Ryan Kost
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Social issues, culture, civil rights law, mass incarceration and drug policy.
Reporter at @WNYC/@Gothamist. Previously: Columbia Journalism Investigations; @SFChronicle; @Oregonian; @AP. Desert rat. 🏜
Articles by Ryan Kost
Brooklyn woman hit and killed by garbage truck at peak time for traffic deaths, NYPD says
A Department of Sanitation garbage truck struck and killed a woman Wednesday evening as she was crossing Bay Parkway in Brooklyn, according to the NYPD. Siobhan Lynch, 30, of Brooklyn, was crossing the parkway at Cropsey Avenue around 6:35 p.m., 40 minutes after sunset, when the truck, heading east, turned right onto the parkway and hit her, police said. Emergency services took Lynch to NYU Langone Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Black Agenda Report
The Black Panther Party did not begin in Oakland on October 15, 1966, but emerged from earlier organizing in Harlem and Lowndes County, Alabama. Celebrating only the famous founders erases the collective political work that made the Panthers possible.
Police arrest man in Queens stabbings that ended with officer shooting woman
A 48-year-old Queens man has been charged with attempted murder after a “chaotic” night of violence at a southeast Queens home that ended with an NYPD officer shooting and injuring a woman. Rashaun Donovan, who was arrested Saturday, faces two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of assault and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, according to police.
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
An NYPD officer shot and wounded a woman Friday night after she approached police with a knife during a night of violence at a Queens home, police said. The woman, who police have not yet identified, is in stable condition, the NYPD said. Officials say police responded to calls of a home invasion and stabbing on 149th Street at around 9:40 Friday night. When officers arrived, no one answered the door but two men came to a second-floor window.
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Forest Hills Stadium will continue to host concerts for the foreseeable future, under a settlement announced this week meant to end years of acrimony between the Queens venue and neighbors who have long complained about noise and other disruptions. The agreement ends all pending litigation between the neighborhood group Forest Hills Gardens Corporation and the stadium’s owner West Side Tennis Club and operator Tiebreaker Productions.
Brad Lander says he's released after Israeli forces detained him during olive harvest
Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller and current Democratic nominee for the state’s 10th Congressional District, said Wednesday he’d been detained by Israeli forces while he was helping Palestinian farmers pick olives in the occupied West Bank. He announced he'd been released just before 10 a.m. Wednesday.
George Washington Bridge reopens after fatal shooting; no arrests made
A 46-year-old man who was shot while driving along the upper level of the George Washington Bridge Tuesday night has died, according to the NYPD. The bridge’s westbound upper level, which was closed for hours as police investigated, began reopening just after midnight, according to the Port Authority. All lanes reopened for Wednesday morning’s commute. The shooting appears to have stemmed from a road rage incident, police said.
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating after someone smashed windows and graffitied the doors of a Capital One branch on the Upper East Side on Monday morning, police said. City Council Speaker Julie Menin shared images of the vandalism on social media.
Man shot near Midtown subway station Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
A man was shot inside the city subway system in Midtown Saturday afternoon, police said. The NYPD confirmed the shooting took place near the 53rd Street and 7th Avenue station, which serves the B, D and E lines, but released no other details. It’s unclear if the shooting took place aboard a train or in the station and if there were other victims. Also unclear is the condition of the man who was shot. The MTA had no information on the incident.
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
The NYPD is hoping you can help bring a very good girl home to Queens. Chanel, a 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, was frolicking on her front lawn near 130th Street and 14th Avenue in College Point when she was abducted, police said. Two people in a 2014 Subaru Forester pulled up to the home, one of them scooped up Chanel and then both dognappers sped off, according to the NYPD. The abduction was late last month, but as of this weekend, police are still searching for Chanel.
Queens mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter, NYPD says
Police arrested a Queens mother and charged her with murder in connection with the death of her 5-year-old daughter, a day after police said she called 911 and told them, “I killed my daughter.” Francis Cabello, 32, was arrested at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, police said. They identified her daughter as Fabiana Cabello. The mother and daughter lived in a two-story house on 110th Street in Richmond Hill where the child was found, according to the girl’s father, Kuldeep Singh, 36.
NYC officials call for Target boycott, say ICE staged at Marble Hill lot before shooting
City officials urged New Yorkers on Tuesday to boycott Target following reports that ICE agents have been using its Marble Hill store’s parking lot as a staging area, including before an action last week that ended with an ICE officer shooting a man in the neck. The man, Oscar Belgal, 28, had his 5-year-old son in the back seat when at least one officer fired seven rounds into Belgal's car, according to the NYPD.
