there was still product in it. As they cut into the metal tank with a saw, sparks from the saw must have ignited the vapors and product, causing the remaining product to explode. Unconfirmed reports believed they worked for Three D Maintenance Corporation of Elmsford.
The Hastings-On-Hudson Fire, Police, EMS and Highway Departments all responded to the scene. Other police agencies assisted including the Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response Team, OSHA, PESH, and others. At one point County Executive Rob Astorino stopped by to survey the aftermath at the scene. Once the explosion happened, witnesses stated the oil tank flew upwards about 75 feet into the air, landing in the woods behind the property some 50 or 60 feet from its original location. The workers bodies were thrown approximately 20 feet from where they had been working and are thought to have died instantly. Paramedics on scene performed CPR on both victims to no avail.
Several helicopters flew overhead filming the activity on the ground and other media representatives were in attendance as well. This tragic event, could have been avoided had proper safety precautions been observed and implemented before the removal process began. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these workers.
5/8/2015 - Addendum: ABG has learned the identities of the two workers: Luis Jacho, 52, and Mora Segundo, 50, both residents of Ossining. We've since learned from unconfirmed sources that the outside oil tank had been used to store gasoline, probably either old gasoline or excess from different pieces of equipment. Modern gasoline additives cause gasoline to have a shelf life and can "gum-up" fuel lines if left to sit unused. Disposal of used or outdated gasoline is cumbersome and sometimes shortcuts are taken. Apparently, Mr Jacho and Mr Segundo were unaware of the tank having gasoline in it and its volatility. Had this tank been used as intended to store oil, the workers might have still created a hazardous condition by cutting the tank with product in it but the outcome might not have been fatal.
The Hastings-On-Hudson Fire, Police, EMS and Highway Departments all responded to the scene. Other police agencies assisted including the Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response Team, OSHA, PESH, and others. At one point County Executive Rob Astorino stopped by to survey the aftermath at the scene. Once the explosion happened, witnesses stated the oil tank flew upwards about 75 feet into the air, landing in the woods behind the property some 50 or 60 feet from its original location. The workers bodies were thrown approximately 20 feet from where they had been working and are thought to have died instantly. Paramedics on scene performed CPR on both victims to no avail.
Several helicopters flew overhead filming the activity on the ground and other media representatives were in attendance as well. This tragic event, could have been avoided had proper safety precautions been observed and implemented before the removal process began. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these workers.
5/8/2015 - Addendum: ABG has learned the identities of the two workers: Luis Jacho, 52, and Mora Segundo, 50, both residents of Ossining. We've since learned from unconfirmed sources that the outside oil tank had been used to store gasoline, probably either old gasoline or excess from different pieces of equipment. Modern gasoline additives cause gasoline to have a shelf life and can "gum-up" fuel lines if left to sit unused. Disposal of used or outdated gasoline is cumbersome and sometimes shortcuts are taken. Apparently, Mr Jacho and Mr Segundo were unaware of the tank having gasoline in it and its volatility. Had this tank been used as intended to store oil, the workers might have still created a hazardous condition by cutting the tank with product in it but the outcome might not have been fatal.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Forecast Called For A Dusting
Two days ago a suspicious package arrived at the Journal News’ new offices containing white powder. Most white powder calls are nothing more than a crackpot taking a stab at being threatening – without the nerve to actually confront someone face-to-face. Located on Westchester Avenue across from where their old facility had resided for years, this prompted a full police and fire response, the all-volunteer County Hazardous Materials Response Team, County Health and several others. Ultimately the white powdery substance was a dusting of a harmless powder. Haz-Mat responders took the call seriously but commented afterwards that it was just another hoax. The County’s all-volunteer County Hazardous Materials Response Team responds to approximately 100 white powder calls a year.
Today, Friday, found the White Plains police and fire units called to the White Plains Public Library for another white powder call. This time it was mail addressed to the Journal News, but because it was suspicious to them, their people drove it in a private car to give it to the White Plains Police. They parked in the below-ground library parking structure. ABG learned that they had put the mail in a plastic garbage bag and secured it. The police refused to do anything with it and called the Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response team to the scene to investigate. The determination by the police was to tow the car to the safety of the Valhalla campus to continuing to try to determine what the powdery substance is. As a precaution, the two responders in Tyvek suits who removed the package were decontaminated by the police under the watchful eyes of the HazMat Team, with water. At no point was the public at any risk.
It’s no wonder an upset public is lashing out at the Journal News after they printed their interactive map of gun owners in Westchester County. ABG is not happy about what the Journal News did but is equally unhappy that people are taking to threatening them in this way. ABG would ask those who are upset with what the Journal News did to take a different course of action against them. Those actions can include canceling your subscription, canceling your advertising in the paper, write a letter to their editor and complain that their actions were wrong, boycott advertisers in the paper and let the advertisers know it. But please, please do not threaten them this way. The bloggersphere that we work within and alternate forms of media will continue to grow. They will continue to shrink by their own accord because their actions aren’t sincere. Rather, they are trying to make the news with stories such as these. The media should never become the story. We can only hope.
Today, Friday, found the White Plains police and fire units called to the White Plains Public Library for another white powder call. This time it was mail addressed to the Journal News, but because it was suspicious to them, their people drove it in a private car to give it to the White Plains Police. They parked in the below-ground library parking structure. ABG learned that they had put the mail in a plastic garbage bag and secured it. The police refused to do anything with it and called the Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response team to the scene to investigate. The determination by the police was to tow the car to the safety of the Valhalla campus to continuing to try to determine what the powdery substance is. As a precaution, the two responders in Tyvek suits who removed the package were decontaminated by the police under the watchful eyes of the HazMat Team, with water. At no point was the public at any risk.
