Subway Shooting Victims Sue Glock
Also: Body identified, new ambulance rules, real estate scam, schools, dining, drinks, film 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.
Brooklyn Subway Mass Shooting Victims Sue Glock Over Rampage
NEW YORK POST: Frank James’ terrifying April 2022 mass shooting on a crowded Brooklyn subway was a “direct” result of gunmaker Glock’s marketing, two victims claim in a lawsuit. Furong Hu and Zhuoxuan Ye were among the 10 people shot on a Manhattan-bound N train when James, 62, opened fire with his legally purchased Glock 17 9mm handgun, they said in a Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit against the gunmaker. James, who unleashed 33 shots as the train traveled through Sunset Park between the 59th and 36th Street stations, was sentenced in October 2023 to life in prison for the horrifying incident, which left another 19 people hurt.
Sunset Park Veteran Identified as Possible Victim of Long Island Serial Killer
MSN: Tanya Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran living in Sunset Park at the time of her death, was identified as "Peaches," a possible victim in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Jackson’s toddler daughter was also identified. "She was possibly employed at a doctor's office, in a medical assistant capacity, while living in Brooklyn," homicide detective Stephen Fitzpatrick told reporters. "While she was going to work, it was reported to us that there might have been a female friend or neighbor who would watch the baby."
New Secure Package Center Opens
MSN: LockerNYC has launched a secure delivery site in Sunset Park, offering residents protection against package theft. With stoop thefts on the rise, especially in dense areas like Sunset Park, the new service lets locals pick up parcels at their convenience. It’s part of a growing trend toward “last-mile” logistics hubs in mixed residential-industrial neighborhoods.
FDNY’s New Ambulance Rule Raises Concerns
MSN: A new FDNY policy orders ambulances to transport patients to the nearest hospital instead of honoring patient choice. The policy has "created a lot of consternation" in the hospital industry, said Kenneth Raske, CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association. There are also reports of confrontations between patients and ambulance crews regarding the updated policy, according to the New York Post. A woman in Bensonhurst, who asked to remain anonymous, called 911 to transport her grandmother to NYU Langone-Brooklyn Hospital, which is in Sunset Park. The woman said her grandmother is Chinese and that she preferred to send her grandma to a hospital with more Chinese-speaking staff. But the paramedic and EMT in the ambulance said they had to transport her grandmother to Coney Island Hospital instead. The family refused the ride and drove the grandmother to Langone-Brooklyn.
Queens Man Charged in $7M Sunset Park Real Estate Scam
HOODLINE: A Queens man has been hauled before the court, accused of swindling his business partners out of a $7 million real estate deal in a scheme involving forged signatures and falsified documents. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Wing Fung Chau, 53, of Bayside, faced grand larceny and falsifying business records charges at his arraignment in a Brooklyn Supreme Court. "This defendant allegedly attempted to steal approximately $7 million using forged documents and false filings," Gonzalez stated, emphasizing the importance of defending property ownership in the borough.
187-Unit Mixed-Use Development Planned
MULTIHOUSING NEWS: Joint venture partners Ailanthus, BEB Capital and SK Development are bringing One Sunset, a 14-story, 193,000-square-foot mixed-use property with 187 units of mixed-income housing to Sunset Park, depending on how the neighborhood’s borders are defined. The development at 201 E. 25th St. is slated for completion in the fall. Previously known as 737 4th Ave., the project, located between 24th and 25th streets, topped out in September, according to New York Yimby. Upon completion, One Sunset will have a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Forty-six of the units are designated as permanent affordable housing and will be available to individuals earning 48 percent of the Area Median Income, one of the lowest AMI averages in Brooklyn over the past five years, according to the developers.
Schools Repurpose Offices for Classrooms
THE REAL DEAL: Amid a school space shortage, Sunset Park is among the neighborhoods using vacant office space for classrooms. New sites will serve early childhood and special education students. Repurposing underused buildings aims to ease overcrowding in Sunset Park’s packed public schools without waiting years for traditional new school construction.
NYU Langone-Brooklyn Expanding Psychiatric Emergency Services
CRAIN’S NEW YORK: NYU Langone-Brooklyn in Sunset Park will open a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) in response to growing mental health needs. The expansion aims to serve both adult and youth patients locally, offering 24-hour care and crisis intervention. Health advocates hope it fills critical gaps in Sunset Park’s culturally diverse, often underserved population.
Empire Wind Halt Could Cost Sunset Park Hundreds of Jobs
CANARY MEDIA: A federal pause on the Empire Wind project jeopardizes plans to transform Sunset Park’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a green energy hub. Hundreds of anticipated union jobs could vanish. Sunset Park environmental advocates and labor groups say the setback endangers the neighborhood’s shot at a sustainable industrial future.
Adams Presses Trump to Save Sunset Park Wind Hub
NEW YORK POST: Mayor Eric Adams is lobbying to save the Empire Wind project centered around Sunset Park’s port. He warned that more than 1,000 “good-paying, union jobs” are at risk. Sunset Park officials and advocates call it a pivotal test of whether clean energy promises made to working-class communities will be honored.
