Regional Briefs – August 10, 2015

Man With Legionnaires’ Disease to Sue NYC for $10M

NEW YORK – A homeless man who contracted Legionnaires’ disease after passing out flyers in front of a Bronx building filed notice on Friday to sue the city for $10 million, the Daily News reported. Marvin Montgomery, 36, who is hospitalized, said he “was strong as an ox” and is now a “weak duckling.”

Dolphin Spotted in N.J. River Has Died

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. – A 400-pound dolphin spotted last week in a New Jersey waterway died on Saturday, despite the efforts of marine officials who sought to coax it away from the area, The Associated Press reported.

Home Burglar Inadvertently Calls Police 

BRANCHBURG, N.J. – A burglar inadvertently dialed 911, allowing dispatchers to listen in on his conversation, and discover his name and location, The Associated Press reported. Police learned that the number was recently assigned to Scott Esser, 42, who was arrested.

Deadly Weekend in Brooklyn Pushing Crime Rates up

BROOKLYN – Another deadly weekend in Brooklyn is pushing the borough’s historically low crime rates up for the first time in decades, The Associated Press reported. An argument between two men on Atlantic Avenue Saturday ended in the death of Chris Tennison, 32.

NY Officials Cite Safety Violations in Firefighter Death

WOODMERE, N.Y. – State officials investigating a Long Island firefighter’s death said Saturday his department violated safety standards by letting him enter a burning home without an assigned partner, Newsday reported. Joseph Sanford Jr. died in December, four days after being found critically injured in a Woodmere home’s basement.

NY Sends Crew to Help Fight Western Wildfires

ALBANY – Twenty New York workers and volunteers headed west on Saturday to help fight wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the group will be there for two weeks. Since 1979, New York has sent a firefighting crew to assist western states.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the August 10th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.