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 that Tamir Khan was sentenced today to seven to 21 years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed Inderdeo John and Charles Harris John was driving Harris to his job as a custodian at a nearby public school when Khan sped through a stop sign and slammed into the victims’ car DA Katz said: “The reckless and selfish behavior of the defendant who chose to get behind the wheel after drinking cost two men their lives and left a wide circle of family and friends heartbroken This is yet one more example of a preventable tragedy caused by drunk driving.” pleaded guilty in July to aggravated vehicular homicide in satisfaction of all charges against him Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise sentenced him today to seven to 21 years in prison Assistant District Attorney Katherine McCabe of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark 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 QUEENS, NY — A Queens man was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Thursday for firing at police officers during a standoff at his South Ozone Park residence in September 2021 The confrontation began with an altercation between Marco Mosquera and escalated into a violent standoff involving firearms District Attorney Melinda Katz said the defendant’s actions endangered both his wife and law enforcement personnel “It is due to the victim’s bravery and the professionalism of the NYPD that tragedy was averted,” she said in a statement Mosquera barricaded himself in the home and fired multiple shots one of which shattered a glass door panel and struck an officer’s boot escaped by jumping out of a second-story window Officers covered her with a ballistic blanket as the defendant continued firing at them Mosquera eventually surrendered after being injured during the exchange of gunfire and was taken into custody Justice Michal Yavinsky imposed the sentence © 2008-2025 - Shore News Media & Marketing Ltd 2024 at 3:31 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}No injuries were reported from the incident NY— A car explosion in a New York City neighborhood damaged a number of nearby homes and vehicles on Friday morning A 2011 Infiniti SUV exploded on 133rd Street near 131st Avenue in South Ozone Park just before 7 a.m. Leaking gas tanks may have sparked the explosion in the SUV that was left on the street and parked overnight, according to a ABC7NY report "This vehicle was being used also for some construction There were some pressurized cylinders in the vehicle One of those cylinders experienced a failure That experienced this catastrophic explosion of the car," FDNY Deputy Chief George Healy said in a statement The explosion shattered windows on five homes and five other cars No injuries were reported from the incident Fire officials will determine the official cause of the explosion Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. (NYRA) has announced the addition of a day of live racing on Wednesday April 23 as part of the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park N.Y.Following the cancellation of live racing on Sunday the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) requested and have received formal approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to conduct live racing on April 23 at Aqueduct leading to its biggest card being run on a Tuesday following Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 2024  – In a major victory for community activism the MTA has announced the reinstatement of the southbound Q10 bus stop on 130th Street and Sutter Avenue in South Ozone Park Queens.  The decision comes after months of tireless advocacy by residents spearheaded by the office of Senator Sanders and District Leader Richard David The bus stop's removal last summer significantly disrupted commutes particularly for elderly and disabled residents who relied on the service The hardship sparked a determined campaign to restore the vital transit link From late last year through the start of 2024 our office stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the resilient residents of South Ozone Park  and District Leader Richard David in their fight to reinstate the crucial bus stop The Office of Senator Sanders joined the petitioning efforts back in October 2023 helped rally residents to make their voices heard at the MTA general board meeting.  After months of unwavering advocacy the MTA finally announced at the Queens Community Board 10 meeting that the bus stop would be restored bringing much-needed relief to the South Ozone Park community "I am thrilled the MTA will reinstate the Q10 bus stop at 130th Street and Sutter Avenue going towards JFK.  