Hudson River rescue
Construction workers on Pier 25 pulled a man from the Hudson River around 3:30 p.m. Sat., March 14 and called the Emergency Medical Service, an F.D.N.Y. spokesperson said. The victim, whose name was not made public, had fallen into the river at Riverside South Park around 68th St. He was treated for hypothermia at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Water Main break A 12-inch water main broke around 12:20 p.m. Mon., March 16 on Varick St. between Canal and Watts Sts., flooding the No. 1 train subway tracks and delaying the opening of the new South Ferry subway station. Water from the broken main, installed in 1878, reached the South Ferry station shortly after the conclusion of the official opening ceremony and shut down service south of 14th St. Uptown passengers at the new station were able to take the new tunnel access to the Whitehall St. station of the R line. Service was restored to 14th St. shortly before 4 p.m.
Subway injury A man waiting for a train on the platform of the Broad St. station of the J,M,Z line around 12:20 p.m. Wed., March 11 became dizzy and fell into the track bed as a train pulled into the station, according to a New York City Transit spokesperson, The victim sustained only minor injuries, the spokesperson said.
Beaten in Soho bar A man, 27, was sitting in Sweet and Vicious, the bar at 5 Spring St. between Bowery and Elizabeth Sts. around 2 a.m. Mon., March 16 when a stranger approached and punched him in the face for no apparent reason and fled on foot, police said. The victim, a resident of East Guttenberg, N.J., was taken to Roosevelt Hospital and treated for a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone.
Bail bondsman plea Juan Villar, 32, a former bail bondsman who owned Second Chance Bail Bonds, 81 Baxter St., until 2006, pleaded guilty on Mon., March 16 to submitting false documents to Criminal Court judges to bail out defendants charged with felonies. Villar, who was issuing bonds underwritten by Harco National Insurance Co., submitted documents falsely claiming to have received sufficient collateral for bails in 65 cases, according to the charges filed by the Manhattan District Attorney.
A total of 58 defendants did not return to court and forfeited bail bonds. All but eight were eventually recaptured but Harco ultimately paid $733,730 plus interest to cover the bonds.
Submitting false documents is punishable by a prison term of between 16 and 48 months.
Villar was freed on his own recognizance pending a July 8 sentencing. He is expected to receive six months in jail and five years probation.
— Albert Amateau
