Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
$1.50
Friday, July 26, 2024
Vol. 12, No. 30
SUMMER DINING
MAN SHOOTS DOG IN MORLEY PARK
DEMS, D’ESPOSITO REACT TO BIDEN BOWING OUT
PAGES 21-28
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
LI oyster gardens bloom
F U N D AY M O N D AY
Program returns for third year BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The oyster gardening program has returned to Hempstead Harbor and Manhasset Bay once again to aid in cleaning the harbor’s water, but a new face came around this year as Rep. Tom Suozzi joined to get his feet wet in the program. “Protecting and preserving the Long Island Sound, our ‘National Park,’ and its shellfishing heritage, is a top priority and a shared responsibility,” Suozzi said. The community oyster garden program, which is in its third year, is an initiative by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor to restore the local body of water. Oysters clean the harbor by filtering the water through their bodies, removing phytoplankton, bacteria, and other small particles. The oysters also aid in promoting the harbor’s biodiversity by providing habitat and protection for other water fauna. Volunteers manage the conservation education program by helping raise oysters in cages throughout the harbor. The cage locations are Tappen Beach Marina, North Hempstead Beach Park, the Hempstead Harbour Club, and Sea Cliff Yacht Club. Continued on Page 38
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena dances with a resident during the town’s Funday Monday event at North Hempstead Beach Park. The event was part of the town’s Project Independence for senior citizens.
Singh admits to drinking, driving Bodycam footage shows moments after crash killing Hassenbein, Falkowitz BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Amandeep Singh, the Roslyn resident charged with the deaths of high school tennis stars Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz in an alleged drunk driving crash, is seen in police bodycam footage slurring his speech, confused about where he is moments after the incident and admitting to drinking and driving. Now his attorneys are seeking
to prevent it from being presented in his upcoming trial. Defense attorneys Edward Sapone and James Kousouros argued that Singh was in custody when he made the statements yet had not been read his rights against self-incrimination, according to Newsday. But Newsday reported police bodycam footage shows Singh speaking with police after he had been informed of his rights. Singh, 35, was allegedly driving an Alpha Romeo on the wrong side of the road at 95 mph on May 3, 2023, with a blood alcohol count of 0.15 four hours after his arrest and cocaine in his system. Nassau County District Attorney
Anne Donnelly said at a news conference following his arraignment June 26, 2023, that the speed limit posted in the area of the collision was 40 mph. His truck struck the Alpha Romeo occupied by four teenagers, all Roslyn High School boys varsity tennis players, resulting in the death of young tennis stars Hassenbein, 14, and Falkowitz, 14. The two other teens in the car survived after being treated for internal injuries. Det. Capt. Steven Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad, previously told reporters that the scene of the crash was “probably one of the most catastrophic” he had seen “in a long time.” The teens’ deaths reverberated
throughout their communities, particularly within Roslyn and the broader tennis community. Singh was charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated vehicular homicide, assault, driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and a drug, reckless driving and a felony count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, authorities said. Newsday published a 49-minute bodycam footage, obtained through court documents, of the moment Nassau County police officers found Singh after the crash. In the footage, the officer tells Singh he is being recorded by his bodycam. Continued on Page 37