This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Appeals FOIL Immigration Specialist LEOW Civic Awareness Community Engagement Office of Immigrant Affairs Youth Empowerment Criminal Court Intake and Assessments Rehabilitation Programs and Restorative Services Frauds Housing and Worker Protection Human Trafficking Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau Major Economic Crimes Public Corruption Violent Criminal Enterprises Career Criminal/Major Crimes Bureau Forensic Science Hate Crimes Homicide Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit Domestic Violence Bureau Juvenile Prosecution Unit Special Victims Bureau Felony Operations Felony Trial Bureaus Legal Training Hotlines Bureau Emails and Phone Numbers Press Releases Recent Findings & Reports Upcoming Cases Weekly Newsletters Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jonathan Diaz was charged with weapon possession and other crimes after an investigation led to the discovery of four ghost guns and ammunition at his Queens Village home The guns were allegedly made on a 3D printer at the defendant’s residence District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant amassed a collection of ghost guns and parts in his Queens home Working with our partners at the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force Port Authority Police Department and Nassau County Sheriff’s Department we are committed to finding and removing illegal homemade weapons from our communities We will continue to investigate the assembly and sale of these untraceable firearms to get an upper hand in our fight against gun violence.” was arraigned yesterday on four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree four counts of criminal possession of a firearm 12 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and firearms; unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition Queens Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey ordered Diaz to return to court on January 21 He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted New York State Police and the Queens District Attorney’s Office Detective Bureau conducted a long-term investigation into the purchase of unserialized firearm components by the defendant Such components can be made into “ghost guns.” a court-authorized search warrant was executed at Diaz’s home and the following items were recovered: the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau has conducted investigations that have led to the seizure of 453 firearms including 294 ghost guns 13 3D printers and more than 140,500 rounds of ammunition Queens had the most ghost gun recoveries in New York City for the fourth year in a row This investigation was conducted by Sergeant Rashawn Vaughn of the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force Nassau County Sheriff’s Department and the Queens District Attorney’s Office Detective Bureau under the supervision of Sergeant David Moore and under the overall supervision of the Chief Investigator of the Detective Bureau Robert LaPollo Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Modica of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Intelligence Analyst Bushra Ahmed and Senior Intelligence Analyst Victoria Filipe under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Shanon N under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave **Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty To learn more about the full range of services available to you, visit the resources section Disclaimer To learn more about the QCDA Website Accessibility Statement, visit the accessibility page Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More The city plans to shutter six more migrant shelters including the Creedmoor humanitarian relief center in Queens The shelter was set up to serve around 1,000 adult male asylum seekers when it opened outside the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village in August 2023. Its opening drew protests from Queens residents including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards saying setting up a shelter in a “transit desert” would not best serve its residents City Hall said the Creedmoor shelter and five other yet-to-be-determined sites would close by June 2025 the city will have closed 52 migrant shelters within a year’s time More than 231,000 migrants have arrived in the city since spring 2022 with fewer than 45,000 currently staying in shelters — down from a peak of 69,000 last January “Because of the decisions we have made and the policies we have implemented including opening up our tent-based humanitarian relief centers and advocating for changes to national border policies our administration has effectively moved to the opposite side of the mountain we were forced to climb,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. News of the planned closures came days after the Federal Emergency Management Agency rescinded more than $80 million in funding the city had planned to use to house migrants in hotels. While Adams has vowed to work with President Donald Trump’s “border czar” to crack down on what the mayor described as “violent migrant gangs” in the city — saying he would soon allow U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to operate on Rikers Island and deploy more NYPD detectives to federal task forces — his administration pushed back against the funding clawback “While we conduct an internal investigation into how this occurred our office