Regional Briefs – August 17, 2016

Lawsuit: School Made Student Sign Terrorism Confession

ISLIP, N.Y. – A 12-year-old Muslim who threatened to “blow up the school fence” was bullied into saying it by older students and then forced to sign a false confession, according to a lawsuit by the family, Newsday reported. They allege school officials ordered Nashwan Uppal to sign he was “part of ISIS.”

Still Missing 2 Weeks After Fleeing Into Sewer

NEWARK – There’s still no sign of a suspect two weeks after he avoided capture by slipping into a sewer, NJ.com reported. Keith Jean, 31, was a passenger in a car police pulled over. He jumped into the Passaic River and entered a pipe, where deadly gases are concentrated. A robot failed to find him.

NY Hero Will Again Have Navy Destroyer Named for Him

BUFFALO – A Navy destroyer will once again bear the name of a WWII Marine from New York, The Associated Press reported. A destroyer is scheduled to enter service in 2022 as the USS Basilone. A previous destroyer named for Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone was decommissioned in 1977.

Building Next to 288-year-old Albany Home to be Torn Down

ALBANY – A dilapidated building next door to Albany’s oldest structure will be carefully dismantled this week, the Times Union reported. The building at 48 Hudson was built in 1728 for a prominent Dutch resident. It has survived floods and fires in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Feds: Pilot’s Heart Attack Led To Plane Crash That Killed 4

LAKE CLEAR, N.Y. – A federal probe has concluded that a pilot’s heart attack caused a plane crash that killed four people last year, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. An autopsy uncovered a 70 to 80 percent blockage in both coronary arteries in Raymond Shortino, 67.

NYPD Mulling How to Use Streetlights to Fight Crime

NEW YORK – The NYPD is looking at ways to use the city’s 250,000 streetlights to fight crime, Commissioner William Bratton said Wednesday. Among the proposals are new, high-tech lights that would double as ShotSpotter sensors that pinpoint gunfire.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the August 18th, 2016 edition of Hamodia.