Body of missing student from Long Island found

  Eyewitness NewsEVANSTON, Ill. -- The body of a Northwestern University student who was last seen leaving a weekend party has been found in a harbor near the school's suburban Chicago campus.

Authorities say the body of 18-year-old sophomore Harsha Maddula, of New Hyde Park, was pulled late Thursday from a harbor in Wilmette, a town north of Evanston.

Northwestern spokesman Alan Cubbage says Maddula's wallet with a university identification card and his cellphone was found on the body, which showed no signs of foul play. He said Wilmette police were notified shortly before 7 p.m. that a body was found by a boater. Wilmette police had no comment.

"On behalf of Northwestern University, I extend our deepest sympathies to Harsha's family and to his many friends at Northwestern. Our hearts and thoughts are with them," University President Morton Schapiro said in a statement released by the university.

Maddula was last seen after midnight Saturday. A relative says he went to the party with several friends and disappeared after he and others left for another party.

Cubbage said police began focusing their search for Maddula at the harbor after a check of activity for his cellphone determined the last signal from it was in that area.

His parents, Prasad Maddula and Dhana Lakshmi Maddula, and other relatives arrived in Evanston on Monday to join the search for the pre-med engineering student, who had been recently diagnosed with diabetes.

Maddula's parents, along with the student's uncle, Sam Maddali, on Wednesday announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the student's whereabouts. They were standing at Wilmette Harbor, where their son's body was found, when they made the announcement.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, body found, long island news

View the original article here

World's tallest Ferris wheel coming to Staten Island

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to unveil plans Thursday to build the world's tallest Ferris wheel on Staten Island, providing an iconic destination to the city's so-called "forgotten borough."

The project would also bring a retail and hotel complex to the Island's North Shore, and use the Staten Island Ferry to get shoppers there.

It is planned for 14 acres just north of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home to the minor-league Staten Island Yankees.

The New York Wheel would cost $230 million and carry 4.5 million riders a year.

At 625 feet, it would be the world's tallest observation wheel, exceeding the height of the Singapore Flyer. It would also be taller than the London Eye and a "High Roller" planned for the Las Vegas Strip.

The wheel would offer plush, enclosed passenger capsules to offer riders a world-class view of the Manhattan skyline.

Officials hope construction on the observation wheel would start in 2014 and be finished in 2015.

An adjacent outlet mall would be the administration's latest attempt to keep cost conscious shoppers from streaming out of the city.

And the city has long been searching for a destination for the two million-plus tourists who ride the Staten Island Ferry every year.

Officials anticipate both projects will pump nearly $500 million in private investment into the Staten Island waterfront.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, new york news

View the original article here

Northwestern student from Long Island goes missing

Web produced by Bill King, Eyewitness NewsNEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (WABC) -- The FBI has joined the search for a college student from Long Island who disappeared over the weekend.

His desperate parents flew from their home in New Hyde Park to Chicago, where 18-year-old Harsha Maddula goes to school, to help with the search.

Maddula hasn't been seen since a party early Saturday morning.

The pre-med student is a sophomore at Northwestern University.

Police there were notified when he didn't show up for a meeting. By Monday, his parents called police themselves.

"I don't know after the party what happened to him, and nobody can find him and nobody can trace him," dad Prasad Maddula said. "I am still surprised why they cannot trace him."

Authorities say it is a frustrating search because there just isn't a lot of evidence.

There has been no activity on Maddula's cell phone, he didn't use his dorm key and he doesn't appear anywhere on surveillance video.

And even with that, his parents say there's no way he simply walked away.

"No, absolutely not, 200 percent sure," mom Dhannalakshmi Maddula said. "He just came Wednesday over here to help first year students. Classes start this Thursday, but he wants to help. He's a very helping boy and he's so good. I don't know what happened."

He was excited, his parents say, to help incoming freshman get acclimated to the campus.

He is described as studious and responsible. He is also diabetic.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, missing person, new hyde park, long island news, lisa colagrossi

View the original article here

Vase used as doorstop on Long Island sells for $1.3 million

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- A rare Ming Dynasty vase that had been used as a doorstop in a New York home has sold for $1.3 million at auction.

The blue and white moon flask was auctioned Wednesday at Sotheby's sale of Chinese works of art. Its presale estimate was $600,000 to $900,000.

The piece had been in the same family collection for decades. The auction house said the family decided to sell it after seeing a similar piece in a Sotheby's advertisement.

They had the vase on a wooden stand that was used as a doorstop in their Long Island home.

The owner did not wish to be identified.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, auction, long island news

View the original article here

PCB leaked from Staten Island school light fixture

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- The Department of Education is speeding up its timeline for removing PCB from a Staten Island school after a light fixture dripped the potentially dangerous chemical onto a student.

The incident occurred last Thursday at P.S. 41 in the New Dorp section.

The student and her classmates were immediately removed from the classroom.

The Staten Island Advance says the one student was cleared of immediate danger.