has already engaged with the White House about recouping these funds and we’ve requested an emergency meeting with FEMA to try and resolve the matter as quickly as possible,” Adams’ deputy press secretary “The Corporation Counsel is already exploring various litigation options,” Garcia said The Red Cross is now assisting seven households after a five-alarm fire in Queens Village severely damaged their homes Saturday night “It breaks my heart to see this happen,” Anthony Gagliardi who owns a business right next to the affected homes Mamun said he is hoping to salvage what little he can He lived here with his wife and two daughters and the Department of Buildings is investigating the structural integrity of the homes Hammond said it was her dog that alerted her to the trouble The FDNY says more than 200 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene and it took nearly two hours to get the fire under control “Right now I’m feeling like I’m homeless,” Mamun said The fire left at least one home with burned and charred interiors according to a Department of Buildings report Officials said all injuries sustained by both civilians and first responders are minor Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Scott Chiang has been charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon after search warrants executed at his home in Queens Village and a storage unit in Port Washington including eight ghost guns and six assault weapons Chiang is a former FBI agent and current EMT and head of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York District Attorney Katz said: “Individuals who choose to stockpile lethal illegal firearms in Queens need to think again and my office will continue to meticulously go after illegal firearms and those who manufacture and use them Thanks to the work of my Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau the seized weapons allegedly purchased and assembled by this defendant – including six assault weapons – will not be used to cause damage and heartbreak in our communities.” was arraigned Friday on a 242-count criminal complaint charging him with criminal possession of a weapon in the first criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree make/transport/dispose/deface weapons and dangerous instruments unlawful possession of a pistol or revolver ammunition and lack of a certificate of registration Criminal Court Judge Germaine Auguste remanded Chiang and ordered him to return to court on October 31 members of her Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau conducted a long-term investigation into the defendant’s online purchase of polymer-based which can easily be assembled into operable firearms that are untraceable The possession of ghost guns and ghost gun parts is illegal in the state of New York officers from the New York Police Department’s Financial Crimes Task Force Homeland Security Investigations and the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau executed a court-authorized search warrant of Chiang’s Queens Village residence The following were recovered during the search: While the search warrant was being executed a postal carrier delivered a package to Chiang’s residence containing a complete Glock pistol slide and barrel DA Katz said that an additional court-authorized search warrant was executed on October 10 at Chiang’s Port Washington storage unit A check conducted of the License and Permit Systems database revealed that Chiang does not hold a license to possess or own firearms in New York City despite having previously worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation 151 ghost guns have been seized in Queens so far this year The Queens District Attorney’s Office’s successful investigations and prosecution of numerous ghost gun manufacturers and traffickers has resulted in Queens leading all of New York City in the total number of ghost gun recoveries since 2021 The investigation was conducted by members of the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau under the supervision of Sergeant Joseph Oliver and Deputy Chief Janet Helgeson and under the overall supervision of Chief Investigator Robert C with NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force Detectives Michael McCaffrey under the supervision of Inspector Igor Pinkhasov and Inspector Scott Henry of the NYPD Crimes Against Persons Unit under the overall supervision of Assistant Chief Jason Savino with assistance from Senior Intelligence Analyst Victoria Filipe and Trial Prep Assistants Rudina Osmani and Helen Doddato of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau DA Katz would also like to thank members of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office as well as the Nassau County Police Department and Port Washington Police Department for their assistance is prosecuting the case under the joint supervision of Assistant District Attorney Shanon LaCorte and Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Sennett Bureau Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Investigations Gerard Brave CANTON − A local group of women has formed an organization aimed primarily at reducing the incidence of Black infant morality and to teach mothers to help their babies thrive Queens Village started in Cincinnati about seven years ago and can be found in most of Ohio's eight largest cities "It came out of the city of Canton's THRIVE Initiative which a lot of people are familiar with," said Andrea Ramsey director of multicultural services at Malone University Canton's and Stark County's specifically were among the highest rates in the country at the time We applied for a grant with the Canton Health Department to be part of the intervention." What does Queen's Village Canton do?Queen's Village has three essential goals − cultural competency or improving communication between Black patients and health-care providers; financial literacy; and childcare in the form of support for mothers Poverty adversely impacts infant-mortality rates "When we start talking about the social determinants of health there are certain locations where there are a lack of things that help people thrive "If you check any of the statistics through our Health Department you'll find that the prevalence of almost every chronic illness is higher There are a lot of programs that are available but do people take advantage of them consistently and specifically African-American people?" A healthy boost 'It's huge.' New grocery & health clinic gives residents in SE Canton healthy options Monique Compton coordinates programming and events for Queen's Village Canton She joined after seeing the need for such an organization I'm educated and didn't grow up in poverty but I had some complications with my pregnancy," she said which I had no idea about until I actually got it but it's kind of prevalent with African-Americans I just felt really bad and my doctor was like we're gonna have to take her baby.' My blood pressure was really high I want to spread the word because a lot of people don't even know what it is Compton said Queen's Village Canton partners with other organizations such as the YWCA They also sponsor a "Sisters Circle" support group and Red Cross-certified babysitting training to help young people become entrepreneurs "Although our primary target is to work with pregnant moms and families we try to broaden our scope a little bit," she said a retired Canton City Schools educator and a math teacher at Heritage Christian School said she became involved to help families understand the importance of finances "We want to help our parents try to get an understanding of financial literacy because I see a lot of our parents spending money on things that they probably should not be spending it on," she said or do something more to help with their financial stability and build wealth Queens Village is about helping othersPatricia Hopkins Williams said she joined to help the young families she serves in her tax business improve their financial acumen "The reason that I really got involved is because I love kids Lots of young people come and get their taxes done 'What are you doing with this money that you get from the Child Tax Credit or the American Opportunity Credit when you're in college?' So I'm educating or trying to educate my clients." Williams said parents need much more support they gave me a 100-page (instruction) book," she said Compton and Ramsey said they hope to partner with hospitals to improve communication Compton said she's spoken with numerous Black mothers who've said that their birthing experiences were bad because their concerns were ignored when a nurse ignored her instructions not to bottle-feed her newborn son "So I didn't end up breastfeeding him as long because she totally messed up our (schedule)," she said "I don't know if she would she have done that to a white lady but I feel like she just totally disregarded my wishes as a mother." Queens Village also advocates the use of doulas and midwives which Ramsey notes has long been a Black tradition "We have to start thinking in our own minds about some of the ways that we got here and how we've been sustained and embrace that again," she said Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com Queens Village Canton will screen a free movie, "Toxic: A Black Woman's Story," from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Canton Palace Theater. To register, visit queensvillagecanton.org or the group's Facebook page at facebook.com/qvcanton allegedly used to make the guns.QUEENS VILLAGE Queens (WABC) -- A man in Queens is under arrest and charged with making a cache of ghost guns in his home That is when Jonathon Diaz of Queens Village was arrested Diaz could face 15 years in prison if convicted Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Mayor Eric Adams vowed Sunday that he will remain in office as calls for his resignation or removal continue to grow within the Democratic Party I’m facing a new devil,” Adams said while speaking to worshippers at a Baptist church in Queens Village Adams leaned on his faith while addressing the congregation He insisted he would remain in office despite mounting criticism. "They danced on my grave when I was indicted And I was stated that 'you will spend 35 years in jail for something you didn't do.' And God said His remarks come as a growing number of elected officials question his leadership. Some within his own party have suggested he should step down. The scrutiny came days after at least seven prosecutors resigned rather than carry out a directive from the Justice Department to dismiss corruption charges against Adams. Asked if he had recently spoken with state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins—who has shared doubts about his ability to lead—Adams sidestepped the question And I'm looking forward to the great work I'm going to continue to do,” he said Adams emphasized his faith and commitment to the city Queens Village was a stronghold of support for him in the 2021 primary With the Democratic mayoral primary four months away in June Adams faces multiple challengers as he seeks reelection. Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardPhilly’s hottest food neighborhood | Let’s EatThe latest ‘it’ ingredient on chef’s menus; Thanksgiving takeout ideas; and a New York restaurant is coming to Philadelphia The ingredient: A dried seaweed called gamtae is the new luxury ingredient on restaurant menus. Goodbye, caviar? (Not quite.) Thanksgiving takeout: Really, you don’t have to cook. NYC restaurant on the way: Pig & Khao, a Filipino spot, is headed to the Kensington space that, until last weekend, housed Martha. New restaurants: Previews of Rooster’s in Glenside and Almanac in Old City and word of a popular sushi spot’s expansion Scroll down for a preview photo of a stunning upcoming Center City restaurant — Mike Klein If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here It’s called gamtae, and — as Kiki Aranita reports — chefs around here are using it for the blast of umami it imparts to everything it touches. Can’t (or won’t) cook for Thanksgiving? There’s always takeout. Check out our growing list of options, and let us know what we should add. and mainstays Fork and Ristorante Panorama Cake & Joe’s Pennsport location (1401 E Moyamensing Ave.) reopened Wednesday after a renovation who have another location at 2012 Frankford Ave. are opening a third this spring at 1735 Market St and Albert Zhen are offering food and drink menus of what they call “reimagined American classics with Japanese twists.” who won a 2024 Beard award with his cocktail book Slow Drinks There will be a “bartender’s choice” cocktail option and a two-tiered pricing system (standard and “reserve”) Chef Carlos Wills’ food: miso-glazed chicken wings karaage chicken sandwiches (that’s one shown above) Five seats at the bar will be available for walk-ins and a long banquette with several tables (15 total seats) will be up for grabs on Resy Glenside gets a new family-friendly pub Friday from the people behind suburban spots Stove & Tap and chef Joe Monnich) as well as Jasper’s Backyard (Chris Magarity) A top-to-bottom remake of Keswick Tavern, Rooster’s is poignant for Moyer, who grew up — and still lives — near Keswick Village and the Keswick Theater. Rooster was the nickname of his father, Danny Moyer, a community fixture who died in April The 90-seater (including an enormous 40-seat horseshoe-shape bar and back room) is decorated with local lore Taste of Fairmount, showcasing the Art Museum District’s bars and restaurants, is 6-9 p.m. Nov. 21 at Girard College’s Founder’s Hall. Proceeds benefit Fairmount CDC. Details are here. Wine writer Marnie Old touts a California zinfandel, on sale in Pennsylvania, that’s “dry-farmed.” No drought about it how did Champagne buyers react in Pennsylvania Find out if you know the answer. the gem of a sushi/ramen spot on Arch Street in Old City The Instagram is indeed showing a new spot under construction Andy Kho and Steven Lin are expanding next door into what previously was ICI 📮 Have a question about food in Philly? E-mail your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use including the grant of rights in Section 10 Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboard30 reasons why Queen Village is the hottest food neighborhood in Philly right nowWhat's new: Ramen specialists and Kazakh spots — and one of Philly's fanciest new restaurants Philadelphia’s restaurant hotbeds are Fishtown and the perennially popular Rittenhouse Square I’d argue that Philadelphia’s hottest food neighborhood is Queen Village home of mainstays such as Royal Sushi & Izakaya 30 new restaurants and food retailers have opened or will open in the coming weeks in and around the neighborhood whose formal boundaries are Lombard Street to Washington Avenue and Front to Sixth Streets The newcomers span cuisines and price points There are two ramen specialists; three Mexican restaurants (two side by side on Lombard Street); BYOBs representing Peruvian and Kazakh cooking; a chocolatier; a bakery and gelato shop under one roof; and a special-occasion restaurant behind a door secured with a combination lock » READ MORE: What to do on South Street A few of the 30 are technically a block outside Queen Village’s boundaries, but nonetheless are integral parts of the neighborhood scene. Also worth noting is the historic re-creation of A Man Full of Trouble Tavern opening soon just a few blocks north in Society Hill at 127 Spruce St Adoro spent time at Center City’s La Viola and La Verona before taking over the corner of East Passyunk Avenue and Catharine Street with his own low-key Along with modest-priced standards (figure low-$20s for chicken Parm and chicken marsala) are shrimp risotto Capri one table” as the tagline of this polished Italian-Mediterranean bar-restaurant They bought the building (which previously housed Fiore Fine Foods) and added a pergola for seasonal outdoor dining The front-of-the-house face is Arjan Parllaku helping to run La Fontana Della Citta near Rittenhouse Square Entrees are mostly in the $20s for pasta into the low $40s for short rib and rack of lamb ESO Ramen Workshop This is the temporary, six-seat incarnation of favorite Neighborhood Ramen while owners Jesse Pryor and Lindsay Steigerwald await their visas for a planned relocation to Japan ESO — as in “esoteric” — operates first come Jerk Fry City Abbygale Bloomfield of Southwest Philadelphia’s vaunted Kingston 11 has brought her Jamaican cooking to South Street with a takeout shop offering jerk fried chicken Momoka Ramen The casual ramen shop from Northeast Philadelphia has expanded into the glass-mosaic-clad building near Fifth and Bainbridge Streets that previously housed Algorithm Vegan Grill and use a marker to choose your ramen build Orale Venezuela Venezuelan-born Jesus Contreras and Marilyn Gutierrez Rivera’s BYOB in the former Catahoula space specializes in Venezuelan cuisine Breakfast (from 10 a.m.) includes empanadas and pastelitos andinos while you can score dishes like parrillada mixto and tacos (on corn or flour tortillas) the rest of the day Recommendation: the capachas with shredded beef Provenance Chef Nich Bazik’s ambitious French-inspired atelier on Headhouse Square delivers nearly two dozen intricate courses in handsome quarters tucked behind a door secured by a keypad Samuel Gritz Public House The crew from the Institute — Charlie Collazo and Frank Bell III — have reworked the Irish Times at Second and Bainbridge Streets into a quaint corner barroom that spans several levels which is topped with Gorgonzola and bacon on a potato bun Note the late-night happy hours starting at 10 p.m Silk Way, 507 S Kazakhstan is at the crossroads of central Asia and Olzhas Karymsakov’s menu pays tribute to the food of his native land (he’s the son of a restaurateur) and beshbarmak in a simple but cozy dining room Birdhouse Gelato and The Underbite Bites A gelateria and bakery sharing core values — ethical sourcing ecological consciousness — will jointly operate inside the former Dessert Good Good Chocolates Eight-plus years after launching her artisanal chocolate brand It’s a 300-square-foot showroom for her chocolate bars previously housed at MaKen Studios North in Kensington Loretta’s The female-led team behind the neighboring Bloomsday (and Green Engine Coffee) — Kelsey Bush and D’Onna Stubblefield — are days away from the soft-opening of this café/bakery offering sweet and savory viennoiserie-style pastries Majdal Bakery Saturday will be the brick-and-mortar debut of this Levantine bakery from Kenan Rabah who emigrated from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights in 2015 and rose to head baker before leaving in January to go the pop-up route with a line of tarts and breads Nikki Lopez Live-music venue from New York scenesters Nikki Lopez and Matthew Paneth on the former site of Dobbs quality cocktails” and a food menu consisting of hot dogs Roxanne who made waves in the Italian Market with her quirky tasting menus is moving into Queen & Rook’s former space with a bigger footprint running events in the new space but sold out for the rest of the year will open for regular reservations in 2025 Scampi who hit the radar through her Couch Cafe pop-ups is setting up a supper-club-style BYOB in the former Neighborhood Ramen space with a fixed-price menu featuring monthly focuses on various regions of Italy seen through the lens of her Oklahoma upbringing Alma de Mexico Bon Kif Grill Hamid Taleb owns restaurants in his native Tunisia but during the pandemic he operated a trucking company in the United States He opened this cheery cafe on South Street about a year ago and he has an on-site baker making the plump Braza’s BBQ Chicken The Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken and salchipapas are staples at Juan Placencia’s storefront Brooklyn Dumpling Shop You get your dumplings over a counter at any other restaurant, but here they’re served Automat-style — hot or cold — at this quick-service chain (founded in Manhattan) There is seating at small tables on the ground floor and a dining room upstairs Jim’s South Street Nam Chon The “grand opening” sign still hangs behind the counter at this homey year-old Korean BYOB where the Yi family offers free banchan and the menu highlights includes cheese tteokbokki It’s open from noon till late every day but Tuesday Queen & Rook Game Cafe Edward Garcia and Jeannie Wong have relocated and expanded their game cafe in the former Pietro’s pizzeria around the corner from their original location Ramiz The $15 weekday early bird dinner (4 to 6 p.m.) is the draw at this modern, white-tablecloth Turkish/Mediterranean bar-restaurant, which owner Sal Kucuk refashioned recently from Leziz Room 148 This chill date-night destination in the old Las Bugambilias spot is known for its Taco Tuesday promotions and DJs on Friday and Saturday and stays open till midnight every night but Friday and Saturday Shiso There’s a secret weapon behind the counter at this smart-looking ramen and sushi bar-restaurant in the former Serpico: sushi chef Yonten Gyamtso who works from a menu but will gladly go off-script if asked (sit at the sushi counter for the true experience) Tuesday to Thursday and wraps things up at 9 Taco Man El Rancho Viejo has given way to this all-day Mexican spot where Joel Orellana Hernandez’s from-scratch food (asada and especially the lengua tacos) generates solid word-of-mouth praise Tamalex Bar & Grill The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan enjoyed this family-owned cantina near Headhouse Square a more-polished offshoot of the humble Italian Market original with plenty of seating for larger parties and “beach resort”-style cocktails up at the bar Wim Cafe The chic Yowie hotel hosts this bright cafe serving a morning-till-midafternoon menu of coffees and light food Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.