Hell on wheels on Rockaway Blvd.

 

Queens Chronicle

Police were mocked and their vehicles vandalized during another raucous illicit car meet in Ozone Park late Saturday into early Sunday morning. Cops are seeking multiple individuals wanted for reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the matter.

The incident occurred within the confines of the 102nd Precinct, in the vicinity of Rockaway Boulevard and 97th Avenue, at around 12:50 a.m., police said.

A group of individuals recklessly operated multiple cars and vandalized three NYPD vehicles. Authorities said the suspects dented the sides of the police cars and broke multiple vehicle windows using traffic cones. The group fled the location in various directions in multiple vehicles. No injuries were reported. Several people have been charged.

Footage posted to the social media platform Instagram by someone at the meet shows the delinquents surrounding both marked and unmarked police vehicles, jeering and making vulgar gestures at the officers seated inside before throwing a traffic cone on top of one marked vehicle’s windshield. The cops seated inside stare straight ahead, unmoving.

The car meet situation is not unfamiliar for those living in the area, as that location, near Cherry Valley Marketplace, at 84-12 97th Ave., has seen its share of rogue gatherings over the years. The issue recurs every few months, residents say, with large groups gathering to do doughnuts, race and perform other dangerous activities in their vehicles.

But the attack on police is a new factor.

Videos from the incident, centered on Rockaway and 84th Street, were posted to neighborhood Facebook pages and received hundreds of comments, with the majority of respondents outraged at the exhibited behavior.

The Ozone Park Residents Block Association on Monday sent a letter to Mayor Adams, the city Department of Transportation and area elected officials about the matter.

“This past Saturday, March 29, 2025, from approximately 10:00 PM until 1:30 AM on Sunday, a large group of individuals unlawfully took over Rockaway Boulevard between 83rd and 84th Streets. This has been a worsening trend over the past five years, with each incident growing in scale and audacity,” the letter read. “We commend the officers of the 102nd Precinct for their diligent efforts in curbing these meets in private lots and parks. However, now that the problem has moved into our streets, they require reinforcements and a coordinated response plan.”

The block association called on city leadership to “take decisive action before this issue spirals further out of control.”

The Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol in a statement thanked the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct for its quick response.

“After the last major incident at this intersection, we wrote to the NYC Department of Transportation calling for permanent traffic-calming infrastructure — including flex-post delineators,” the group wrote. “We renew that call today. This can’t keep happening. And it’s going to take more than just enforcement to stop it.”

Zip-e-dee-MTA

  

 NY Post

Queens straphangers are worried after spotting zip ties along the tracks at an Ozone Park subway station.

What keeps the trains running in the Big Apple?

Queens straphangers are praying it’s not plastic zip ties.

Dozens of zip ties wrapped around one of the tracks at the Rockaway Boulevard A train station in Ozone Park have been raising eyebrows and making some subway riders queasy.

“Should I be worried?” asked nursing student Kayle Persaud. “If I cut one zip tie, does it start to fall?”

 

The troubling scene, first reported by AM New York, shows a long line of the plastic ties along the middle track at the elevated subway station – which one straphanger noted is “not a good look.”

“The first time I saw it I thought, ‘Hmm… Is it holding the tracks together?'” said subway rider Eliana Rodriguez. “Even the screws look like they’re not all the way in.”

Another subway rider, who only identified himself as Ibrahim M, agreed it was a tad concerning.

“Even if it’s not actually holding the track together, it just looks awful,” he told The Post on Thursday. “They could have cut it off or painted it the same color. I hope it’s not holding the tracks together for all the money we pay to travel on the subway.”

Adding to worries was this week’s MTA announcement that the railroad is halting planned capital projects following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to hold off on the controversial congestion pricing plan.

Concrete company creating a big mess

From the Queens Chronicle:

Ozone Park resident Paul O’Neill has been in the area for decades and has never had a problem with the surrounding businesses — until now.

O’Neill, and others who spoke to the Chronicle, say concrete business Prime Ready Mix has been the source of a number of quality-of-life issues in recent years and it’s only getting worse.

The main complaint from nearby homeowners is the dust and sand that emanates from the business, located at 87-13 Rockaway Blvd.

The Department of Building’s website states one caller said, “There have been numerous amounts of dust and sand all over the place, seeping into homes. This influx of dust causes allergies and many people have gotten sick.”

Those who spoke to the Chronicle said vehicles, barbecue grills and other items have been ruined by the dust.

A man named Sean, who identified himself as the owner of Prime Ready Mix but did not give his last name, said in a telephone interview he’s doing the best he can to keep the area clean.