Industry City’s Transformation: From Factories to Food, Art, and Tech
EDIBLE BROOKLYN: Industry City in Sunset Park is featured as a case study in blending creative industry, artisanal food, and light manufacturing. The six-million-square-foot campus is home to Brooklyn Kura, Li-Lac Chocolates, and Sahadi’s, among others. The article explores how this repurposed industrial complex fosters innovation and cross-pollination between makers, chefs, and designers.
These Restaurants Don’t Stick to the Script
NEW YORK TIMES: The first thing you need to know about Confidant is that it’s in Sunset Park’s Industry City. The second thing is that it’s a fine-dining restaurant. Industry City is known for many things — furniture outlets, Japan Village, Sahadi’s — but fine dining has never come to mind. And yet, it works at Confidant, where for the length of your meal, you’ll forget that you’re adjacent to Brooklyn’s only Costco. Since March, the chefs Daniel Grossman and Brendan Kelley have been spinning up a seasonal, date-stamped menu in a space that’s longer than it is wide. Current menu highlights include a slice of sourdough dressed with piped trout mousse, little clumps of trout roe and dill; the chicory salad with wild rice; the sweet and salty beets and boquerones; and the prawn potpie, which is every bit as visually arresting as you might imagine. Confidant also has a dedicated pastry program — thank you — run by Mariah Neston, an alum of Le Rock. Go for the malted mille-feuille. 67 35th Street, Building #5 (Third Avenue)
Amid Rising Costs, Restaurateurs Increasingly Turn to DIY Design
MSN: Facing soaring buildout costs, restaurateurs are ditching expensive designers. Instead, they’re painting their own signs, crafting tabletops, and salvaging furniture. The results are deeply personal spaces that reflect the neighborhood’s scrappy, hands-on character and help owners stay financially afloat. Some owners are even bringing in objects from home with personal value. At Confidant, which just opened in Sunset Park’s Industry City from alumni of Roberta’s, the “To the Bar” sign had been in chef Brendan Kelley’s family for generations – starting out in his grandparents’ inn where his parents first met, then moving to his childhood home. The oversized painting of a French bulldog baker hanging in the entryway was originally purchased by his parents at Goodwill. “I have been trying to get that painting for years. My parents said not until you open your own restaurant,” he said. “Now I finally have it.”
Bar Convent Brooklyn Returns to Industry City
FOOD & WINE: Sunset Park’s Industry City will again host Bar Convent Brooklyn, one of the world’s top spirits and bartending expos, June 10–11. The event will feature tasting rooms, seminars, and an outdoor street party—bringing cocktail pros and spirit enthusiasts from across the globe to Sunset Park. Tickets are now available through the BCB Brooklyn website, and Food & Wine readers can save 25% by using this link.
Students Restore Monuments at Green-Wood Cemetery
BROOKLYN PAPER: Student masons are restoring Green-Wood Cemetery’s 19th-century monuments in Sunset Park. The program offers local youth hands-on training in historic preservation and connects them to union apprenticeship opportunities in a city where skilled trades remain critical pathways to middle-class stability.
Lace Up Your Walking Shoes and Start Exploring
BKREADER: Green-Wood’s scenic walking tours made BKReader’s list of the top Brooklyn outings. The tours explore Victorian monuments, Revolutionary War history, and wild parakeet colonies, offering a rare green escape in Sunset Park’s urban fabric.
Free Sunset Park Events Featured in May Roundup
GOTHAMIST: Sunset Park gets a shoutout in Gothamist’s guide to free NYC fun this May, with Green-Wood’s public art walks and Industry City’s free outdoor movie nights drawing families and creatives to Brooklyn’s changing waterfront.
Man Sought in Attempted Rape of 67-Year-Old
MSN: NYPD detectives are searching for a man who allegedly attempted to rape a 67-year-old woman at knifepoint in Sunset Park around noon. Police say the suspect attacked the woman near Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street but fled after she resisted. Authorities released surveillance images and are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. The woman was hospitalized and is recovering.
‘Emergent City’ Documentary Captures Sunset Park’s Transformation
ROGER EBERT: “Emergent City” is an old-school documentary that tells a story by presenting and arranging information and expecting you to meet it halfway rather than having everything spoon-fed to you. It’s about the political battle over Industry City, a manufacturing area located on the waterfront in Sunset Park, the neighborhood just north of Bay Ridge, where Tony Manero lived in “Saturday Night Fever.” When Industry City was purchased by a consortium of five real estate companies—led by Jamestown Properties, the gigantic company that bought Chelsea Market in Manhattan and then sold it to Google for billions of dollars—there were immediate fears in the neighborhood that it was going to be remade as, basically, a glorified mall and luxury apartment bloc, jacking up property values and pushing out the same people who’d found a little paradise in one of the United States’ most expensive cities.
CALENDAR
Saturday, May 17: NYC Family Style Food Festival at Industry City
Tuesday, June 10-11: Bar Convent Brooklyn at Industry City
Ongoing at Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City