Chinatown community leaders are pressing Mayor Zohran Mamdani to rethink the development of a high-rise jail within their crowded neighborhood. They express concerns that construction could destabilize the ground, posing a risk to surrounding structures.

The jail, envisioned as a 16-story “jailscraper,” is part of an extensive $16 billion initiative aimed at closing the Rikers Island Jail Complex. The plan, which proposes building four borough-centric facilities near courthouses, might materialize by 2032.

In a letter dispatched on August 21, 18 influential local figures highlighted that the proposed jail site rests on the soft, marshy terrain of the historical Collect Pond. The correspondence was addressed to the mayor, Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson, the “Close Rikers” overseer Dana Kaplan, and City Council Speaker Julie Menin.

The construction blueprint entails an unprecedented excavation depth for this locale, extending far below the water table. The city’s own report has cautioned that draining water during the building process might lead to ground subsidence, which once it happens, cannot be reversed, as stated in the leaders’ letter.

The initiative to dismantle the Manhattan Detention Complex situated at 124–125 White St., and erect the proposed jail in its place, faces robust opposition from residents, local businesses, and various community groups.

The phase-out of Rikers for new jails was initiated by former Mayor Bill de Blasio nearly a decade ago and progressed slowly under his successor, ex-Mayor Eric Adams. It’s now Mamdani’s turn.

The Chinatown leaders’ letter stated that many older buildings surrounding the construction site also rest on century-old wooden foundations, which are sturdy only because they stay underwater.

Exposing submerged wood to air would accelerate its deterioration, the leaders claimed, citing an op-ed analysis from architect William Bialosky.

“The buildings in the danger zone are our homes, our small businesses, the historic buildings along Baxter Street, and Chung Pak senior housing, where some of our most vulnerable neighbors live,” the Chinatown reps said.

But city officials last month said they are taking all necessary precautions for “building safely below the [water] table.”

A July 20 report addressing the issue was released by the city Department of Design and Construction, the city’s major contractor Tutor Perini and the Corrections Department, among others.

The report states that a continuous underground retaining wall formed by overlapping concrete piles will provide adequate excavation support, limit ground movement and help control groundwater during deep digging.

The construction officials acknowledged that managing groundwater is critical to maintaining stability and “protecting surrounding structures.”

But the pile walls minimize ground movement and help protect buildings adjacent to the jail site, as well as utilities and public infrastructure, the builders said.

“Only water within the excavation area is managed, minimizing impacts to the surrounding groundwater level,” the report said.

“By containing groundwater and excavation effects within the site, the sealed-wall method reduces risks to surrounding properties and infrastructure.”

The Gateway Tunnel Project and other sites using such Secant piles include 100 11th Ave. in Chelsea in Manhattan, the Hudson Square Project, or Project Galaxy, for the Walt Disney Company in Manhattan, and 120 Fifth Ave. in Brooklyn.

Throughout the ongoing demolition and dismantlement phase at the Chinatown site, residents have reported persistent dust emissions, uncovered and idling trucks and ongoing noise disruptions.

The Chinatown Environmental Health Working Group reports higher particulate matter pollution levels near the construction zone.

Signatories of the letter to the mayor include: Vic Lee, CEO and co-founder of Welcome to Chinatown Inc.; Vic Lee, CEO & co-founder Welcome to Chinatown Inc.; Jan Lee, co-founder of Neighbors United Below Canal; Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality, and Wayne Ho, president and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc.

Startling new footage from a Ryanair flight captures the tense moments following a terrifying incident where a window shattered, nearly pulling a passenger out of the aircraft.

The chaotic event unfolded as Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was seated in 11F on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. Just 20 minutes after takeoff on the morning of July 10, a window failure sucked his shoulder, arm, and head outside.

Reports indicate that parts from a damaged engine struck the cabin window at an altitude of 16,000 feet, causing a rapid cabin depressurization. This sudden change attempted to pull Karovic through the opening while his wife desperately clung to him.

The dramatic video, shared by 60 Minutes Australia, depicts panicked passengers with oxygen masks over their faces as debris flew and howling winds filled the cabin.

Amidst the chaos, fellow travelers were seen valiantly trying to keep Karovic inside. The struggle reportedly endured for nearly two minutes before he was safely pulled back into the cabin.

Eleni Kyranou, 33, was among those who held onto Mr Karovic with all her might.

‘I did what I could to help a person, to save a life,’ she told the program.

‘But it still haunts me, the images and the sound has stayed with me.’ 

Sofia Lavou managed to film the horrific incident. She’d believed the plane was going to crash and hoped the footage would help bring closure.

‘I said, ‘If I’m going down, at least I will have some proof of what happened’,’ Ms Lavou said.

The Daily Mail spoke to Mr Karovic two weeks after the ordeal, during which he had spent six days in hospital.

He said: ‘I only remember hearing the explosion, not much else. I can remember sitting in my seat and was looking forward to seeing my brother because the whole family was getting together to surprise him for his 60th birthday.

‘I fell asleep quite quickly as I usually do on flights. Then there was this deafening explosion, which startled me.’

