A beloved Brooklyn grandfather was mowed down by a car full of punks who stopped and stared at the 71-year-old's shattered body early yesterday before speeding away, cops and witnesses said.

Saverio LaRocca, a father of five, was abandoned by the hit-and-run driver bleeding in the street just steps from his Greenpoint home at 12:30 a.m.

Squeezing a neighbor's hand, the tough Korean War veteran who walked with a limp gasped for air and he tried to stand up on Kingsland Ave.

"He was trying to move, to get up," said Miguel Walters, 50, who comforted LaRocca before an ambulance arrived. "His mouth was moving but nothing was coming out."

"It's just a shame," said Walters' 47-year-old wife, Maria Montalvo. "You wouldn't even leave an animal like that."

LaRocca, who had lived in the neighborhood for decades, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. He struggled to survive for nearly five hours before dying.

Police said a gray Honda Civic, possibly with North Carolina license plates, rammed into LaRocca on Kingsland Ave. near Beadel St. Cops were searching for the car last night.

LaRocca - who had endured a string of painful knee surgeries - was hit shortly after he parked his green Oldsmobile sedan near his apartment.

"There was a loud boom," said Montalvo, who heard the crash from inside her apartment. "It was a hard impact, a really hard impact."

Witnesses told the Daily News that three callous youngsters got out of the Honda and claimed that another car had hit LaRocca, a former beer distributor.

"A car hit the man and kept going!" they shouted to passersby, according to a witness.

The scared trio - dressed in jeans and Timberland boots - then walked toward LaRocca and stared at him for a moment before taking off, witnesses said.

"When I turned around to tell him to stay here and tell the police, they were gone," Emilio Carromero said of the driver. "Even if he didn't hit him, he should have stayed," said Carromero, 42.

LaRocca's heartbroken wife and children were grieving last night at a relative's Plainview, L.I., home, friends said.

"I'd take care of that old man any day," said Jose Serrano, 33, who rode with him to the hospital. "He cooked for his wife, did everything for his wife."

Human Torso Found At Recycling Plant In Brooklyn
NY1 News
FEBRUARY 23RD, 2005

The medical examiner is trying to determine if a torso found at a Brooklyn recycling plant Wednesday is from the same victim whose arms and legs were discovered at a nearby subway station last week.

The remains were discovered at about 10 a.m. at Rapid Recycling Corporation in Greenpoint.

Last Thursday, transit workers found a bag containing an arm and legs during a track inspection near the Nostrand Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Police identified the victim as 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell of Brooklyn.

So far, police have not made a connection between the two findings.

FEBRUARY 26TH, 2005

Police now believe three sets of body parts found in Brooklyn all belonged to the same Bushwick teenager.

Workers came across the dismembered legs of 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell on a subway track in Bedford-Stuyvesant late last week.

What police say they think is half of Brazell's torso turned up Wednesday in a recycling plant in Greenpoint.

The other half was found this past Thursday.

"Investigators believe that the cuts are clean and it may have been done by someone with medical knowledge or certainly anatomical knowledge, with the ability to do some sort of 'refined work,' you might say," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Police have not confirmed reports Brazell may have been killed by a man he met over the internet.

New center to showcase USS Monitor
THE FREELANCE STAR

December 4, 2004

Planned addition to The Mariners' Museum will display artifacts from famous Civil War ironclad. By Scott Boyd New center to showcase USS Monitor

BY SCOTT BOYD

An architect's model of the USS Monitor Center, an addition to The Mariners' Museum due to open in 2007, was on display at the groundbreaking ceremony in October. An outdoor full-scale sculptural replica of Monitor is on far right; the conservation facility is on far left.
WHEN IT OPENS in 2007, the USS Monitor Center at The Mariners' Museum will be the showcase for the artifacts recovered from the wreck of the famous Civil War Union ironclad. In addition, the center will tell the story of the Battle of Hampton Roads, which pitted the Monitor against the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack). This remarkable story will be placed in the larger context of the Civil War at sea and the evolution of American naval power.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new USS Monitor Center was held on Oct. 24, nearly 143 years to the day after construction began on the revolutionary ship.

