New Square, NY - Firefighters File Complaint Against Official
New Square, NY - Hillcrest firefighters have filed a criminal complaint claiming they had cornered two boys they believed were setting fires, but a village official helped them escape, saying they were involved in a religious ritual.
Fire officials also told police that New Square residents gathered and became hostile to firefighters Sunday evening as they tried to follow the two boys, according to the complaint.
The complaint, which seeks a criminal charge against the New Square official, was filed with Ramapo police.
New Square leaders said the children were not setting fires but were burning non-kosher food in a religious preparation for Passover's start tomorrow.
Deputy Mayor Israel Spitzer said the children were burning challah bread and were supervised by adults. He said firefighters had been called to another fire and noticed the fire on Bush Lane as they were leaving.
"Maybe they were frustrated for some reason," Spitzer said. "They jumped out in a rush as if there was a terrible situation. And they handled it without control. They overreacted."
The fire officials are seeking a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of governmental administration against the New Square official.
posted by VOS IZ NEIAS @ 4/11/2006 12:22:00 PM
14 Comments:
At 12:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel yesterday said the department would investigate. Fire officials met with police Sunday night. Weidel said he planned to meet with New Square officials after Passover.
"We're trying to sort everything out," Weidel said.
The fire officials are seeking a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of governmental administration against the New Square official.
Weidel blacked out the 38-year-old man's name when providing a copy of the complaint. He said the man had not been charged.
The complaint was filed by 2nd Assistant Chief Kim Weppler and Molston Fire District Commissioner Herb Silverstein.
According to the complaint, after dousing a fire on Jefferson Avenue, firefighters saw two boys lighting fires between two houses on Bush Lane. The firefighters surrounded the boys and called Ramapo police.
The unnamed community official told the firefighters that the boys were involved in a religious rite and told the boys to go home.
Weppler and other firefighters attempted to follow the boys, but they got away.
In the meantime, "a large group of residents was forming and becoming hostile towards the firemen," the report quoted Weppler as telling the police.
"According to Weppler, the residents were telling the firemen to leave the village," the report stated.
Spitzer said a crowd formed because many children and adults felt confused and intimated by the firefighters.
"The relationship is fine on our end," Spitzer said of the firefighters. "I want to stress that we are very, very concerned about the safety of our residents. Our No. 1 priority is to make sure no one gets injured in a fire situation."
Last year, the Hillcrest Fire Department, which covers the village, responded to 69 calls — 33 of which were for fires.
Rockland Fire and Emergency Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said since an article last month in The Journal News detailed firefighters' safety concerns, he had noticed an increase in trash-bin fires in the village.
Wren said that while he visited the village last week he was speaking with a village official and in his rearview mirror saw a 6-foot-high fire coming out of a 40-yard trash bin.
"It's a bad situation," Wren said. "Someone is responsible for starting the fires. It's kind of like harassment of the firefighters."
Spitzer said village residents were aware of the article and had "made special efforts to make sure that no one takes the law in their own hands and that nobody responds with any false alarms or other ways to get the fire department aggravated."
At 1:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
This Spitzer guy is a Deputy Mayor? He should go back to high school and learn how to speak English.
At 2:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
No Riots?
At 3:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
well the little kids learn from the adults how they act towards authority and then they grow up to be teenagers who riot
At 3:46 PM,
Anonymous said…
Waht kind of religious ritaul is there in sunday. Bedikas Chomets is Erev Yomtov according to my religion.
At 3:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
It was probably a riot as much as the BP riot. The difference is in the police & media.
At 3:55 PM,
Anonymous said…
3:46 - it was just a practice run. called in hebrew hachana
At 4:11 PM,
Anonymous said…
prescient
At 4:26 PM,
Anonymous said…
People forget too quick. Just look at recent history of that village:
Almost ten years ago The FBI was conducting a wide spread investigation into charges of fraud in collage loans and other programs in the village. (at the end at least five went to prison, with 4 being released by clemency, which brought a great chilul hashem!)
It was a long process. Many in the village who felt they were targets ran away to Israel and Europe, until it became clear they were not being indicted. BTW, they showed they could get back from Israel if they wanted, the elderly Chaim Berger, who they didn't want to release from his Missouri prison while he was dying from Cancer.)
