Fog/Mist 45°
Police & Fire
Gas Leak Forces Evacuation At Hudson Valley Condo Complex Gas Leak Forces Evacuation At Hudson Valley Condo Complex
Gas Leak Forces Evacuation At Hudson Valley Condo Complex Several residents and firefighters were evaluated by first responders following a gas leak at a Hudson Valley condominium complex that forced an evacuation.  The incident happened on Saturday, March 9 in Putnam County, when a gas leak was detected in a building at The Retreat at Carmel condominium complex, the Carmel Fire Department said on Wednesday, March 20.  Arriving fire crews soon smelled a heavy odor of gas and began to evacuate the building. Firefighters were then able to find and isolate the leak, which was found to be coming from a stove on the second floor of the buildi…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Terroristic Threat Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Terroristic Threat
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Terroristic Threat A Hudson Valley man has been charged with making a terroristic threat after allegedly threatening to blow up a building. Ulster County resident Marc Whittaker, age 47, of Kingston, was charged on Monday, March 11. According to Sgt. Collin Reynolds of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, officials notified deputies assigned to the Ulster County Department of Social Services that Whittaker had threatened to blow up the building during a telephone call. Whittaker was located in the town of Ulster and taken into custody. He was charged with making a terroristic threat and released to appear in…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
57-Year-Old Man Found Dead On Wilderness Trail In Region 57-Year-Old Man Found Dead On Wilderness Trail In Region
57-Year-Old Man Found Dead On Wilderness Trail In Region A 57-year-old man was found dead on a mountain trail in the region after being reported missing by his wife. The incident occurred in Sullivan County around 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, in Narrowsburg on the Tusten Mountain Trail. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger Schweider was alerted to a search for the missing man from Queens County in Maspeth who had last been seen two nights earlier by his wife, said DEC officials. The man had left a note saying he was driving to New Jersey to get a part for their furnace. On March 12 at 1 a.m., the man's family p…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed For Stealing $33K Worth Of Phones In Hudson Valley, Police Say Suspect Nabbed For Stealing $33K Worth Of Phones In Hudson Valley, Police Say
Suspect Nabbed For Stealing $33K Worth Of Phones In Hudson Valley, Police Say A 35-year-old man has been charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing $33,000 in cell phones. Tairon Pressley, of the Bronx, was arrested after an investigation into a highly organized retail theft of cellular phones, said Trooper Steven Nevel, of the New York State Police. He is accused of using stolen account information from cellular customers to steal Apple and Samsung smartphones from the Middletown Walmart on Route 211 on several dates in February and March, Nevel said.  Nevel said Pressley is accused of stealing over $33,000 worth of phones. He was apprehended by members…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Couple Found Shot Dead In Hudson Valley Home Couple Found Shot Dead In Hudson Valley Home
Couple Found Shot Dead In Hudson Valley Home A man and a woman were found shot dead in a Hudson Valley home after police received a call for help. Click here for a new, updated story: Police ID Couple In Hudson Valley Murder-Suicide The incident occurred in Rockland County around 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 19 on Rosetown Road in Stony Point. According to Lt. Greg Becker of the Stony Point Police, when officers arrived they found a 35-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, both shot dead from a single gunshot wound. Stony Point detectives began an investigation with help from the Rockland Sheriff's Office and the Rockland County Me…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Area Firefighter Sends Sexually Explicit Photo To Purported Underage Teen, Police Say Area Firefighter Sends Sexually Explicit Photo To Purported Underage Teen, Police Say
Area Firefighter Sends Sexually Explicit Photo To Purported Underage Teen, Police Say A firefighter from the region is accused of sending a sexually explicit image to who he believed was a minor. Albany County resident John Redick, age 68, of Colonie, was arrested Monday, March 18, on suspicion of disseminating indecent material to a minor, a felony. Colonie Police said Redick, a lifetime member of the Colonie Fire Company, sent the illegal photo to who he believed to be an underage teenage boy. “This is still an active investigation and although we are not aware of any other victims at this time, the nature of the allegations is concerning,” the agency said. Redick was ar…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Student Assaulted At Elementary School Hudson Valley Student Assaulted At Elementary School