Witnesses describe him as dangling diagonally out of the aircraft ‘like Superman flying through the air’, as the wind lashed his face, contorting it out of shape as if he was a cartoon character.

Ljubisa said he now suffers with acute neck and shoulder pain, and had to wear a neck brace for six weeks. Doctors warned him that he may require an operation if the pain continues.

He was also treated for burns to his face and right hand and arm caused by the high velocity wind lashing his upper torso.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US is leading the investigation into the incident. 

The move is in line with international aviation rules, as the Boeing jet was assembled in America.

A preliminary report from the agency has found the fan blade broke – though the reason for this has not yet been determined.

Maintenance records show the blades in the right engine had been inspected in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage found. 

But flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year, according to the NTSB. 

Bird remains were found after two of them.

Ryanair earlier this month said it would not comment further until the NTSB investigation is complete.

There’s undeniable satisfaction in watching the exposure of numerous so-called “commie cosplayers” as their charades unravel — and the revelations just keep rolling in.

Take, for instance, DSA-NYC co-chair Gustavo Gordillo. Not only do his parents finance the extensive renovations of their $1.5 million property purchased for Gordillo and his brother in Bedford-Stuyvesant, but he is also employing non-union workers to carry out the project. Adding to the controversy, the local community board has expressed its disapproval of the renovation plans, criticizing the proposed “beach house” design as a stark contrast to the historic character of the area.

Moreover, Gordillo’s boastful claims about his membership in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have recently fallen flat, as reports suggest he was suspended due to neglect in fulfilling his apprenticeship duties.

In a related issue, Gordillo allegedly failed to pay rent for three months to his landlord in Crown Heights, where he resided while awaiting his Bed-Stuy renovation’s completion.

Joining Gordillo in these questionable antics is Morris Katz, a campaign consultant with a penchant for supporting leftist candidates like Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Maine contender Graham Platner. Katz, too, allegedly left a trail of unpaid rent — to the tune of $14,000 — and vacated his Williamsburg apartment leaving it in complete disarray, scattered with trash.

“When you come from a rich family, you don’t have your priorities in order,” that building’s super, Felix Barbosa, told The Post.

We don’t think that’s true for all children from wealthy families, but it does seem to apply to a lot of them who turn into ultra-lefties.

Mamdani ally Tracy Rosenthal, who grew up in her Grammy-winning dad’s posh Manhattan crib, actually brags of bankrupting her landlord with a years-long rent strike.

That African immigrant lost the building to foreclosure, amid a sad saga that for a while had the city poised to take control.

That would’ve happened under a program Mamdani’s now boosting that can hand management over to one of the nonprofits that socialist theorizers like Cea Weaver (yet another child of the elite, though not so far as we know a deadbeat) imagine are the highway to housing heaven.

All this epic, sanctimonious selfishness is simply damning for a crowd that claims to be crusading on behalf of the underprivileged: It’s far worse than mere hypocrisy.

These seriously twisted menaces to society actually claim they’ve got the moral vision to remake it; what a wonderful crew to be running City Hall.  

NEW YORK CITY — A quarter-century after the tragic events of 9/11, New York City remains committed to the task of formally identifying each of the nearly 3,000 victims who perished at the World Trade Center. Recently, a groundbreaking development has emerged in this ongoing quest.

For the first time, the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in partnership with the NYPD Detective Bureau, has successfully identified a victim using genetic genealogy. This innovative approach merges DNA analysis with family tree research, marking a significant advancement in forensic science.

The recently identified individual, an adult woman, is the 1,651st victim officially named. Respecting the wishes of her family, her identity remains private.

“It’s a breakthrough,” remarked Dr. Jason Graham, New York City’s chief medical examiner, during a conversation with ABC News. He expressed his excitement, stating, “I’m delighted to be able for us to apply these new techniques to identify victims from the World Trade Center attack. Forensic investigative genetic genealogy has allowed us to achieve this identification for the first time in 25 years.”

Such a scientific leap would have seemed impossible 25 years ago, as the methods were not yet developed.

“The technology really wasn’t there,” said NYPD Det. Gregory Paduoano. “There’s a lot of good future with genealogy.”

Forensic investigative genetic genealogy has helped the police solve long-term unidentified cold cases. More recently, the medical examiner’s office and the police department applied it to World Trade Center identification efforts.

“We already can see that it’s promising,” said Dr. Jennifer Odien, a forensic anthropologist in the medical examiner’s office. “Not every case is going to be able to go through genetic genealogy, but we do have DNA profiles that are not matching to our reference samples, so that’s the group right now that we’re focusing on and that hopefully is going to yield more positive results.”

There are 47 profiles that may be ripe for identification using genetic genealogy, Odien said.

That represents a small fraction of the nearly 1,100 World Trade Center victims, about 40% of the total, that remain unidentified a quarter-century after the attacks. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner made a solemn pledge to never stop trying.

“The World Trade Center was the largest mass murder in the history of the United States, and it represents also the most complex forensic identification effort in our history,” Graham said. And being able to apply new innovations to that identification work is a remarkable way that we can keep our commitment to the families.”