It’s no wonder an upset public is lashing out at the Journal News after they printed their interactive map of gun owners in Westchester County. ABG is not happy about what the Journal News did but is equally unhappy that people are taking to threatening them in this way. ABG would ask those who are upset with what the Journal News did to take a different course of action against them. Those actions can include canceling your subscription, canceling your advertising in the paper, write a letter to their editor and complain that their actions were wrong, boycott advertisers in the paper and let the advertisers know it. But please, please do not threaten them this way. The bloggersphere that we work within and alternate forms of media will continue to grow. They will continue to shrink by their own accord because their actions aren’t sincere. Rather, they are trying to make the news with stories such as these. The media should never become the story. We can only hope.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Greenburgh: WestHelp, WestHab, West-Broke
Based on an article in The Journal News, by reporter Stacy Anderson, the Valhalla school district is suing the town in an effort to continue receiving $650,000 a year from Greenburgh under the WestHELP Partnership Grant. All the agreements in the world will not help squeeze blood from a stone. Stacy, a nice person and an able writer, fails to verify through historic actions and investigation, anything the supervisor feeds her (hence the moniker stenographer).
She writes, "Although Greenburgh's counterclaim seeks to recoup the $1.8 million it had already given the school district, the three say that town attorneys cannot adequately represent taxpayers because town Supervisor Paul Feiner favors the agreement." Did she ask Town Attorney Lewis what he could do as opposed to just taking his word for it? Did she contact Herb Rosenberg or Bob Bernstein and ask what the alternatives might be for the town and it's attorneys? Evidently not.
Paul Feiner has typically kept the taxpayers in the dark. He continually paints the stalwarts who show up at Board meeting as "anti-everything" he and his merry Stepford board proposes. Not true. His and their sloppiness, incompetence and ineptness are proof of their failures. What does that say of our school system?
He references one magazine article from Money magazine about Greenburgh being the 80th Best Place to Live. That they strictly reviewed the Town through numbers and what his highness told them doesn't paint a clear picture. BTW Paul, anything but first place is a loser. And, 80 is too far down the list to be all that impressive. Based on this scenerio, Bush could have looked like a great president if he worked like the supervisor does.
WestHab is another mess that the supervisor insists on illegally moving forward for the benefit of a developer, not the town. He and his merry goof-ball board members rubber stamp the project along and the community, ultimately the town, suffers. This project is so bad that Sanborn, the VP of Land deals, was fired last week because he couldn't get the project to move forward, even with Feiner's illicit and illegal actions. Feiner's gotta go before the town is driven into bankruptcy. So does the Board.
She writes, "Although Greenburgh's counterclaim seeks to recoup the $1.8 million it had already given the school district, the three say that town attorneys cannot adequately represent taxpayers because town Supervisor Paul Feiner favors the agreement." Did she ask Town Attorney Lewis what he could do as opposed to just taking his word for it? Did she contact Herb Rosenberg or Bob Bernstein and ask what the alternatives might be for the town and it's attorneys? Evidently not.
Paul Feiner has typically kept the taxpayers in the dark. He continually paints the stalwarts who show up at Board meeting as "anti-everything" he and his merry Stepford board proposes. Not true. His and their sloppiness, incompetence and ineptness are proof of their failures. What does that say of our school system?
He references one magazine article from Money magazine about Greenburgh being the 80th Best Place to Live. That they strictly reviewed the Town through numbers and what his highness told them doesn't paint a clear picture. BTW Paul, anything but first place is a loser. And, 80 is too far down the list to be all that impressive. Based on this scenerio, Bush could have looked like a great president if he worked like the supervisor does.
WestHab is another mess that the supervisor insists on illegally moving forward for the benefit of a developer, not the town. He and his merry goof-ball board members rubber stamp the project along and the community, ultimately the town, suffers. This project is so bad that Sanborn, the VP of Land deals, was fired last week because he couldn't get the project to move forward, even with Feiner's illicit and illegal actions. Feiner's gotta go before the town is driven into bankruptcy. So does the Board.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Crime in Greenburgh
Latest Crime in Greenburgh: The Massaro Park Sexual Attack
As the Journal News reported in their Tuesday edition, a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Saturday of this past weekend by a group of five to seven men near Massaro Park. The girl is a Greenburgh resident and she was simply walking home. For those of you that do not know where Massaro Park is located in Greenburgh, it is along Payne Street (cross street Saw Mill River Road), in the northern unincorporated area of Greenburgh and considered Elmsford (mailing address). According to The Journal News, "She said she was surrounded by a group of five to seven men who grabbed her and restrained her while at least one of them had sexual contact with her. The girl was then released and left. She was not physically injured."
Greenburgh has seen numerous spikes in crime lately but the most heinous are those against children. This area of greenburgh has traditionally been one of problems between robberies, assaults and vandalism.
Everyone watched in amazement as the Central Avenue 7-Eleven was robbed, then robbed again and finally a third time. Not that we should expect anything different, the police department's response was simply that they were investigating. That's okay. But then Paul Feiner, Supervisor, started pontificating, basically saying nothing but trying to assure the residents that they are safe. Given the robberies in Edgemont, the 7-Eleven store and now this attack of a child, are we really safe?
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