The center will be a 63,500-square-foot addition to The Mariners' Museum. Its estimated cost is $30 million, nearly half of which ($14 million) has already been raised through public and private sources.

France built the first ironclad warship (the Gloire) in 1859, with Great Britain replying in 1860 with its first ironclad, HMS Warrior. The Union and Confederate governments began programs to build ironclads in 1861, with the Monitor and Virginia both being completed in early 1862. Although they weren't the first ironclads to be built, the Monitor and Virginia made history by being the first ironclads to face each other in battle when they fought at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862.

The Monitor was special in other ways, too. It was the first U.S. Navy ship to be built without sails, depending entirely on its 400-horsepower engine for propulsion. It looked like no other ship ever built in America. The flat, armored deck was barely a foot above the waterline. In an era when warships had their guns arranged in rows up and down the sides of the ship, the Monitor featured two powerful 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns in a revolving turret in the middle of the flat, empty deck. All an opponent could see to shoot at was the 22-foot-diameter revolving turret, covered by eight inches of iron plate, and the small armored pilothouse protruding at the bow of the ship. The ship was nicknamed "cheesebox on a raft" and "tin can on a shingle" because of its unusual design and stealthy profile.

Although the Monitor and Virginia fought to a draw at Hampton Roads and survived their history-making battle, both ships were lost by the end of 1862. After the fall of Norfolk to Union forces in May 1862, the Confederates were unable to move the Virginia up the James River to the safety of the naval station at Richmond because the ship's draft was greater than the depth of the river. To avoid capture by advancing Union forces, the Virginia was set ablaze and blown up by its crew off Craney Island, at the mouth of the Elizabeth River, on May 11, 1862.

The Monitor was never designed as an oceangoing vessel. The very low freeboard and flat keel militated against its operating effectively at sea. The ship was intended for Union naval operations in the calm waters of the harbors and rivers of the South. On New Year's Eve 1862 the Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras while being towed for use near Wilmington, N.C.

The wreck of the Monitor was discovered in 1973. On. Jan. 30, 1975, the 113th anniversary of the ship's launching at Greenpoint, N.Y., the wreck of the Monitor was declared the nation's first National Marine Sanctuary. The site is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Artifacts recovered from the Monitor so far include its revolving gun turret, its main engine with the drive shaft and screw propeller, the anchor and numerous smaller items such as boots, eating utensils and ubiquitous still-sealed bottles of mustard. Recently, the two huge 11-inch Dahlgren guns were removed from the turret and placed in separate water tanks. All the large objects, such as the turret, guns and engine, will be treated in conservation tanks for several years before they can be safely displayed in the open air.

The Mariners' Museum was selected as principal museum for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary in 1987. The Museum hosts the Monitor Collection, acting as curator under a cooperative agreement with NOAA. As a federal collection, the Monitor Collection is under the ultimate control of the National Archives.

The center will open on March 9,2007, the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads. Besides exhibits on the battle and the larger Civil War at sea, there will be a large conservation facility for further work on the Monitor and other projects in the future. Artifacts from the two ships will be displayed.

Not many artifacts have been found from the CSS Virginia, but some will be shown, such as a piece of the Confederate ship's iron armor, made at Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, and a large design drawing made by the ship's builder, John L. Porter. There will be a re-created full-size portion of the CSS Virginia to show visitors what the battle looked like from the Confederate ship.

A full-scale steel replica of the Monitor will be outside, next to the center. Visitors can walk on its 172-foot deck to get a feel for what being on the famous ship was like. Just inside the center, parallel to the replica outside, will be the major recovered parts of the Monitor. They will be displayed in the same relative positions that they occupied on the real ship--thus the actual turret inside will be opposite the turret of the replica outside.

Visitors will be able to go underneath and look up inside the real turret. The two Dahlgren guns will be displayed separately from the turret for easier viewing.

Curator Anna Holloway described the center succinctly: "It will be about two vessels, a moment in time, and what happened subsequently [to them] up to today."

