Seen & Heard: Teenager Pepper-Sprayed for His Phone

••• A family in northern Battery Park City sent around an email about a scary incident on Wednesday night. (I shortened it a bit and changed the name of the 15-year-old kid involved.) Be careful out there, folks! It’s time to start thinking of your phone as if it were jewelry.

As Mike was standing with the dogs outside of the dog run entrance, he noticed two 13- or 14-year-old boys watching him from across the street. They biked over to him (on Citibikes) and one asked for the time. He pulled out his phone and gave them the time. Seeing he had a phone (police say this is a very common trick), one of the boys asked if he could borrow the phone to call his mother. When Mike said no, the other boy swung around on his bike and pepper-sprayed him an inch from his eyes. The boys tried to grab the phone from Mike, but he pushed them away and they rode off to West Street, he thinks. Our son, temporarily blinded, staggered to the west side of North End Ave., as he was completely disoriented and also trying to protect our two dogs. A good Samaritan/neighbor saw the incident—unsure if he had been punched or stabbed—ran to his aid and called the police. The police said this was a very unusual occurrence in this area, but there have been an increasing number of trouble-seeking kids from outside the neighborhood lately.

••• Another Fulton Center tenant has put up signage: An outpost of the U.K.-based Japanese chain Wasabi. (The only other U.S. one is in Times Square.) Because you know what would make riding the subway even better? Raw fish.

Wasabi••• For an upcoming post, I’m looking for people who have moved out of Tribeca and would be willing to answer a few emailed questions (on the record) about what they do and don’t miss. It’ll be relatively fun! I’m at tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

••• From P.S. 150: “On Friday, October 16th the Annual 4th Grade Rummage Sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the bottom of the school steps [334 Greenwich]. This fundraiser is a P.S. 150 tradition undertaken by each 4th Grade class to support the events and activities all students will experience during their 5th grade year.”

••• Added to the agenda for Community Board 1‘s Youth & Education Committee meeting on Oct. 13: Church Street School wants a piece of the LMDC’s $50 million pie.

••• I distilled this from a press release about the reinvention of Lot 77, the restaurant at Southbridge Towers: “From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lot 77 serves as a sit-down or take-out coffee shop with baked goods. During the day, there are grab-and-go sandwiches. From 5 p.m. to midnight, Lot 77 operates as a gastropub/game room, offering shareable plates and beer and wine. Plus: two large screen TV’s, pool table, shuffleboard, dart set.”

••• I don’t know who’s paying for these Baron Von Fancy billboards, but I love it.

Baron Von Fancy Nothing But Trouble

 

1 Comment

  1. 1. When do we expect these Fulton Center places to open?

    2. I give Lot 77 6 months. Valiant effort tho.

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