This wouldn't have happened without our community coming together," said Michelle Yaskel "I felt proud to be part of the organization advocating for the reinstatement of the bus stop alongside my fellow residents underscores concerns about the MTA's broader Queens Bus Network Redesign which would replace the Q10 with the Q9 along the 130th Street corridor District Leader Richard David emphasizes the importance of community input: "The MTA's initial decision undermined public trust but they must work with the community regarding the Queens Bus Redesign to avoid future conflict." who played a pivotal role in organizing the advocacy effort highlights the potential hardships of the redesign: "The MTA needs to prioritize fairness Replacing the Q10 with the Q9 is an undue burden on our neighborhood.. It undermines accessibility and affordability." tensions remain high as residents express opposition to the MTA's broader Queens Bus Network Redesign Senator Sanders' office reaffirms its commitment to the community: "Our office stands with South Ozone Park We will continue to fight for fairness and ensure residents' voices are central to decisions that impact their lives." Access to affordable and nutritious food is one of the cornerstones of good health individuals—and communities—are at a higher risk of food insecurity and serious chronic diseases we must recognize that each neighborhood has a distinct food environment These Foodscape reports provide a community-level snapshot of a community’s food environment including data on healthy and unhealthy food consumption the reports detail a comprehensive guide of the many food-related resources available to residents within their neighborhoods to support them in eating healthier The Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center has compiled this information from various sources presenting it in a user-friendly format to help NYC residents and communities better understand their local foodscapes these three resources provide a comprehensive food-related guide to each New York City neighborhood To view information on South Ozone Park/Howard Beach Community Gardens https://web.archive.org/web/20230608053341/https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/south-ozone-park-howard-beach/ Article Image: “New York City (NYC) Neighborhood Maps – By Borough – Queens.” NYCdata https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/population-geography/maps-boroughs.htm Write for The New York City Food Policy Center is always on the look out for innovative, intelligent writers who can produce high-quality, research-based content. Read more here: https://nycfoodpolicy.org/write-nyc-food-policy-center/ Copyright © 2021 Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center By: Vanessa Londono 6:30 am on February 28 Permits have been filed for a 13-story hotel building at 144-06 135th Avenue in South Ozone Park Located between 142nd Street and Inwood Street JFK Hotel Partners LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications The proposed 123-foot-tall development will yield 70,390 square feet designated for commercial space with an average room scope of 330 square feet The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar Gene Kaufman Architect is listed as the architect of record Demolition permits have not been filed yet An estimated completion date has not been announced Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews oh no Gene kaufman architects another piece of crap hotel This has become the JFK hotel neighborhood you can’t walk to the vibrant Guyanese neighborhood ga('send', 'event', 'beautyofblock', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Standard_336x280-100-2.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'PCRichards Builders Division', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PCR_Beko_Compact_YIMB_336x280.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'yimby+', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image.png', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram var sb_instagram_js_options = {"font_method":"svg","placeholder":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png","resized_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sb-instagram-feed-images\/","ajax_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php"}; © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY® LLC YIMBY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF NIKOLAI FEDAK / NEW YORK YIMBY LLC The Best New Restaurants in Queens, According to Eater Editors The Best New Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Eater Editors The Best New Restaurants in Manhattan in May, According to Eater Editors Where to find Trinidadian-Indian mango curries and garlic knot crust pizzas in this culturally diverse section of Queens and an old-school kulfi machine dot this large swath of Southeast Queens made up by South Ozone Park and Ozone Park The two adjacent neighborhoods meet at the Aqueduct Racetrack and busy corridors of commerce and public buses pulsate along Lefferts