Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez indicted nine alleged gang members aged 15 to 20 for ten shootings, urging lawmakers to revisit New York’s “Raise the Age” law, which curtails adult charges for 16 and 17-year-olds. While officials cite tumbling citywide shootings—down 20%—advocates insist the law has reduced youth crime. Everyone, it seems, trusts the numbers—just not always the same ones.
After NYPD drones twice spotted sharks uncomfortably close to swimmers near Queens’ Rockaway Beach, lifeguards briefly cleared the water, but regulars remained unfazed—savvy surfers even relished the thinner crowds. Locals joked about “robotic” warnings and lifeguard deserts, favouring sun and surf over mild peril. Marine visitors, it seems, are just the latest tourists to ignore New York’s notorious lines—albeit with sharper teeth.
Brooklyn’s skyline briefly outshone Times Square as Macy’s launched 80,000 fireworks from barges near the Brooklyn Bridge on July 4th, treating some 50,000 spectators to a kaleidoscopic display boasting 30 colours and 11 freshly minted effects; while tourists craned necks and locals griped about crowds, we suspect New York’s pigeons are already lobbying for quieter traditions next year.
A 42-year-old father, Pascual Tziquin, was killed in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, when a speeding Dodge Charger struck him as he crossed New Utrecht Avenue with his son at 3:20 a.m., local police said. The driver, Christian Gonzalez, 21, was charged for fleeing the scene and unsafe driving—an all-too-familiar New York tale where street safety still lags behind midnight bravado.
Sean “Diddy” Combs received a rare standing ovation from fellow inmates in Brooklyn after being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering, though he remains behind bars for lesser prostitution charges following a high-profile federal raid in March. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, suggests the case’s gritty candor offered hope to the incarcerated; presumably, the Department of Justice can also learn that not every “bad boyfriend” makes a kingpin.
Joey Chestnut reclaimed the Mustard Belt at Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, polishing off 70½ dogs—40½ more than runner-up Derek Hendrikson—after missing last year’s event in a tiff with Major League Eating over his vegan sponsorship. Miki Sudo took her 11th women’s title with 33 dogs. As sporting traditions go, competitive gorging remains a uniquely American gut-check.
On July 5th, 1871, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle remarked that any hope for “solemn stillness” was dashed by the city’s explosive tribute to American independence; Brooklyn managed, even without an official celebration, to mark the Fourth with a cacophony worthy of its noisy reputation—a reminder, perhaps, that civic exuberance rarely waits for permission.
