SW Yonkers Hamlethub

05/21/2026

Several Yonkers residents were indicted by the US Department of Justice in a fake temporary license scheme. The men face a prison sentence of twenty years. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/eleven-defendants-charged-multimillion-dollar-scheme-evade-tolls-and-parking-and

04/27/2026

Yonkers police made a gun arrest on 4/26/2026 in the downtown waterfront section.

A scuffle with the perpetrator ensued and the individual was eventually subdued and placed in handcuffs. It is unknown what led to the arrest. A gun was recovered. https://www.facebook.com/100092426441215/videos/pcb.897697969987743/2066056597292379

04/07/2026

An MTA worker was brutally assaulted in Yonkers on Saturday, April 4, 2026. His union has issued the following statement.

TWU Local 100

On Saturday night at about 8:27 PM, our brother Johnny Rodriguez, a 13-year veteran operator out of the MTA Bus Yonkers Depot, was punched, choked and violently body-slammed while simply doing his job.

After a collision at Riverdale Ave. and Ellsworth Street on the Bronx/Yonkers border, Operator Rodriguez exited his bus to assess damage, something every professional operator is trained to do.

While attempting to handle the situation, he was viciously attacked from behind by the driver of a pickup truck. The assault left him with two brain bleeds, a concussion and neck, shoulder and back injuries. His assailant then fled the scene, leaving our brother beaten on the ground.

“We will not accept violence as ‘part of the job’,” said President John V. Chiarello. “We will not stay silent, and we will not stop until justice is served.”

Johnny, 59 years old, is not just a dedicated operator—he is a husband and a father to a 10-year-old child. He remains hospitalized, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time.

Section Chair Marcus Soler was at the hospital that night by Johnny’s side. Division Chair Mike Capocci, MTA Bus/Private Bus Lines/ School Bus Vice President Danny D'Amato and TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello have been in constant contact with Johnny and his family.

We have already shown Johnny that he will not face this alone and TWU Local 100 will continue to stand firmly by his side.

“No one comes to work expecting to be assaulted, and no family should have to endure this kind of trauma because someone chose violence,” said D’Amato said.

Let us be clear: this was not just an assault on one operator; this was an attack on all transit workers. We are demanding the immediate apprehension of the perpetrator, prosecution to the fullest extent of the law and continued efforts to ensure operator safety is treated as a top priority.

We are actively working with the Yonkers Police Department to assist in identifying and apprehending the individual responsible. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact Yonkers Police immediately at 914.377.7900."

Stay strong, Johnny. Your union stands with you.

03/19/2026

The City of Yonkers renamed the Cedar Pl school to the Cesar Chavez School in 2018. Then school chancellor, Quezada, declared it was in honor of the labor leader. https://yonkerstimes.com/cedar-place-school-renamed-in-honor-of-cesar-chavez/

A recent investigation of Chavez has revealead a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse and misconduct. Pundits speculate that this will lead to the eventual removal of Chavez's name from several institutions.

https://nypost.com/2026/03/18/us-news/inside-the-cover-up-of-cesar-chavezs-alleged-web-of-sexual-abuse-too-big-to-fail/

10/26/2025

WalletHub recently rated Yonkers as the fifth safest city in America. City Councilman, John Rubbo, cited that rating at a recent press conference which featured the Yonkers Police PBA. Rubbo was endorsed by the Yonkers Police Union at the event.

Although the rating is praiseworthy, it may not be accurate. An AI analysis of the criteria that WalletHub uses to determine it's report indicates that the results are questionable. Similar websites exclude Yonkers entirely. https://smartasset.com/data-studies/americas-safest-cities-2025

"AI Overview
WalletHub's safe city statistics are often criticized for their methodology and broad definition of "safety," making them less accurate for evaluating traditional public safety metrics. They combine a wide range of factors, which can obscure issues like crime rates in favor of financial and disaster preparedness metrics. While the rankings use real data, their interpretation and weighting lead to counterintuitive results that should be viewed with skepticism.

