Preliminary reports indicate that the person was not the victim of a crime.

Traffic on the 4/5 lines is stopped on the southbound side, and northbound trains are bypassing the station until further notice.

NY Daily News:“Losing your cat is a new level of pain,” Sheehan said sobbing. “I want him back. I won’t give up.”

Sheehan last saw 2-year-old BeeBop on June 28 when she was moving out of her old apartment at 38 Columbia Place. BeeBop jumped out of a back window before she could stop him.

“Everyone was looking for him,” said Sheehan, who now lives in Maine caring for her ailing 88-year-old dad.

UPDATE: The victim was shot once to the neck, and is being transported to Lutheran Medical Center.

1/1/12 UPDATE: The victim, 43, is listed in stable condition at LMC. The suspect, 19, is in custody with charges pending.

Photo by M. Hermann for BHB

Motorists heading across the Brooklyn Bridge this afternoon were taken by surprise when their rear windows suddenly shattered. Eight cars on the Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge in the left-hand lane were passing an area where construction is ongoing, and sandblasting was in progress, when some sort of debris started hitting them. At least two cars collided during the hard brake that resulted, sending two people to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

Photo by M. Hermann for BHB

“My ears are still ringing,” said Sasha Clemendore, who described the frightening sound of the impact. Emergency workers and numerous representatives from the construction crew working on the bridge were on scene immediately, and traffic on the bridge was down to one lane for over an hour. Damage to the cars ranged from golf ball-sized holes to near total destruction of the glass.

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident that occurred around 1:00 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Initial reports indicate that a motorcyclist was going at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the bike near the curve after the Columbia Heights overpass and was thrown over the guardrail to Furman St. below. Police and Fire Department units responded to the scene to treat the injured person who was transported to Lutheran Medical Center in serious condition. The NYPD Accident Investigation Squad was interviewing witnesses, including other motorcyclists, on the expressway.

UPDATE: The victim, identified as Nelson Perez, 48, was pronounced dead at Lutheran Medical Center.

Update below the jump.The Incident Commander reports the fire has been contained to the base of the elevator shaft and has not spread. There is, naturally, a smoke condition on upper floors, but it sounds like they have a handle on it.

Don’t be surprised if you see a scene similar to this picture tomorrow. The HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” will be filming in Borough Hall from early morning on. The hit show is no stranger to the area, having shot scenes at the former Gage & Tollner restaurant, as well as in the rotunda of Borough Hall, which is featured prominently in the first season’s finale. The new season premieres on September 25th. Your intrepid correspondent is among the snappily dressed faces in the crowd (who says the entertainment industry doesn’t provide jobs for locals?) and understands the action will take place in the magnificent ceremonial courtroom. About 100 extras will be seen heading between the set and the holding area reserved in Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral on Schermerhorn Street. No word on whether Brooklynite (and vocal supporter of Engine 205) Steve Buscemi, who stars as Nucky Thompson, will be there.

UPDATE below the break…

The ceremonial courtroom was done up to represent the U.S. District Court in Camden, NJ.  Steve Buscemi (Nucky Thompson), Shea Whigham (Sheriff Eli Thompson), Anthony Laciura (Eddie Kessler), and Adam Mucci (Deputy Halloran) were among the principals working today. The scene will be part of the second season finale, tentatively titled “To The Lost.”

Ladder 118 on Old Fulton St. in 2000. Firefighter Scott Davidson, who died at the World Trade Center, is seen aboard the rig. Photo by M. Hermann

Today’s Daily News, as part of its “9/11: Ten Years Later” series, profiles Middagh Street’s Ladder Co. 118, which lost its entire crew during the World Trade Center attacks.  A two-page spread appears in the print edition, but it can also be found here.

Michael Lewis

Police say that this man, 22-year-old Michael Lewis, approached a 5-year-old girl on DeKalb Ave. near Flatbush Ave. Extension yesterday around 5:00 p.m., reaching under her skirt and biting her ear.  Lewis, of no known fixed address, then fled the scene, according to the NYPD report. He is described as being 5’10″, 165 pounds, and with distinctive tattoos on his face and neck.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. People can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Police Officer Alain Schaberger. NYPD Photo.

Police Officer Alain Schaberger, 42, assigned to the 84th Precinct, lost his life early this morning after being pushed over the railing of a stairwell by a suspect at 45 St. Marks Pl.  Police say that Schaberger responded to a 911 call at 334 Bergen St. at 4:22 this morning in which a woman reported her boyfriend, George Villanueva, had threatened to kill her before he fled to his residence on St. Marks Pl.  Officers responded to Villanueva’s residence, where they led him down the front stoop to have the victim identify him.  Villanueva began struggling with the officers, and Schaberger was pushed over the railing.

