APARTMENT FIRE TRAGEDY
Also: Missing kids, food festival, after-school program threatened, the ‘Italian Sherlock Holmes,’ wind power, IBX and more
There is no dedicated news coverage of Sunset Park — but Sunset Park makes news. This FREE weekly(ish) digest curates and summarizes all the headlines from all the news sources that touch our neighborhood, which is one of the most vibrant in Brooklyn.
Man falls to his death while trying to escape burning building
BY NBC: A 53-year-old man, Ashiq Hussain, died Monday morning in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, after a rescue ladder malfunctioned during a fire. The FDNY was attempting to extract Hussain from a burning three-story building when the ladder, extended toward him, suddenly retracted. Hussain fell from an upper-level window to the sidewalk below, in front of a deli at the intersection of 9th Avenue and 39th Street. Cellphone video captured the chaotic scene around 7 a.m., showing three roommates, including Hussain, at separate upper-story windows as flames engulfed the building's opposite side. Neighbors reported that firefighters were in the process of rescuing Hussain when the tragic incident occurred, prompting an immediate investigation into the equipment failure. “Very scary experience, nobody expects it or anything like this,” said deli worker Roshad Mohammed. “He was a very respectful person, very kind gentleman.” Neighbors were left wondering what might have caused the ladder to retract as Hussain was stepping onto it. “I can’t imagine how it felt for the people that were inside the building at the time,” said neighbor Isaías Penti. “Everyone’s human, mistakes are bound to happen…but the firefighters did their best. It wasn’t their fault.”
ABC7: FDNY launches investigation after man falls to death during Sunset Park fire
HOODLINE: Brooklyn Community Mourns Loss of Local Uber Driver in Fatal Sunset Park Fire Rescue Mishap
NYPD Searching For 8 Missing Kids, Including 4 From Brooklyn
BKREADER: The NYPD is currently searching for multiple children reported missing from different areas of New York City in recent days, including four from Brooklyn. Among them is 14-year-old Vianney Azucena, last seen leaving her Sunset Park residence on 45th Street around 12:30 a.m. last Friday. She is described as approximately 5 feet tall and weighing 110 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black shirt and floral pajama pants. Police urge anyone with information regarding these missing children to reach out to the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish speakers, at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website.
Sunset Park after-school program upended by Trump's AmeriCorps cuts
BY GOTHAMIST: President Trump's cuts to AmeriCorps funding have forced a Brooklyn nonprofit, the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, to seek alternative funding to support 54 volunteers. These volunteers assist working parents by providing educational programs for 800 children from 11 public schools. The cuts amount to over $200,000 this school year and nearly $750,000 for the next, impacting volunteer stipends and tuition assistance.
NYPD ‘Italian Sherlock Holmes’ detective to get gravestone century after death
BY NY DAILY NEWS: An NYPD detective dubbed the “Italian Sherlock Holmes” finally got a gravesite marker nearly a century after his death. Members of the Detectives Endowment Association unveiled the headstone for Detective Joseph Pucciano at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Pucciano, a heralded gang-buster and member of the NYPD’s famed Italian Squad in the 1920s, died July 13, 1928, of pulmonary tuberculosis, members said. He repeatedly graced the pages of the Daily News with reports of his headline-grabbing arrests. “Joe solved a dozen or more seemingly unsolvable murders,” The News wrote a month after the detective’s death. “His memory was deep. His luck was good. He was called in to succeed where the ferreting of others had failed. The greatest of his long list of victories was the imprisonment or execution of almost 50 members of one of New York’s most ruthless predatory gangs.” The steely-eyed detective was born in Calabria, Italy in 1879. He grew up on the Lower East Side and learned to speak four languages: English, Italian, Chinese and Albanian.
Man arrested, accused in violent Sunset Park robbery
BY NEWS12: Police say Chai Lin, 28, approached a 63-year-old man pulled out a knife and demanded money.
NYPD: Grenade removed from Sunset Park building
BY NEWS12: Police say the building was evacuated and its Emergency Service Unit has established a perimeter.
André 3000, Steve Nash, Ray J & More Join Keith Lee at Complex’s First-Ever Family Style Food Festival
BY THE SOURCE: Complex's first Family Style Food Festival at Industry City in Sunset Park was a vibrant, sold-out event at Industry City, hosted by Keith Lee. Over 10,000 attendees, including creatives and style enthusiasts, enjoyed New York's food scene and cultural energy. Highlights included André 3000 and Steve Nash in attendance, and a VIP section with celebrities like Ray J and Idris Elba. NYC figures like Angelo Baque also joined the celebration.
Trump Lifts Pause on NY Offshore Wind Project, But Does it Come at a Price?