Boulevard which provides a straight shot to nearby Rockaway Beach The restaurants here reflect the mix of older Italian immigrants who came in the early 20th century and the newer entrepreneurs from the Caribbean, Muslim South Asia, and Latin America. South Ozone Park stands out for being home to one of the highest Caribbean immigrant populations of Asian descent and the Trinidadian restaurants in this area dole out West Indian classics with Indian and Chinese influences that reflect the formerly British-occupied country’s history of indentured servitude that followed the 1833 abolition of slavery Local residents and homesick Caribbeans now line up for ground yellow pea-stuffed rotis that get dipped into mango curry fluffy flatbread sandwiches filled with channa Here are 13 restaurants to check out in one of NYC’s most diverse neighborhoods The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here Gastropub-like fare had been missing in Ozone Park so Culinary Institute of America graduate Andrew Basdeo Kimberly Mohan — both with lifelong connections to the neighborhood — sought to change that with the 2017 opening of The Local Press all the meats are sourced from Pat La Frieda chicken and waffles are paired with honey butter and six kinds of fries — including truffle parmesan and sweet potato — come with a choice of nine sauces like truffle aioli and chipotle mayo This Pakistani-owned fast food halal joint on the busy intersection of Liberty Avenue and Cross Bay Boulevard serves typical food cart fare like chicken over rice cooked to order at $5 for two pieces or $8 for a platter stand out This brick-and-mortar outpost of Arepalicious whose arepacones shot them to fame at the Queens Night Market in 2013 has found a spacious home along the busy thoroughfare of Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park and dine-in guests come for their signature arepacones pastries like tres leches from the bakery section juices made from frozen guava and soursop pulp at the juice bar and hot foods like traditional Colombian sancocho and mondongo along with eight types of loaded fries and four versions of hot dogs like the choriperro with pineapple sauce A post shared by Arepalicious (@arepaliciousny) This rare gem of an NYC agaveria specializes in agave-based spirits including the sweet and hard-to-find sotol produced from wild agave plants; and pulque The mezcal and tequila also make their way into the overflowing cocktail list that goes well with the modern Mexican food that includes beer-braised brisket tacos with habanero sauce A post shared by Modern Mexican Kitchen (@kandela_nyc) Peri peri chicken and Pakistani tandoor cooking join forces on the menu of the recently opened Flames restaurant in the quiet residential area down 101st Avenue in Ozone Park The fusion is conspicuous in the boneless peri peri chicken roll wrapped in naan Owner Umar Aslam serves up the peri peri chicken in other ways or quarter chicken with a choice of spice levels and flavors like mango-lime and lemon-herb Its Pakistani fare shines with both traditional and playful touches: chicken kabab twisted and baked into sesame seed-sprinkled naan dough; seven kinds of naan with stuffings that include minced chicken and mozzarella; tikka and kebabs finished off in a tandoori flame; and pink Kashmiri tea loaded with pistachio Umar Aslam says all the meat is halal to serve the Muslim Pakistani Indian and Middle Eastern community in the neighborhood Where to Get Wings in and Around Boston on Super Bowl Sunday How to Have a Great Takeout Picnic in Boston S&A West Indian Restaurant has been doling out beloved Trinidadian dishes for so long that generations of local families claim it their favorite Since co-owner Savi Samsair opened the local institution in 1996 (originally on Hillside Avenue before opening its current spot under the A train tracks in 2005) locals have been lining up for her aloo pies (brought out hot and steaming throughout the day by her husband co-owner and chef Shane) and filled with a choice of around 30 curries and stewed pumpkin talkari are big hits here and roti (a rolled-up pizza pie-sized flatbread) Add any of Samsair’s housemade chutneys — mango and a spicy “mother-in-law” made from about 20 different ingredients — for an extra kick of flavor Samsair has put the business up for sale — though she may stay on in an agreed-upon capacity — so come quick A post shared by S&A West Indian Restaurant (@s_a_west_indian_restaurant) Owner Nick Agola and chef Suad Cecunjanin of Sofia’s Pizza have up to 52 types of pizza slices out at a time That prodigiousness reflects inventiveness and agility that have led to the creation of their garlic knot crust pizza pies where whole garlic knots adorn the edge of the pie to be pulled apart and dipped in a side of tomato sauce between bites of each slice and mushroom balsamic pizzas also delight as do the mini