Factors that limit WalletHub's accuracy

Broad definition of safety: WalletHub's definition of safety is unusually broad, encompassing not only crime and natural disasters but also "financial safety," which includes metrics like the unemployment rate, poverty, and access to insurance. For a person interested primarily in crime statistics, this approach dilutes the significance of that data and can produce misleading rankings.

Questionable weighting: Critics note that the weighting of various metrics often seems arbitrary. For instance, in some rankings, property crime has been given twice the weight of violent crime. This heavily influences the final rank and can prioritize less severe issues over more dangerous ones, leading to counterintuitive results.

"Clickbait" marketing strategy: As a personal finance website, WalletHub generates revenue through affiliate links for financial products. Its widely publicized "best/worst city" lists are primarily a marketing tool designed to attract web traffic and convert curiosity into revenue. The rankings are not a core business product and their primary purpose is lead generation rather than objective analysis.

Inconsistent results compared to other sources: The results of WalletHub's rankings can conflict with other safety analyses. For example, some cities that rank high on WalletHub's list may rank much lower on rankings from sources that focus purely on crime data, such as NeighborhoodScout. "

To date, YPD has been effective in controlling crime in the Y.O. The dramatic drop in incidents over a five year period is laudable. However, that came with additional monies for the department and man power. In this video, Rubbo accuses President Donald Trump, of defunding Yonkers police. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1210652300825423

Worthy of note is the fact that statistics vary according to the data used for the study. The less data used, the less accurate the findings.

09/09/2025

The City of Hills is abundant with meat based produce but lacking in vegan friendly outlets. A recent study shows that the Y. O. is not the destination for vegeburgers.

A popular area city in the Hudson Valley is not very vegan-friendly according to recent data.

08/11/2025

The Migrant Relocation Assistance Program, also known as MRAP, was created to help migrants with free apartments, legal aid, and jobs. Some mgrants were relocated from shelters to Yonkers. The program was intended for migrants to live rent free for one year with a $4,000 cash assistance bonus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx_Y3tOXU-g

The program was scheduled to end in June 2025. It is yet to be determined if the asylum seekers involved were able to pay rent independent of the program. If not, how many were evicted? Did this contribute to the housing crisis in Yonkers? Families already relocated will reeive assistance until June 2026.https://gothamist.com/news/ny-state-set-to-end-resettlement-program-for-migrant-families-in-city-shelters

https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/

Migrant Relocation Assistance Program (MRAP) is designed to assist families settling in Westchester County , NY, so you feel safe and welcome.MRAP will assis...

07/29/2025

A Yonkers resident, Ruben M. Fernandez Urena, has been arrested for drunken driving. He was driving with four children in the car at the time of his arrest.

He was arraigned in Tarrytown.

On July 27, 2025, State Police of Tarrytown arrested Ruben M. Fernandez Urena, 34, of Yonkers.

07/28/2025

A kidnapping that started in Yonkers ended up in Dutchess County.

According to police, the victim was found along with three other men in a cigar shop in Dutchess County after a 911 call. Police are investigating the incident.

The police press release reads as follows: https://troopers.ny.gov/news/update-three-arrested-following-assault-and-kidnapping-investigation-lagrange

State police report finding a man with facial injuries and his hands zip-tied, along with three men claiming to be shop employees.

07/26/2025

Yusuf Waseem, owner of Sheza Coffee House is really mad. Waseem opened the cafe a few years ago. It is located at 1S Alexander Street in Yonkers.

The cafe is a well managed business and a delight to both commuters and local residents. There is an additional location in Riverdale, Bronx.

On Friday, July 25, 2025, a bagel delivery was stolen from the premises. The delivery was a drop off outside, in the front of the building. Despite cameras and a watchful police car, a man seized that delivery and walked away.

Anyone recognizing the bagel burglar should report the info to Yonkers police. Additional video can be viewed on Waseem's Facebook post.