DOE spokeswoman Marge Feinberg said parents were notified last week of a PCB ballast leak.

The fixtures were removed from the fifth grade classroom. Fixtures in the rest of the school were to be removed, beginning Wednesday.

The DOE has a 10-year $700 million citywide plan to remove lighting fixtures that may be leaking PCBs.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, new dorp, staten island, new york news

View the original article here

2 men rescued from water off Coney Island

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Two men were pulled from the waters off Coney Island Friday morning.

One of the men, in his 40s, jumped off the pier at Coney Island just after 7:30 a.m. Another man, in his 60s, went into the water to rescue him.

They were both rescued by a boat, rushed to the beach and taken to Coney Island Hospital.

The man who initially jumped in is in stable condition. The man who attempted to rescue him is critical.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, new york news

View the original article here

Worker critical after Staten Island trench collapse

  Eyewitness NewsSTATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- A construction worker is in critical condition following a trench collapse on Staten Island.

The site is located at Travis Avenue and Victory Boulevard in the Bulls Head section.

The worker was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in cardiac arrest.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, staten island, collapse, new york news

View the original article here

Long Island police investigate taser incident

  Eyewitness NewsCOPIAGUE (WABC) -- Police on Long Island are investigating whether officers used excessive force to subdue a suspect.

Jeu Gonzalez, 21, was arrested Tuesday night in Copiague after an altercation with Suffolk County police officers.

Authorities say that when police approached Gonzalez, he was in an agitated state and tried to resist arrest.

That's when he was tasered.

Gonzalez is charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Police also released a call from responding officers, who said they were being attacked.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, suffolk county, taser, long island news

View the original article here

Long Island police investigate rape at posh hotel

  Eyewitness NewsLONG BEACH (WABC) -- A sexual predator is on the loose after police say he attacked a woman at a posh Long Island hotel.

The incident happened early Saturday morning in Long Beach in Nassau County.

Police say the assault took place at the Allegria Hotel.

Investigators are still trying to gather evidence and are interviewing people who were there, but they still don't have a description of the attacker.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Long Island News »

long island, nassau county, long beach, rape, long island news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

View the original article here

Police chase ends in crash on Long Island

  Eyewitness NewsEASTPORT (WABC) -- A suspect was injured after a high-speed police chase on Long Island that ended in a crash.

Authorities say the pursuit began in Blue Point, Suffolk County, after a robbery attempt of a fast-food restaurant.

The chase ended about an hour later on County Road 51 in Eastport, but only after police deflated the tires and the car rolled over.

The driver, identified as 23-year-old Craig Cherney, was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Kerry Crosby, 22, was arrested at the restaurant.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, police chase, robbery, long island news

View the original article here

Woman & toddler dead in Long Island apartment

Web producee by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsBAY SHORE, NY (WABC) -- Suffolk County Police are investigating the deaths of a woman and 2-year-old boy whose bodies were found in a basement apartment in North Bay Shore, Long Island.

It's a small anonymous house just like any other in this neighborhood.

But what happened at number 3 South Cardinal Court is enough to astonish even the hardest boiled cops.

"People at the morgue had tears in their eyes and they deal with death all the time," said Det. Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky, of the Suffolk County Police Department.

If a homicide can be routine, this was anything but.

Police arrived Saturday morning after the landlord found 21-year-old Shakeela Planter stabbed to death in her basement apartment.

When detectives entered, it got so much worse.

They discovered her Planter's 2-year-old son Jaiden in the freezer.

"The baby was viciously beaten, the baby was ultimately put in a plastic bag and then put in a freezer," Pelkofsky said, "Really affects your moral fiber when something like this happens."

Suffolk County detectives worked through the night, through the holiday, and Monday they announced an arrest.

24-year-old Jerry Lewis, Planter's ex-boyfriend, captured at his mother's house near Baltimore, Maryland.

On Sunday, December 18, police believe Lewis, who'd been living in the apartment babysitting Jaiden, had an argument with Planter, stabbed her to death, and also murdered her son.

Detectives believe he drove around in Planter's car for days before ditching it and taking a train out of state.

"It's a very sick person, how can you kill a baby? I think that is just sick," a neighbor said.

Monday, the details reverberated across this neighborhood, where few if any people actually knew Planter or her son.

Eyewitness News spoke to the woman who owns the house where they lived.

"He was an amazing child and that's all I need to say. And I love him. That's all I need to say," the owner said.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, bay shore, long island news, josh einiger

View the original article here

Long Island Marine surprises his little brother

FREEPORT (WABC) -- Third grader Emilio Pereira was expecting to Skype with his big brother, who is serving in Afghanistan, on Friday.

Emilio's class at Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School in Freeport prepared questions to ask U.S. Marine Arturo Velasquez when he joined them from Afghanistan.

Eight-year-old Emilio hadn't see his brother since April.

But Velasquez wasn't in Afghanistan. He was just feet away from the classroom, preparing for his own special Christmas mission.

