Breaking News

A man wanted for several violent felonies out of New York City, who reportedly fled a traffic stop in Orange County, was eventually shot and killed by State Police in Highland Mills yesterday afternoon. New York State Police say Troopers from Troop T tried to stop a stolen 2021 Chevy Equinox around 5:35 yesterday morning on the northbound Thruway, when the SUV driven by a 28 year-old man known as “Ali Ali” crashed into a tractor trailer and caught fire just north of exit 16 in Harriman. Police say Ali ran from the scene into a wooded area. Several Orange County schools were put on lockdown during the search, as Ali was thought to be armed and dangerous. Ali was located around 2pm yesterday afternoon several miles away in a densely-wooded area off Trout Brook Road in Highland Mills. Troopers say Ali was ordered numerous times to drop the knife he was holding and surrender, but he failed to comply. He was Tasered twice, fell to the ground, but then immediately got up, and charged at Troopers with the knife. An unidentified Trooper then shot Ali. They began life-saving measures but he died at the scene. The investigation into the incident continues.

Two Kids Hurt in Accident in New Hempstead
Two children were reportedly injured after an accident yesterday afternoon on Sunny Ridge Road near Bristol Lane in New Hempstead. Ramapo Police say two 11 year-olds were reportedly riding a dirt bike on the wrong side of the street when they hit a car head-on. they were hit by a car. New Square Hatzolah, Spring Hill Ambulance, and Rockland Paramedics provided medical assistance at the scene. The two children were treated at the scene, then taken to Westchester Medical Center. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and neither was wearing a helmet. The car’s driver, who was not identified, remained on-scene and was not found to be at fault. [updated with additional information]

Georgia Man Arrested with 1.5 Kilos of Cocaine
A Georgia man has been arrested after he was allegedly caught with over 1.5 kilos of cocaine in the Hudson Valley. The New York State Police Community Stabilization Unit arrested 45 year-old Rayheim Drayton of Atlanta during a traffic stop earlier this month in Hopewell Junction. He was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell, and another felony. He was arraigned in East Fishkill Court and sent to the Dutchess County Jail without bail on a future court date.

Members of Rockland’s Haitian community came out against the ramped-up rhetoric and false stories that have been swirling around the country after former President Donald Trump repeated an unfounded rumor during his debate with vice-president Kamala Harris that vice-presidential candidate JD Vance has been telling about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Renold Julien is the head of Konbit Neg Lakay, the Haitian-American Center of Rockland. At a press conference yesterday outside their Spring Valley office, Julien said the angry rhetoric and threats reminded him of the 1990s, when Haitians were blamed for spreading AIDS…

President of the Hudson Valley Haitian American Nurses Association, Florence Pierre-Pierre, said she can’t understand why her community is constantly subject to false rumors…

Ramapo is believed to have the second largest Haitian-American population in the nation per capita, and Supervisor Michael Specht said the rumors and stories are a form of “blood libel”…

Former State Senator Elijah-Reichlin Melnick said the scare tactics used by some on the right are predictable…

Growing up in Spring Valley, and throughout his career, former Congressman Mondaire Jones said he’s always felt close to Rockland’s Haitian community…

Rockland State Senator, Republican Bill Weber, told “The Morning Show” yesterday that he was appalled by the statements made by former President Trump…

In a statement last week, GOP Congressman Mike Lawler spokesman Nate Soule said, “Congressman Lawler has not seen independent verification of the wild claims that have been spread by some about the Haitian community, and he encourages his colleagues to exercise great restraint when spreading unfounded theories and claims based off of posts on Facebook.”

A New City couple is heading to prison after pleading guilty to killing the man’s grandfather a year-and-a-half ago. Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh says 32 year-old Constantinos Doonan pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the killing of his grandfather, Constantinos Mastakouris, who was found after a welfare check, strangled to death in his Ruth Drive home. 26 year-old Jo-Ann Haughey pleaded guilty to first degree Manslaughter in connection with the case. Walsh says after Mastakouris’ body was wrapped in a tablecloth, it was hidden in the crawl space of the home they lived in with the couple’s two children. Walsh says the couple took Mastakouris’ car, some jewelry, and a credit card. They’re being held in the Rockland County Jail. Doonan faces 20 years to life in prison while Haughey will get fifteen years behind bars when they are sentenced in December. Their children have reportedly been under the care of Rockland Child Protective Services since they were arrested.

Report: Police Investigating Threat at Clarkstown School
Police are looking into reports of a verbal threat being made at a private school in Clarkstown. That’s according to News 12. No one was physically harmed and there were no weapons involved at the Upper Nyack Summit School, a state-approved, private residential school for children and adolescents with special needs. The incident is under investigation.

Sloatsburg Rest Area Reopens on Thruway
The New York State Thruway Authority has reopened the newly-renovated Sloatsburg Service Area located on I-87 northbound between exit 15A and exit 16 in Harriman. The Sloatsburg Service Area is the largest of all 27 service areas in the Thruway system. The renovation includes a new floor plan, restaurants, restrooms, and more. Among the restaurants included a Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and several others. There’s a playground, a dog walking area, and six level-3 high speed EV chargers will be added soon. All 27 service areas are being redeveloped as part of a $450 million public-private partnership with Empire State Thruway Partners, with no toll or tax dollars being used for construction.

Rockland’s Director of Fire and Emergency Services is calling the so-called Monsey Fire Brigade a “dangerous situation.” A group has been encouraging Monsey residents to call them instead of 911 in case of an emergency, though they’ve not been trained by county officials. On Friday’s “Who Wants To Be A Volunteer,” Chris Kear said he’s been contacting Ramapo villages and officials to encourage them to make sure their residents call 911 in case of an emergency, instead of this other group…

Ramapo Police Chief Dan Hyman says local fire departments have more data than the fire brigade has access to…

Kear says several agencies are looking into the situation to see whether any laws other than “obstruction” are being broken.

A Garnerville man was sentenced to up to three years in prison after pleading guilty in June to a fatal hit-and-run last summer. That’s according to News 12. 36 year-old Patrick Sharkey admitted to leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a revoked license and circumventing an interlock device. 18-year-old Dariel Rivera was riding an e-scooter to work on Route 303 in West Nyack when he was struck. Prosecutors originally sought a seven-year sentence.