BY CITYLIMITS: Suspending the Empire Wind project would negatively impact New York's local economies. BOEM estimates the project will generate $195 million in income for New York City and inject $1.6 billion statewide during planning and construction. The project aims to revitalize the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, attracting environmentally sustainable industry to a historically overlooked industrial area.
The Massive Wind Farm That Could Transform This Brooklyn Neighborhood
BY THE WASHINGTON POST: The Empire Wind project, led by Equinor, aims to revitalize Sunset Park's South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a hub for offshore wind energy. Despite a temporary halt by the Trump administration, the project is back on track, promising to power 500,000 homes and create thousands of jobs. Local group UPROSE supports this initiative for its potential to bring sustainable development to the community.
HOODLINE: New York City Launches $100 Million Climate Innovation Hub in Brooklyn to Nurture Startups and Create Green Jobs
NEWS 12: Inside the planned expansion at Brooklyn Army Terminal
New 3D flood visualizations help communities understand rising water risks
BY NYU: As climate change intensifies extreme weather, two new NYU studies show 3D flood visualizations developed by a cross-institutional research team dramatically outperform traditional maps for communicating risk. When Sunset Park, Brooklyn residents compared both formats that visualized flooding, 92% preferred the dynamic 3D approach. "The challenge we face is that substantial sectors of the population ignore flood warnings and fail to evacuate," said Professor Debra F. Laefer, the NYU Tandon School of Engineering senior researcher involved in both studies who holds appointments in the Civil and Urban Engineering Department and in the Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP). "Our findings suggest dynamic 3D visualizations could significantly improve how we communicate these life-threatening risks."
Former NYC deputy mayor Meera Joshi named president of Green-Wood Cemetery
BY BROOKLYN PAPER: Meera Joshi, the city’s former Deputy Mayor for Operations, is taking charge of a new group of New Yorkers: the 570,000 permanent residents of Green-Wood Cemetery in Sunset Park. Joshi, who resigned from City Hall earlier this year over Mayor Eric Adams’ willingness to cooperate with President Donald Trump, has been named president of the cemetery by its Board of Trustees. “It is an honor to join the amazing Green-Wood team as we together write the next chapter of this magical institution’s history,” Joshi said in a statement. “From the over 570,000 New York stories of Green-Wood’s residents to the most unique natural green public space in New York City, Green-Wood offers serenity, beauty and adventure for all — a true city and national public gem that everyone, especially, true New Yorkers, must visit.”
NYU Langone Plans $22M Cardiac Expansion in Sunset Park
CRAIN'S NEW YORK: NYU Langone Health is investing $22 million to expand cardiac care at its Brooklyn hospital in Sunset Park. The project includes an 8-bed unit for cardiac surgery patients, enhancing specialized healthcare services in the area. This expansion reflects NYU Langone's commitment to improving medical infrastructure and access to advanced cardiac care for the Sunset Park community.
DOE aide accused of strangling child in Brooklyn school: sources
BY 1010WINS: An NYC Schools aide is under arrest for allegedly strangling a child at an elementary school in Brooklyn, sources told 1010 WINS. Yan Chen, 47, was arrested just before 6 p.m. on Thursday after the alleged assault at P.S. 169 Sunset Park School, located on 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th streets. Chen is accused of strangling a 9-year-old boy while trying to separate two children who were fighting, sources said. Police said that she was off-duty at the time of the incident.
Democratic socialist Alexa Avilés is tested in a redrawn Council district
BY CITY & STATE: Southern Brooklyn's newly redistricted Council District 38 will see its first significant political test in June as Democratic socialist incumbent Alexa Avilés faces a challenge from moderate Democrat Ling Ye. Local politicos see the winding district as a collection of around four parts: the progressive stronghold of Red Hook and a slice of South Slope, the historically Puerto Rican half of Sunset Park, parts of southern Brooklyn’s large Chinese population that meander down through Bensonhurst, and the new part of the district — whiter, more moderate Dyker Heights. Avilés has strong progressive and labor union support, though one union withdrew its endorsement over a healthcare dispute. Ye, a former staffer backed by real estate and pro-Israel PACs, presents a notable challenge with funding and local experience.
NYC Ferry brings back express beach boats to Rockaways
BY QNS: Through Sept. 7 on weekends and holidays, riders can reserve a spot on select morning trips towards the Rockaways and afternoon trips back to Wall St./Pier 11 and Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park along the Rockaway route.
MTA Greenlights $68B Plan to Modernize Mass Transit, Including Interborough Express
CRAIN'S NEW YORK: The MTA has approved a sweeping $68 billion capital plan, which includes funding for the Interborough Express — a long-anticipated rail line connecting Sunset Park and Bay Ridge to Queens. The project would transform a freight corridor into a passenger route, vastly improving transit access across Brooklyn.
CALENDAR
Tuesday, June 10-11: Bar Convent Brooklyn at Industry City
Through Aug. 22: Rooftop Films Summer Series
Ongoing at Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City