To make a long story short, the village started spreading in the media and amongst themselves, stories how families are victimized, and that they are
only targeted foe anti Semitism, bla bla.. that elderly holocaust survivors were being harassed. They had physiologists declaring for the media that children in the village cannot sleep at night and are emotionally effected by this.
So they started sort of a patrol, which quickly spread the word whenever the investigators or media were in the village, and scores of yeshiva and kollel
guys started harassing the agents. they followed them with loud speakers, threatening their lives. (they said there is only one entrance to the village but another way out; through the cemetery...!) It was in the FBI
report that an FBI car was chased down and cut off the road on rt. 45.
The bottom line was, that - of course - this all did not help. the mosdos had to close business. ALL the mosdos opened again under new names and even in new locations. all the senior village leaders had to drop out,
and new really young guys came in (like Spitzer). They also refused to accept a plea bargain, which brought a shameful trial, where the only defense was that the four were stealing on their own, and for charity and poor kids, and the holocaust, and how little crime they have.... they did not even behave at the trial and the judge barred spectators at one point
when the jury complained they were intimidated.
This was all in the times and national papers. It
ended in a big disaster, which became bigger with the arrest of Berger (on whom they tried putting everything) in Israel. (for him they accepted a deal for seven years.)
Before that there was the famous RCC Jewish studies program scandal, which involved local politicians and O&R, but this is not for now.
The rabbi got the nick name of "I don't know" rabbi, when he kept insisting to the investigators (and told everyone else to do the same) that he is just the spiritual leader and never got involved in money matters. They knew this was a joke and even leaked the speculation that he will be indicted.
this is all true history!
At 4:44 PM,
Anonymous said…
did the above take place on the mens side or the woman side? and by the way whoever penned the above with the so-called Skvere history is a real schmuck! he talks about the amazing chillul hashem which was caused by Clintons (ym"s) pardon - what about your posting it all here for the millions of viewers who don"t know all the fictitious stories?! idiot!!!
At 11:41 AM,
Anonymous said…
Fictions stories? It was all in the newspaper of record! In the NY times! among other papers.
It's easy to tell you are just another sqverer brainwashed victim. How dare you deny things which happened just 8-10 years ago?
Did you NOT put everything on Chaim Berger?
Did you NOT claim at the trial that these few were stealing on their own, and for charity?
Did you NOT run a PR and in court, claiming victim and holocaust-anti Semitism excuses?
I will admit that you did not run after and intimidate the FBI agents, just as you did NOT start any fires on Sunday. Correct? It was all goyish meshigasen, spread by officials who hate you and Steve Lieberman, correct? No fires, no FBI, nothing!
This is why you look this way. You all live in a world of denial. This is why your youth look this way. Why so many run to live in other places, why so many your teenage girls revolt and become modern.
I will stop here, but don’t get me going again..!
At 2:02 PM,
Anonymous said…
Such ahavat yisrael!
It is amazing to see how sinat chinam has not only become mutar against those who dress differently than us but is displayed with zeal one should normally save more kiyum hamitzvot.
Shame on all of us.
At 6:08 PM,
Anonymous said…
why do you have to bring up a subject that happened 10 yrs ago.yes it was a Chillul Hashem, but what do you gain from this. also there is no reason to attack izzy spitzer about his english.
btw i am not a squaver, nor do i go to the rebba.but i was there and know things you don't.
stop writing this Sinas Chinum
At 3:12 PM,
Anonymous said…
I do not dress differently, and this is why I am disgusted, that these people embarrass me.
Why I bring up issues of the past? Because I knew they will all but deny anything, as they always do, and say: Ich veis nisht! so you need to look at some recent history.
I am sure there is a second side to this story, and that the FD has an old issue here, but the yidden there should have the responsibility - knowing their past - to avoid this, or hire better PR guys and present yourself better.
No other frum village or neighborhood has amounted so much negative publicity, which cries out for explanation.
Let's say tehilim they should get SOME seichel and stop acting so stupid, dumb and babyish. (this sounds more like old skevere, NOT New Square.)
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