Watch the video to see what happened.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Long Island News »

long island, freeport, afghanistan, long island news, david novarro
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Diocese to close six schools on Long Island

  Eyewitness NewsThe Diocese of Rockville Centre is closing six Catholic schools on Long Island. (WABC) -- The Diocese of Rockville Centre is closing six Catholic schools on Long Island.

Four schools will close in Nassau County and two in Suffolk County at the end of the school year.

Five other schools have been told they need to improve.

The Diocese will be issuing more details on Wednesday.

NASSAU CLOSINGS:

1) St. John Baptist De LaSalle Regional School in Farmingdale
2) St. Catherine of Sienna School in Franklin Square
3) St. Ignatius Loyola School in Hicksville
4) Sacred Heart School in North Merrick

SUFFOLK CLOSINGS:

5) Prince of Peace Regional School in Sayville
6) Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Lindenhurst

A letter from Bishop Murphy is posted on the Diocese website at http://www.drvc.org/.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Education News »

long island, nassau county, suffolk county, catholic school, school closing, education news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Holiday weekend fun on Long Island

  Eyewitness NewsEAST MEADOW (WABC) -- Nassau County officials prefer residents to come here and safely watch fireworks, rather than set off them off at home.

They gave a preview of their holiday show on Friday morning.

The county will host "Celebrate America" on Saturday night at Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre.

It is free, and sponsored by TD Bank.

The gates open at 5:00 p.m. There will be two pre-show bands and fireworks at dusk.

Thirty-thousand people are expected to attend the fireworks show here at the Larry Chapin Lakeside theatre.

Now, only 8 to 10 thousand people can fit on the lawn. If want to view the show, you have to have a ticket, which you can get from any TD Bank in Suffolk or Nassau County.

It is also a busy beach weekend in Nassau County, so the county is also encouraging beach safety.

At this point, most beaches will be open. Piping Rock Beach Club in Lattingtown is closed to bathing due to elevated bacterial levels.

For up-to-date recorded information on beach closings and openings in Nassau County, call 516-227-9700.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Long Island News »

4th of july, long island, nassau county, suffolk county, long island news

View the original article here

Mermaid Parade kicks off Coney Island summer

  Eyewitness NewsCONEY ISLAND (WABC) -- Colorful costumes and fabulous floats are just two of the hallmarks of New York's annual Mermaid Parade.

It's marks the unofficial start to summer on Coney Island.

The Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island's forgotten Mardi Gras which lasted from 1903 to 1954.

Participants toss fruit into the Atlantic Ocean to appease the "sea gods".

The Mermaid Ball followed at the New York Aquarium.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New York News »

new york city, coney island, new york news

View the original article here

Four killed in Long Island pharmacy shooting

  Eyewitness NewsMEDFORD, New York (WABC) -- Four people have been killed at a pharmacy on Long Island.

The shooting took place at Haven Drugs, a pharmacy on Southaven Avenue in Medford.

Eyewitness News has learned one of the victims is an 18-year-old who worked at the pharmacy.

For more on this breaking story, tune in to Eyewitness News at 6 p.m. (Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Long Island News »

long island, long island news

View the original article here

Long Island firefighter dies while responding to blaze

  Eyewitness NewsBALDWIN (WABC) -- A volunteer firefighter died of a medical condition while responding to a house fire on Long Island early Wednesday.

The fire broke out inside a house on Grand Avenue in Baldwin just before 4 a.m. Firefighters battled the blaze, which tore through the house.

One of the volunteer firefighters, identified as 43-year-old Michael Esposito, became ill at the scene and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was died.

It is possible he had a heart attack, according to sources.

Esposito was a former captain and a 21-year member of the department.

The Baldwin fire department has provided volunteer firefighting services since 1895.

Nearly 20 residents were left homeless by the fire, which is under investigation.

---
Do you have something to add to this story? Click here to contact Eyewitness News.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Long Island News »

long island, baldwin, firefighter killed, long island news

View the original article here

Explosion levels Staten Island home as residents flee

  Eyewitness NewsSTATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- A fire and apparent explosion leveled part of a Staten Island home, sending a dozen residents fleeing for their lives.

The loud blast rocked the Richmond Terrace home in Mariners Harbor just before 2:45 a.m. Tuesday.

A dozen residents of the home ran outside as two of the exterior walls collapsed. The second floor of the home then caved in.

"We started seeing smoke going through the house," resident Pete Dermanis said. "So we tried to get out. So I'm like, 'Everybody, get out. Get some shoes on. Let's go. We gotta get out of the house."

Firefighters determined that all the residents of the home - including at least four children - escaped without serious injury.

Residents of the neighboring buildings were also evacuated.

One person who was outside at the time of the collapse was injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

Con Edison cut power and National Grid cut gas service to the building.

The cause of the fire and blast was not immediately known.

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more New York News »

new york city, staten island, explosion, new york news

View the original article here