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John Vasta

Police & Fire
Stolen Construction Vehicle Rams Police Cruisers In Westchester: Stopped By Quick-Thinking Cop Stolen Construction Vehicle Rams Police Cruisers In Westchester: Stopped By Quick-Thinking Cop
Stolen Construction Vehicle Rams Police Cruisers In Westchester: Stopped By Quick-Thinking Cop A rampaging stolen construction vehicle that rammed multiple police cruisers during an early-morning chase in Westchester was stopped when a quick-thinking officer pushed it off the road with a public works loader.  The incident began on Thursday, May 13 around 12:30 a.m., when North Castle Police reported that a stolen skid steer with a forklift attachment was refusing to stop and had entered Harrison in the area of Park Lane, according to Harrison PD.  The driver of the skid steer then rammed into a North Castle and Harrison patrol vehicle, causing extensive damage to both.…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Duo Charged After Westchester Ghost Guns Investigation, Police Say Duo Charged After Westchester Ghost Guns Investigation, Police Say
Duo Charged After Westchester Ghost Guns Investigation, Police Say An investigation into ghost guns and other illegal firearms in Westchester County led to the arrest of two men.  Police executed a search warrant in West Harrison on Friday, June 3, following a lengthy investigation, according to the Harrison Police Department. Authorities said investigators seized the following during the search warrant: Two illegal firearms Two ballistic vests  A high-capacity magazine One of the firearms did not have a serial number, making it a ghost gun, police said.  Police said 19-year-old Jeremiah Alicea, of Harrison, was charged with one coun…

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by Nicole Valinote
Police & Fire
Westchester Man Charged With Vandalizing Veterans Memorial, Other Areas Westchester Man Charged With Vandalizing Veterans Memorial, Other Areas
Westchester Man Charged With Vandalizing Veterans Memorial, Other Areas A suspect has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing a veteran’s monument inside a Westchester park, police announced. On Saturday, April 23, the Veterans “Honor Roll” monument at Ma Riis Park in Harrison - which represents wartime vets from the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and other conflicts - was spray-painted and damaged by a vandal, prompting a police investigation. Harrison Police Chief John Vasta announced on Tuesday, April 26 that following a three-day investigation, a local man - 37-year-old Gabriel Mendoza, of Harrison - had been identified as a suspect and apprehend…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester Man Charged With Firing Gun During Road-Rage Incident Westchester Man Charged With Firing Gun During Road-Rage Incident
Westchester Man Charged With Firing Gun During Road-Rage Incident A racially-charged road-rage incident in Westchester led to the arrest of a 35-year-old man and the seizure of an illegal handgun after he allegedly shot it in the air while chasing down his victims, police said. Harrison Police Chief John Vasta said that the incident began at approximately 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9 when a husband and wife reported that a vehicle was blocking theirs as they attempted to change lanes on Westchester Avenue near the Hutchinson River Parkway. According to the victims, a blue BMW pulled alongside them and the driver cursed and yelled racist, derogatory rem…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ida: Body Of Iona College Professor Swept Away In Floodwaters Recovered Ida: Body Of Iona College Professor Swept Away In Floodwaters Recovered
Ida: Body Of Iona College Professor Swept Away In Floodwaters Recovered The body of a college professor who was swept away with her husband by floodwaters from Storm Ida has been recovered in Westchester. The two were trying to get home from Iona College in New Rochelle to Rye Brook on Thursday, Sept 2 when they were swept down the Blind Brook Creek from their vehicle following the Wednesday, Sept. 1 storm. A body found in Purchase was later identified as that of Ken Bailie, authorities said. On Monday, Sept. 6, police announced the body of his wife, Fran Bailie, who was the department chair of the computer science department at the college, had been loca…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Police Officers, Firefighter, EMS Save Soccer Player With CPR, AED In Westchester Police Officers, Firefighter, EMS Save Soccer Player With CPR, AED In Westchester
Police Officers, Firefighter, EMS Save Soccer Player With CPR, AED In Westchester A first responder in Westchester was in the right place at the right time as he came to the aid of a soccer player who suffered a cardiac incident at an area high school. Officers from the Harrison Police Department responded to the high school at 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, where there was a report of a man who had become unconscious. Responding officers arrived at the scene to find Jeremy Lang, a volunteer fireman in West Harrison and a soccer player, performing CPR on another player who had fallen. Lang said that he witnessed the man collapse on the field while playing, ran over, id…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Rescued After Attempting To Fall Out Of Apartment Building In Westchester Man Rescued After Attempting To Fall Out Of Apartment Building In Westchester
Man Rescued After Attempting To Fall Out Of Apartment Building In Westchester Fast-acting police officers in Westchester jumped to the rescue to help save an elderly man who thrust himself out of an apartment window in the middle of the day. First responders from the Harrison Police Department jumped into action at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, May 28 when an elderly resident was spotted hanging out of an exterior window on the sixth floor of a town apartment building in an attempt to commit suicide. Police said that an officer was flagged down by a neighbor, notified police headquarters, and a training officer who was patrolling the area offered an assist in the rescue. Ac…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Armed Suspect Apprehended After Nearly Seven-Hour Standoff In Westchester Armed Suspect Apprehended After Nearly Seven-Hour Standoff In Westchester
Armed Suspect Apprehended After Nearly Seven-Hour Standoff In Westchester An hours-long standoff between police and a knife-wielding man in Westchester ended peacefully without any injuries reported, officials said. A pair of officers from the Harrison Police Department responded at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, May 21 to a residence in the Brentwood neighborhood, where there was a reported domestic dispute. Officials said that upon arrival, the officers located a family member outside the home who said that his brother was inside with knives in his hand, “not acting like himself,” and that he was also concerned about other members of the family who were inside the resid…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester/Fairfield County Stolen Car Chase Leads To Three Arrests Westchester/Fairfield County Stolen Car Chase Leads To Three Arrests
Westchester/Fairfield County Stolen Car Chase Leads To Three Arrests Police arrested three people after taking officers on a chase in a stolen vehicle along the Hutchinson River Parkway in Westchester to the Fairfield County border before crashing. The incident took place around 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 22, when Harrison Harrison Police officers were altered by a license plate reader that a vehicle stolen in the Bronx was traveling along area roads, said the Harrison Police Department. A Harrison sergeant spotted the vehicle at a gas station near North Street on the Hutch, the department said. When the sergeant attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fl…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years
Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years There’s a new sheriff in town. For the fourth time in four years, the Town of Harrison has appointed a new police chief, this time turning to a familiar face to fill the shoes of Joseph Yasinski, who retired in October. Harrison Police Lt. John Vasta, who has been with the Harrison Police Department for more than two decades, will officially take over as chief of police after serving in the role as interim chief for two months following Yasinski’s retirement. Vasta will reportedly earn $210,000 this year and if the budget for 2020 is approved, he will see a pay bump more than $10,000, up t…

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by Zak Failla