SCOTT BOYD is a freelance writer living in Spotsylvania County.

B'KLYN TAXIS GET GALS HOME FREE
NEW YORK POST

December 4, 2004

A rash of rapes in north Brooklyn prompted two Williamsburg women to take safety into their own hands — and start a free ride-home program for female partygoers. RightRides — which serves the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area and Manhattan's Lower East Side — was started in August by Consuelo Rubyal, 35, and Oraia Reid, 27, who got the idea after reading a Post report of one particularly horrific assault. "We decided to take action and find empowerment and to see women home safely rather than just be upset about it," Reid said. The free taxi service operates from midnight on Saturdays to 4:30 a.m. Sundays. Riders can call (718) 964-7781 to take advantage of the service. Hasani Gittens

4 bullets end life in fast lane
DAILY NEWS

December 2, 2004

BY KERRY BURKE and MELISSA GRACE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

A Queens man who "wanted the fast life" was found shot dead yesterday on a deserted Brooklyn street just steps from his new BMW in an apparent mob hit, police sources and his family said. "What are we going to say?" said Randolf Pizzolo's 72-year-old mother, Olga Pizzolo, a few hours after his slaying. "He wanted the fast life. He wanted the easy money." Investigators had no leads in the slaying of Pizzolo, 43, and when detectives went to his Queens home to tell his wife he was dead, she was far from helpful, a police source said. "His wife told us, 'Talk to my lawyer,'" the source said. "We're not getting anything from anybody." Pizzolo was found lying facedown in a puddle around 6:20 a.m. at Monitor St. and Greenpoint Ave. in East Williamsburg near lumber yards and factories. "It's the kind of place you see in the movies, where they whack people and dump them," the police source said. "We're waiting to see if we can get any organized crime hits," the source said, referring to possible connections between Pizzolo and the mob. Pizzolo, an ex-con who has been arrested 16 times, was shot four times, cops said. Since 1983, he had been convicted of nine crimes, serving time in prison for forgery, drug possession and criminal mischief, authorities said. Outside her home in Bayside, Pizzolo's mother said he did not "deserve to die this way." She said he worked in construction and has two daughters and a son. She added that she hadn't seen him in more than a year. Cops ruled out robbery as a motive because Pizzolo's money clip - stuffed with cash - was still in his pocket, sources said. His 2004 luxury sports car also sat idling about 20 feet from his body. The glistening blue car was so new that the owner's manual disk was still in the CD player, a cop said.

Brooklyn Residents Shout Down Plan To Rezone Waterfront
NY1 NEWS

NOVEMBER 17TH, 2004

A packed public hearing on rezoning and development plans for the Brooklyn waterfront on Tuesday night turned into a shouting match over affordable housing. The city wants to rezone and revitalize the waterfront in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, but the presentation was drowned out by the crowd. The meeting became so heated, police were called to keep order. Residents want 40 percent of the housing included in the plans to be designated affordable housing for low-income and working-class people. Instead, the city says it will offer incentives for developers such as the ability to build higher structures if they include affordable housing units in the development. "We at HPD, city planning and across the administration want to see and want to ensure that affordable housing is created as part of the rezoning effort in Greenpoint and Williamsburg," said HPD Deputy Commissioner Rafael Cestero. What the two sides do agree on is that the waterfront is falling apart, underutilized and doesn't provide enough access points for the community. What it does have however, is one of the best views of the city skyline. And that's why it's expected that if developers have their way, they'll build luxury high priced homes in the area. “The time has come to sit down at the table and hammer out an agreement,” Assemblyman Joseph Lentol told the audience, receiving cheers instead of jeers. “We want you to understand taht this community has always been the home to affordable housing, to industrial and commercial mix and that mix has to continue.” The meeting was part of the public review process for the rezoning proposal, which will end in April when the City Council will vote on it. "The question is will the City Council get a rezoning that includes affordable housing so that we can support it," said City Councilman David Yassky. "What I'd hate to see happen is a rezoning that has no affordable housing and then the Council will have to vote it down and we would have to start all over again. I say we've go this opportunity now to redevelop the waterfront, let's grab it and do it right." Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will hold his own public hearing on December 3, just days before making a final recommendation to the City Planning Commission. The local community board will vote on the plans December 6 and final plans for the project are expected by April.