“Officer Schaberger fell approximately nine feet, striking his head on cement and landing feet up.  He had a gash on the left side of his head, his neck was broken,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.  He was taken to Lutheran Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Daily News reports Schaberger was a well-respected member of the department, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Commissioner Kelly said that Villanueva was the subject of 12 prior domestic complaints, and has 28 prior arrests for robbery and burglary.  His last stint in state prison ended in 2005.

UPDATE:  George Villanueva has been charged with Murder 1: Police Officer, Aggravated Murder of a Police Officer, Criminal Contempt of Court 1, and Assault 3.

Police are still looking for Tommy Hairston who is wanted for the September, 2009 attack on a 67-year-old Pierrepont St. resident, and released his mug shot today.

Hairston reportedly carried out the brutal attack reported here last year:

A man was pistol-whipped shortly before 9:00 Thursday night in front of 61 Pierrepont St., between Henry and Hicks. According to witnesses, the man, who walks with crutches, was going to his car that was parked in front of the building when he was approached by a person described as a black male in his 30′s. The person produced a firearm and struck the victim on the head. His screams alerted neighbors, and the assailant fled in a white, 2007 Toyota, with license plate EME 5052.

Witnesses say the victim remained conscious throughout the ordeal, and was able to give information to police before an ambulance transported him to the hospital. A citywide bulletin with the description of the getaway vehicle was broadcast, and the investigation is continuing.

NYPD photo

The Facebook page, reportedly belonging to driver Jesse Astor, lists "street racing' as one of his activities.

A 1999 Honda heading east on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at a high rate of speed overturned after it hit the median just before midnight. The driver, 25-year-old Jesse Astor of Sunset Park, was seriously injured, and his 21-year-old passenger was pronounced dead a short time later at Long Island College Hospital. Police determined that Astor was intoxicated above the legal limit, and took him into custody. He is charged with criminally negligent homicide, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and speeding.

Updated on 10/4/10 with screen capture of Mr. Astor’s Facebook page.

BHB reader photo by Tarek

FDNY is operating near Joralemon St. & Columbia Place now where several ConEd manholes have blown their top.  This is a replay of the events of January 18, 2010, in which several manholes exploded reportedly as a result of work being done on Willow Place by National Grid contractors.

Update: BHB reader “Tarek” sends us the above photo of the fire and it looks mighty scary – more here.

BHB Photo by Marc Hermann

“I heard the shots and I looked over and I saw this young kid with a gun, and shoot it again, and then ran off,” said one witness.

Other witnesses said there were two men, one of whom was carrying a backpack. Both fled east on Clark St., where one jumped in to a red SUV.

Meanwhile, neighbors attempted to render aid to the victim.

“He was moaning and saying that he couldn’t move. Then we went over to him and asked him if he had been shot and he said he didn’t know, he thought so,” said one resident of the building. “We asked him if he was in pain, he said ‘yes,’ he said he couldn’t move. At some point, somebody moved him somewhat, and we were able to see that he was bleeding.”

A woman identified as the victim’s mother appeared on the street shortly after the incident, crying out “my son! My son!” She rode in another ambulance and followed her son to the hospital.

The incident shocked the normally peaceful block. “I’m shaking. I have to admit that until I actually saw the blood, I was maybe a little…not believing it was real, but then once I saw it I really started to feel very shaky, and this is totally out of keeping with this building, with this neighborhood, it’s not at all what you would expect here,” said the witness.

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NYPD

Police are asking the public’s assistance in searching for this individual, who allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old female on the 3 train this past Sunday.

According to police, the suspect approached the victim on the train as it entered the Clark St. station at approximately 10:20 a.m. and demanded personal property. When the victim refused, the two became involved in a physical altercation, during which the suspect allegedly ripped the victim’s clothes and attempted to sexually assault her.  The suspect fled from the station.

He is described as a black male, between 20 and 30 years of age, 5’10″, with a medium build.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).  The public can also submit their tips by logging onto Crime Stoppers’ website or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then entering TIP577.  All calls are strictly confidential.

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

John (Junior) Gotti, a week after a Manhattan jury declared a mistrial in his fourth spin around the justice system in five years, dropped in at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria tonight.  Gotti, once the reputed head of the Gambino crime family, dined with his attorney, Charles Carnesi, and an unidentified man, seemingly unnoticed by other patrons.  Federal prosecutors are still mulling whether or not they will make a fifth attempt at charging Gotti.

Police are asking the public’s assistance in locating the suspect sought in connection with the September 3rd attack on a 67-year-old Pierrepont St. resident.

Tommy Hairston, 32, of 116 George St., allegedly assaulted the victim as he got out of his car in front of 61 Pierrepont St, striking him with a 9mm pistol.  Hairston fled in his own car, which was located later that night in East New York.  Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (5477) or through NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

It’s ba-aaaaack!  Kernel panic returned to the UA Cinemas at 106 Court St. tonight in an incident nearly identical to one that happened last month. Once again, a popcorn machine was reported to be the cause of the small fire that sent throngs of moviegoers out onto the streets shortly before 9:00 tonight.  The fire started on the fifth floor concession area, and set off a sprinkler head which managed to keep the flames under control.  However, as with the fire last month, a heavy smoke condition filled the building.  Fortunately, everyone inside managed to get out safely, and the Fire Department did not report that anyone required medical treatment.