More sewer diving on the UES: 5 people seen climbing out of manhole
Five people were spotted climbing out of a manhole on the Upper East Side early Friday morning, according to the NYPD, the latest in a string of sewer sightings since the spring that has perplexed New Yorkers. Friday’s instance is at least the seventh time since May that groups of people have been seen going into or exiting the sewer system in the city and on Long Island — and the second incident on the Upper East Side in just over two weeks.
Suspects in off-duty NYPD detective's stabbing found hiding in Massachusetts basement
Two suspects wanted in the stabbing of an off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx last week were arrested overnight in Massachusetts, the NYPD said Wednesday morning. D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, were found hiding in the basement of a house in Lynn, Massachusetts, a city northeast of Boston, according to the department.
Mamdani names re-entry specialist as chair of Rikers oversight board
Christopher Watler, a nonprofit executive who has spent decades building re-entry and diversion programs, will chair the city’s jail oversight board, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday.
A sixth person dies after falling ill in NYPD custody this year
A 54-year-old Brooklyn man died Sunday morning at Kings County Hospital, a day after he suffered a medical emergency while in police custody in East Flatbush, according to the NYPD. Police identified the man as Reginald Newkirk. He was arrested on Friday for criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said. After his arrest, Newkirk was taken to a hospital for medical attention and was cleared, according to the NYPD.
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
An off-duty NYPD officer was stabbed in the Bronx on Friday, police said. The attack happened around 2 p.m. near Rochambeau Avenue and East 206th Street, according to the NYPD. The officer was taken to an area hospital and is in stable condition, police said. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch cancelled a scheduled afternoon press conference on quarterly crime statistics to visit the officer at Jacobi Hospital, according to an update in the mayor’s schedule.
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
Police are still searching for a man they say walked up behind another man in East Harlem Monday night and threw an unknown substance on him, severely burning his face and neck. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, police said Friday. The attack happened just before 9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, in front of the Cravin Crispy chicken shop on Park Avenue and East 116th Street, according to the NYPD.
We were the victim': Brooklyn shelter's new CEO speaks after corruption scandal
The head of a Brooklyn nonprofit at the center of a federal corruption case says the group lacked the basic financial and compliance infrastructure to manage homeless shelters even as its city contracts ballooned during the migrant crisis. Still, she said, the care it provided was never in question.
NYC braces for two days of rain and wind as coastal flooding threat grows
A powerful nor’easter brought strong winds and bands of heavy rain to the New York region Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service is predicting coastal flooding could be worse than first expected. Wind gusts across the area were mostly around 45 to 55 mph, with one gust at Republic Airport on Long Island topping out at 61 mph, according to Bill Goodman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. That’s in line with forecasts heading into the weekend.
Oversight board finds pattern of lax supervision in 4 Rikers deaths
An investigation into the deaths of four people held at the Rikers Island jails this spring found a pattern of lax supervision by correction officers, including some who skipped required rounds, left their posts for long stretches or kept inaccurate logbooks. The report released by the city’s jail oversight board on Friday paints a familiar picture of a department in crisis, where even simple safeguards, like an officer walking the units and checking in on detainees, are ignored.
NYC councilmember wants to ban tickets for spitting after arrest video circulates
A New York City councilmember wants to strike spitting from the NYPD’s list of ticketable offenses after a video circulated on social media this week showed a spitting summons escalating into a forceful police arrest. The video, which was taken last Saturday evening in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood shows an NYPD officer ticketing a man minutes before the officer grabbed the man by the collar, threw him to the ground and handcuffed him.
NYC Marathon changes route for first time in 15 years
The New York City Marathon will take a slightly different path through the Bronx this year — the first change to the course in 15 years, according to New York Road Runners. The shift is meant to “minimize the race’s impacts on the Bronx, as the neighborhood has evolved over the past 50 years,” according to the group’s website. Liv Ren, a New York Road Runners spokesperson, said in an email that the new route would help improve access to local businesses in the area.
Black Agenda Report
The "Antifa summit" and the NSPM-7 represent another institutional step toward consolidating fascism in the United States by criminalizing opposition to fascism itself. Originally published in The North-South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights.
15-year-old girl dies after truck hits two teens in East Village
A 15-year-old girl was killed Friday night when a truck driver making a right turn hit the bicycle she was riding with another teenager in the East Village, police said. The crash happened around 9 p.m. at East 14th Street and First Avenue, according to the NYPD. A 57-year-old man driving a Peterbilt commercial truck was heading west and turning on First Avenue when he hit the bike, police said. The bike was traveling in the same direction and attempting the same turn.
Belmont Park is back, but leave the booze and cooler at home
Belmont Park, the horse track on Long Island, officially reopened Friday, more than three years after its last race. The park — renovated with a $455 million loan from the state — now sports a five-story, glass-walled grandstand, a bigger paddock that allows fans to get closer to the horses, a new synthetic track for winter racing and about five times more green space than before. Gov.