Residents Rally For More Parks In Williamsburg, Greenpoint
NY1 NEWS

NOVEMBER 14TH, 2004

Residents of Williamsburg and Greenpoint gathered in Brooklyn Saturday to rally for more parks in their neighborhoods. At a protest at McCarren Park, they called on the city and the state to provide more space for their kids to play. “We want more space for a park, because there's too little grass in this park,” said Magda Zielonka, a youth soccer player wearing a T-shirt that read, “Please don’t make me play in the street.” “There's not enough room to play and do soccer,” said another child, Abigail Thompson. “When they travel to the Upper West Side and Park Slope to play those leagues, they play on a regulation soccer field,” said Joe Vance of the Greenpoint Waterfront Association. “The poor kids barely last a quarter; they're winded because they've never played on a real field before.” The groups Trust for Public Land and the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning say 75 percent of all residents in Williamsburg and Greenpoint don't have decent parks.

Police Hunt Brooklyn Rapist
1010 WINS



Nov 10, 2004 6:56 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) Police have released a sketch of the armed man who raped a clerk in a Greenpoint, Brooklyn cell phone store last week. He's also been linked to a sexual assault of another store clerk in Williamsburg in September.

Last Thursday, the suspect entered a store on Meserole Avenue at around 2:30pm, and approached the 22-year old clerk. Authorities say he pulled out a gun, forced her to the back of the store and raped her. Before leaving, police say, he took $3,000 in cash and several cell phones.

Cops believe the suspect is the same man who tried to sexually assault a 20-year old clerk at a Grand Street store in Williamsburg on September 25th. The victim in that incident struggled and the suspect fled the scene. He got away with the victim's personal property and an undetermined amount of cash from the store register.

The victims in both cases were treated and released from area hospitals.

Officials say they have a video of the suspect at the Queens Center Mall, where he allegedly used one of the victim's credit cards. He was accompanied by two other people, who are being sought for questioning.

The suspect is described as a male hispanic in his 20s, 5'7" to 5'10", 150 lbs., medium complexion, wearing a long dark t-shirt, blue jeans, and a dark baseball cap. In the September incident, the suspect was described with a mustache and goatee.

Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, or the Brooklyn Special Victims Squad at 718-230-4418. A reward of up to $12,000 is being offered for an arrest and conviction. All calls are confidential.

B'klyn bar takes lumps in beating
DAILY NEWS
November 8, 2004

Neighbors who have complained about rowdy spillover from a Brooklyn bar for more than a year were not surprised to hear that a neighborhood man was beaten, robbed and left to die outside the trouble spot.
The bar, in an aluminum-sided rowhouse sandwiched between a park and a highway in Greenpoint, came under new management 16 months ago, residents said.

Fistfights and besotted bickering are now a constant outside Excess Club, at 37 Driggs Ave., they said.

"Ever since it opened, it's been a problem," said Sarah Ahmad, 24, a makeup artist who lives in the area. "There are always drunks outside, fighting. Everybody hates it."

On Friday night, a pack of men tumbled out of the club and set upon Angel Vasquez, police said.

Vasquez, described by police as a local man with a bad drinking problem, is in stable condition at Woodhull Hospital, nursing bruises, cuts and bumps.

Detectives did not know last night what motivated the beating, but residents said violence there is nothing new.

"They come here, they drink and when they come out of the bar, they start fighting," said Melvina Jeter, 18, a student at the Brooklyn School for Career Development who lives in the neighborhood.

Excess Club opened its doors in July last year in a space long occupied by Mike's Bar.

"There's been nothing but trouble there since then," said Richie Maloney, 38, a high school teacher who grew up in the area. "There are fights at night. ... The crowd spills into the street, with people yelling at each other and cars speeding off. It's a real nuisance."

 
BY LORETTA CHAO and FERNANDA SANTOS