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

With thanks to BHB tipster S. Wooledge

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

It took some wriggling, courtesy of the Fire Department, to assist this straphanger who took an express route down the stairs at the Borough Hall station, and ended up with his foot caught between the bottom step and the railing’s vertical support.  It happened just after 6:30 tonight on the stairs below the Municipal Building.  Engine Co. 224 and Ladder Co. 110 responded with hydraulic tools—just in case—but were able to free him without much effort.  He didn’t make his train, however, and instead found himself in the back of an ambulance, en route to Long Island College Hospital for observation.

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

A man was pistol-whipped shortly before 9:00 Thursday night in front of 61 Pierrepont St., between Henry and Hicks.  According to witnesses, the man, who walks with crutches, was going to his car that was parked in front of the building when he was approached by a person described as a black male in his 30′s.  The person produced a firearm and struck the victim on the head.  His screams alerted neighbors, and the assailant fled in a white, 2007 Toyota, with license plate EME 5052.

Witnesses say the victim remained conscious throughout the ordeal, and was able to give information to police before an ambulance transported him to the hospital.  A citywide bulletin with the description of the getaway vehicle was broadcast, and the investigation is continuing.

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

It made a sound, and there were plenty of people around to hear it.  Fortunately, the huge limb that came crashing down on Old Fulton St. near Furman St. just before 9:00 p.m. only hurt a few cars.  The Fire Department responded to the scene and sawed the remnants of the tree into manageable chunks, which will later be handled by the Parks Department.  It was unclear why this Brooklyn tree decided to stop growing, but it may have been a late-bloomer in the casualty list of city arbor caused by Tuesday night’s storm.

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

Mayor Bloomberg put pen to paper yesterday, signing Intro 871-A, a bill authorizing tenants in office buildings with freight elevators to bring their bicycles inside.  Brooklyn Heights City Councilman David Yassky introduced the legislation after his wife was prohibited from bringing her wheels into her office building several years ago.  Under the new law, these buildings must show a bicycle access plan to the DOT, unless they can demonstrate that their freight elevators are unsafe for routine traffic, or if there is adequate free off-street parking within three blocks.  

A temporary bicycle commuting task force would also be created, which will report to the Mayor and City Council next year about efforts to establish enclosed bike parking in public/private locations.

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

A distraught man kept police at bay for over 30 minutes last night as he threatened to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge.  The drama unfolded shortly after 10:30 p.m. with reports of a man, armed with a knife, threatening to commit suicide.  Police responded, and found the man clinging to the outside edge of the bridgework, west of the Brooklyn tower, along the Manhattan-bound lanes of traffic.

Cops from the Emergency Service Squad secured themselves to the bridge, and attempted to initiate conversation, as police and fire boats circled nearby.  The officers encountered difficulty communicating with the subject, as he could only speak Arabic.  An Arabic-speaking officer, assigned to the Transit Bureau, was located and hurried to the scene.

The distraught man, still apparently armed with the knife, was now clinging to the bridge by two fingers, and he plummeted to the water seconds later.

The Fireboat Kevin C. Kane of FDNY Marine Co. 6 and its crew sprang into action, pulling the man aboard.  One firefighter who entered the water had to be taken to Long Island College Hospital and treated for exposure.  Meanwhile, other firefighters helped pull the man to the area beneath the Brooklyn tower of the bridge, and then carried him to New Dock and Water Sts. to await an ambulance.

Through it all, the victim never lost consciousness.  One firefighter encouraged him by saying “hold on, buddy, you did it!  You survived the Brooklyn Bridge!”  A police official summed up the job by stating that the jumper was transported to Lutheran Medical Center, “miraculously with minor injuries.”

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

EJ Cory for BHB

The Fire Department is currently operating at a fire in the UA multiplex at 106 Court St. The fire is reportedly on the first floor and has been extinguished, but a smoke condition has pervaded the building, and an evacuation is in progress.

Sarah Portlock/BHB

UPDATE (4:00 p.m.) – FD reports the fire originated in a popcorn machine.  One person is complaining of chest pains, and six others are being evaluated by EMS.

Update: (6:20pm from Sarah Portlock): Cheryl Zellman, of Marine Park, was watching the previews for the 3:15pm Funny People when she said there was a beeping sound and a movie theater employee told the audience to evacuate. Zellman said she didn’t see anyone panic, and was waiting patiently on State Street for the commotion to quiet down.

“I have to say, the people who work there were really good — they really handled it well,”  Zellman said. “there was a lot of smoke.  The firetrucks came almost immediately.”

With Sarah Portlock at the scene.