NYC jail reform seemed on track. Then the monitor accused officials of dodging oversight.
For the first time in years, New York City's jails looked like they might be on the verge of real change. A federal judge appointed a remediation manager with broad authority over the Department of Correction in late January. A reform-minded correction commissioner took office weeks later. Mayor Zohran Mamdani made clear that closing Rikers Island was, once again, a top priority at City Hall.
2 men shot and killed at Brownsville, Brooklyn playground
Two men were shot and killed at a Brownsville playground Friday night, according to the NYPD. Police responded to a report of gunshots at Howard Playground, located near the corner of Mother Gaston Boulevard and Glenmore Avenue in Brooklyn, just before 10:30 p.m., officials said. When officers arrived, they found a 33-year-old man who had been shot in the neck and a 35-year-old man who had been shot in the chest and ankle, police said.
Cop accidentally fires gun at Bed-Stuy subway station, striking woman, NYPD says
An NYPD officer accidentally fired their gun inside a Bed-Stuy subway station Thursday, and fragments of the bullet struck both a second officer and a bystander, according to the department. Police had initially told Gothamist Thursday no one was struck in the incident, before issuing a statement Friday saying the fragment “came into contact” with the two people.
Families to gather at ground zero to remember 9/11 — 25 years later
The 9/11 Memorial was readied with check points, dogs and metal detectors in preparation to welcome commemorators. The heavy security contrasted with a procession of those who gathered holding roses as they made their way to Ten House, the firehouse directly across from where the Twin Towers once stood. Family members will gather at the 9/11 Memorial plaza Friday morning to read aloud the names of the 2,983 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
How New Yorkers teach a generation removed to 'Never Forget' 9/11
Dedie Plasencia can still move through the hours of Sept. 11, 2001 with a startling clarity. He remembers the innocent start to the morning: He woke up early to drive his then-7-month-old son to his own father’s house in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. He remembers his uncle, leaning over the roof — “Hey, Dedie, you gotta go to the firehouse. They have a recall. The towers, uh, they’re on fire” — and the drive back to Windsor Terrace. He remembers his wife confirming the worst.
Man indicted on hate crime charges after disrupting NYC Shabbat services
A Bronx man was indicted Wednesday on hate crime charges for allegedly disrupting Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Midtown last month. The event drew national and international attention at the time.
How New Yorkers teach a generation removed to 'Never Forget' 9/11
Dedie Plasencia can still move through the hours of Sept. 11, 2001 with a startling clarity. He remembers the innocent start to the morning: He woke up early to drive his then-7-month-old son to his own father’s house in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. He remembers his uncle, leaning over the roof — “Hey, Dedie, you gotta go to the firehouse. They have a recall. The towers, uh, they’re on fire” — and the drive back to Windsor Terrace. He remembers his wife confirming the worst.
Mamdani administration says it's time for Columbia to open up College Walk
The city has switched sides in the long-running fight over who has access to Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus. In a new court filing, the city’s Law Department told a judge that it supports reopening College Walk, a main thoroughfare that runs along 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
Hochul adds $36M for crime victim services after outcry, warnings of layoffs
Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to allocate another $36 million in state funding for crime victim services weeks after rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs and child advocacy organizations warned they would face layoffs without additional funding.
2 Brooklyn men sentenced for staging car crashes on NYC highways
Two Brooklyn men were sentenced for staging three car crashes on New York City highways as part of an insurance fraud scheme, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday. Jaime Huiracocha, 53, pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to one to three years in prison. Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty to staging a motor vehicle accident as well as insurance fraud and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to two years.
West Point professor says he was pushed out for objecting to climate directive
A former tenured professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point says the school ordered faculty to stop teaching about anthropogenic, or human-caused, climate change, then pushed him out after he objected, according to a federal lawsuit. Adam Kalkstein, a geography and climate science professor at West Point for more than 17 years, filed the suit against the academy and three members of its leadership in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday.
Bed-Stuy's Herbert Von King Park dog run closed due to contamination
The dog run at Herbert Von King Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant is closed due to elevated levels of arsenic and mercury in the soil. Parks spokesperson Judd Faulkner said the contamination was detected during routine soil testing as part of a planned project to rebuild the dog run. That project isn’t expected to begin construction until fall 2027.
Man ticketed after showing off illegal Burmese python on Coney Island boardwalk
Coney Island loves a spectacle, but what the neighborhood could not accommodate was a Burmese python. A man who drew a crowd of about a dozen people, including some small children, with the python near the Riegelmann Boardwalk last month has been ticketed for illegally possessing the snake, state officials said. A state Department of Environment Conservation officer walking near the boardwalk came across a crowd of people on July 12. At the center was a man showing off the python.