Hudson Valley Student Assaulted At Elementary School A student at a Hudson Valley elementary school is recovering after allegedly being hit over the head with a chair by another student. The incident occurred in Orange County around 2:20 p.m., Friday, March 15 at Meadow Hill School in the town of Newburgh. According to Lt. Peter Talarico of the Newburgh Police, a 13-year-old girl was stuck in the head with a chair by a 13-year-old boy. The girl was transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh where she was treated for her injuries and released, Talarico said. Talarico said the boy, along with his parents, were transported to the police de…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
School Shooting Threat On Social Media Prompts Police Response In Hudson Valley School Shooting Threat On Social Media Prompts Police Response In Hudson Valley
School Shooting Threat On Social Media Prompts Police Response In Hudson Valley Several Hudson Valley schools were put in lockout after authorities were alerted of a school shooting threat that was posted on social media and shared by students, police said. The police response resulted from an incident in Putnam County on Thursday, March 14 around 7:45 a.m., when the school resource officer assigned to Brewster High School learned of a threatening message regarding a possible shooting that was posted on social media, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said on Monday, March 18. Sheriff's deputies immediately responded to the school and enforced a lockout at all Bre…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Where Is Bilal? Disappearance Of Area Man Still Mystery 2 Years Later Where Is Bilal? Disappearance Of Area Man Still Mystery 2 Years Later
Where Is Bilal? Disappearance Of Area Man Still Mystery 2 Years Later Police are renewing calls for tips two years after a man from the region went missing. Saratoga County resident Bilal Ashfaq, age 21, of Halfmoon, was last seen at around 4 p.m. on March 16, 2022, on Terminal Road near the Mohawk River. Relatives told New York State Police that Ashfaq went for a walk and never returned home. Ashfaq is described as an Indian male, approximately 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.  He was wearing a light green hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers at the time of his disappearance. Police said he is a vulnerable adult and…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
2 Teens Injured In Hudson Valley Playground Shootings, Police Say 2 Teens Injured In Hudson Valley Playground Shootings, Police Say
2 Teens Injured In Hudson Valley Playground Shootings, Police Say Two Hudson Valley teens are recovering after shooting themselves while allegedly playing with guns at a playground. The incident occurred in Orange County on Saturday evening at the Mullins Apartment complex on Walsh Road in Newburgh. According to Mike Neppl, spokesman for the city of Newburgh, two teens, ages 16 and 17 were playing with guns and shot themselves witnesses told police. A detective investigating the scene of the shootings.  Rockland Video Productions The duo received non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, Neppl said. …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Contractor Accused Of Scamming Thousands From Couple In Region Contractor Accused Of Scamming Thousands From Couple In Region
Contractor Accused Of Scamming Thousands From Couple In Region A contractor from the region was charged with larceny for allegedly scamming a couple out of thousands for a roofing job he never performed. Sullivan County resident David Gizinski, age 37, of Liberty and the owner of Gizinski Construction, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 16 for the incident in November 2023. According to Undersheriff Eric Chaboty of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, Gizinski received $13,656.38 from a Grahamsville couple as a 50 percent down payment for a roofing job.  The victims could not contact Gizinski after he took their money and never started the work, Chabo…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Convict Charged In Larceny Spree In Region Convict Charged In Larceny Spree In Region
Convict Charged In Larceny Spree In Region A Hudson Valley man, in prison for another crime, has been charged with a larceny spree in the region. Dutchess County resident William Pascal, age 49, of Poughkeepsie, was arrested on Thursday, March 7 in Ulster County in Lloyd.  Pascal is accused of going on a larceny spree from June and July 2023 stealing over $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Lowes Store in Highland and on two other separate occasions stealing $300 and $125 worth of merchandise from the Hannaford Store in Highland, said Lloyd Police Chief James Janso. Pascal, who has been arrested 51 ti…

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by Kathy Reakes