pepperoni pastry sticks Its biggest hits among entrees are penne vodka with grilled chicken and fettuccine alfredo with grilled shrimp — those are just two of 28 dishes on offer A post shared by Sofia's Pizza (@sofiaspizza) Don Peppe’s calling card — with praises sung to it in Hollywood — is its baked clams The linguine with white clam sauce is a close second This Italian restaurant dates back to 1942 — originally in Brooklyn with a move to Queens in 1968 — and it serves huge family-style portions of old-school classics like chicken with butter and lemon and it’s on a blackboard at the back wall of the large one-room restaurant Go hungry — or with friends — and bring cash A post shared by DON PEPPE (@donpeppenyc) Locals favoring Latin American dishes line up in front of El Campeon de los Pollos where an expansive L-shaped steam table holds no-frills Dominican classics: chicken stew arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) Dessert flan and bread pudding are also on deck A post shared by NYC Restaurant Champ (@nycrestaurantchamp) lines in front of this Trinidadian-Indian-owned institution haven’t wavered curving around the corner of Lefferts Boulevard and 111th Avenue in an otherwise quiet section of South Ozone Park Hungry fans of Trinidadian and Caribbean food enjoy their rotis — both the plain and the dhal puri filled with crumbly ground split pea — dipped into their favorite chicken curry and goat curry palm-sized fried dough sandwiches filled with channa and chutneys are also favorites Since owner Samantha Rivera opened Tics on the busy thoroughfare of Rockaway Boulevard in December 2020 it’s quickly become a new local favorite for West Indian food that incorporates Trinidadian The menu boasts classics like fried banga mary (a light white-fleshed Caribbean fish found in coastal marine waters) The spacious blue-hued restaurant has booths in the back for a music-filled lounge setting once it opens to dine-in guests Dar Al-yemen’s calling card is its succulent and spiced lamb which appears in the haneed (marinated and slow-cooked lamb served over rice with vegetable curry) fahsha (lamb chunks stewed in tomato sauce with fresh coriander) and saltah (minced lamb stew with tomato sauce makes for a foot-long stunner inside the four-table dining room whose beautiful tiling runs up and wraps around the ceiling Desserts like fattah tammar (dates and chapatti flatbread pieces with olive oil and sesame oil) and masoub with banana locals make their way over to Satguru Sweets for its samosa chaat fried leavened puri bread; and palak paneer with corn roti; and other home-style northern Indian vegetarian food housemade sweets like barfi milk cake; round crumbly peda cookies; and flaxseed pinni balls line the glass counters There’s also a crunchy snack bar where guests can mix up fried lentils and garlic sev sticks from fried gram chickpea flour Satguru Sweets is the rare NYC spot with a traditional kulfi machine that holds dozens of long nut-studded rockets of the milky ice cream A post shared by Dre (@drebrooklyn) Joe Cerese of South Ozone Park with a Senate Citation acknowledging his service to our country and community I like to say that every day is Veterans Day and I will continue to work on improving the services our veterans receive when they return home.” South Ozone Park residents discarded water-damaged mattresses and other items Sue Chong and her family woke up on Saturday morning to a distinctive The stench of human waste was coming from the basement of their home who has lived in South Ozone Park for 11 years.  and the homes of hundreds of other neighborhood residents she and her family strapped plastic bags onto their feet descended into their basement and used buckets to scoop out the filthy water They ran up and down the stairs a “hundred times,” Chong said that the family struggled to shovel it out fast enough The work went on for hours until the water receded but it rose once again — this time from the bathtub The Saturday sludge flood was the latest sewer problem in a part of Queens long plagued by wastewater problems.  then this could have been avoided,” she said A Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson told the Eagle that sewers are regularly inspected and that the South Ozone Park sewers were checked last month and Chong said she worried about the long term health impact of the lingering sewage water.  “What is the odor doing to us?” Chong said Some residents told the Eagle they experienced  fevers sore forearms from bucketing water for hours and vomiting in the aftermath of the sewer backup.  Residents have also reported having no hot water and say they are unable to take proper showers and then scoop the water from the bucket to clean themselves City officials had suggested staying away from the sewage water but many residents said they had to wade through the muck to save their possessions “We couldn’t stop we [had] to go” Chong said.  