Tisch pledges NYPD's support at Central Synagogue, a week after Shabbat attack
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch pledged her department’s full support in protecting Jewish New Yorkers as she addressed worshippers at a Midtown synagogue Friday night, a week after a man disrupted Shabbat services there. “Jewish institutions will not be left to protect themselves without a partner in the New York City Police Department,” Tisch told worshippers at Central Synagogue. The commissioner described herself as a lifelong member of the congregation.
US Open Fan Week starts Sunday. Here are the other NYC streets closing this weekend.
It’s been a summer full of big events in New York City, from the World Cup and the Knicks championship to Taylor Swift’s wedding and the country’s 250th birthday. The US Open starts this Sunday with Fan Week, while Summer Streets is also wrapping up its five-week run this weekend. Here’s what’s happening and how it'll complicate getting around.
NYPD says it will shoot down unauthorized drones over US Open in Queens
The NYPD will independently neutralize unauthorized drones caught flying over the US Open. It marks the first time any state or local agency has used new federal authority to conduct independent drone mitigation operations, according to Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Tisch announced the change Friday at the department’s security briefing for the 146th US Open, which kicks off this Sunday with Fan Week. The main draw begins Aug. 30 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
Online portal for NYC veterans doesn't work even after 8 years and $2M, review finds
New York City promised veterans it would develop an online, one-stop-shop to connect them with housing, health care, education, employment and legal help. But eight years and $2 million into that effort, City Comptroller Mark Levine’s office's says, veterans still can’t reliably log in. Levine released a review Tuesday of the long-troubled VetConnectNYC, an online referral system managed by the city’s Department of Veterans’ Services.
A judge said Queens prosecutors hid evidence. A secret committee cleared them anyway.
Five years ago, one of the state’s top judges found Queens prosecutors had deliberately hidden evidence that could have spared three men decades in prison. Not long afterward, an attorney asked a disciplinary committee to investigate the incident. The committee has finally returned its own finding. There is “insufficient evidence” the prosecutors had violated any of the “rules and laws governing attorney conduct,” according to a letter from the committee that was obtained by Gothamist.
Family says stray voltage may have contributed to fatal Central Park carriage crash
The family of an 18-year-old tourist killed in a runaway horse carriage accident in Central Park alleges stray electrical voltage may have contributed to the horse becoming agitated and bolting, according to legal filings obtained by Gothamist. Romanch Mahajan was visiting New York from India with his family when the horse pulling their carriage bolted near the Cherry Hill Fountain in June. Mahajan died after falling from the carriage, officials said.
Man charged with hate crimes after disrupting Shabbat at NYC Central Synagogue
A Bronx man faces 14 charges, including four counts of assault as a hate crime, after he disrupted Friday night services at Central Synagogue in Midtown, struck a congregant and headbutted a member of the temple’s security team, police said. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the man as Larry Montes, 46, in a post on social media. He also faces criminal mischief, tresspass, harassment and “disruption of a religious service” charges, according to police.
ASPCA removes more than 100 cats from three NYC homes in a single day
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed more than 100 cats from three New York City homes in a single day this week, the latest in a series of large scale operations this summer. All together, the group has rescued 300 at-risk animals in the city since June. The cats were given up voluntarily by their owners in the Bronx and Queens. The organization described the owners as overwhelmed and said they could no longer care for the animals.
Second body found after Bronx explosion and fire
A second body has been found in the rubble of a deadly Bronx apartment fire, according to the FDNY. The body was discovered Friday afternoon in the debris of a five-alarm fire that tore through an apartment building in the Norwood neighborhood earlier this week. Recovery operations had been delayed after the fire left the building unstable and the fire department worked to shore it up, according to FDNY. The person has not been identified.
Hotel workers' union raises alarm over high Legionella levels at hotel in Chelsea
A hotel workers’ union says a cooling tower at the High Line Hotel in Chelsea has tested positive for high levels of Legionella bacteria. The union filed a complaint with the health department, prompting city leaders to call for an investigation to avoid another outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, the illness caused by the bacteria. This latest report comes less than a week after the city declared that an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease on the Upper East Side was over.
Man arrested, victim identified in fatal New Year's Day hit-and-run in Queens
Police have arrested a man in connection with a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian in Corona, Queens, on New Year’s Day. Jonnathan Barbecho, 31, of East Hampton, was arrested Thursday and charged with manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, among several other charges, according to the NYPD. Barbecho has pleaded not guilty, according to his attorney, Jose Luis Nieves.
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