Other residents said the predominantly African-American neighborhood has been ignored by the city and its infrastructure has been left to decay for decades.  who has lived in South Ozone Park for 50 years told the Eagle that the city “raised the street” after a sewage backup a few years earlier The water rose three feet high in his house Saturday and it’s “still coming up,” he said Monday night He had been working relentlessly to pump out the water himself until city officials came to assist him a few days after the initial backup.  who has lived in South Ozone Park for three  years said the water originally rose to 3 feet in his basement and then subsided The sewage  left 80 percent of his basement submerged and he says “no one Though the DEP asked several residents to sign up for pumps several residents who spoke with the Eagle said they never received them One resident said he had spent $2,000 just for pumps to maintain the water level in his basement and after a few days A DEP spokesperson said that the city was providing pumps and that if “homeowners request that their basement be pumped Christian Perez said the water approached his basement ceiling “Everything is gone downstairs,”said Perez who has lived in South Ozone Park for 13 years.  The water surged quickly through drains around the house Community board district needs statements and 311 complaints from residents show that sewer maintenance has long been a neglected issue in the area.  The city’s 311 municipal services line recorded 137 sewage complaints from residents in zip code 11436, the same zip code city officials now ask to reduce water usage The majority of the calls were marked as closed Culvert Blocked/Need Cleaning to other problems Area residents made 13 complaints to 311 in the month of November alone.  Nearly every Queens Community Board 12 District Needs Statements since 2008 has cited the inadequate sewers stating in several introduction clauses that the “sewers are inadequate to serve our community needs.” They have consistently requested for the DEP to inspect sanitary and storm sewers on “specific street segments.” Residents from other South Jamaica zip codes reported 235 and 578 sewer complaints this year South Jamaica has reported 1086 sewer complaints this year 700 of which specifically complained about sewer backups.  The DEP spokesperson said the city investigates every 311 call.  are “regularly inspected and cleaned” and he  cited “[g]rease/fats and oil improperly disposed of down the drain” as the “number one cause of sewer backups citywide.”  the city has yet to determine the cause of the latest Southeast Queens sewage blockage until officials can “get into the sewer and get eyes on it.” The DEP now advises residents to request whatever services they may need at a service center and also to contact their home insurance carriers crews are going into each house to do necessary cleaning,” the DEP spokesperson said “The Comptroller’s team is on site to work on reimbursement for property damage.” Home / Law / Crime / Politics / Communities / Voices / All Stories / Who We Are / Terms and Conditions By: Vanessa Londono 6:30 am on January 15 Permits have been filed for a 13-story hotel building at 144-02 135th Avenue in South Ozone Park, Queens. Located between 143rd Street and 145th Street, the interior lot is adjacent to the John F. Kennedy International Airport The proposed 127-foot-tall development will yield 142,059 square feet with 126,558 square feet designated for commercial space with an average unit scope of 310 square feet The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar but no accessory parking Demolition permits have not been filed yet for the 12-story hotel building on the site “Permits have been filed for a 13-story hotel building” “The building will have 408 residences” “Gene Kaufman Architect is listed as the architect of record.” 2021A driver is miraculously expected to survive after crashing into a pole in the South Ozone Park section of Queens Monday night.SOUTH OZONE PARK Queens (WABC) -- A driver is miraculously expected to survive after crashing into a pole in the South Ozone Park section of Queens Monday night The 32-year-old driver was ejected from his 2018 Honda Pilot when he lost control of the SUV just before 11:30 p.m The eastbound Pilot struck a parked unoccupied car and then slammed into a wooden telephone pole who is studying to enter the medical field "I decided to push him over because I wanted to make sure he was alive," Ramkhellawan said "The first thing I did was check for a pulse Thank God he was still breathing," she said where he is in critical condition but expected to survive The cause of the crash is under investigation ALSO READ | Where are the most rats being spotted in New York City? * More Queens news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube