Boy Nearly Killed in Highland Park Stabbing

Two Teens Charged with Attack on 12-Year-Old

By Conor Greene

Police have now charged both a Brooklyn teenager and his girlfriend with the near-fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old in Highland Park on Saturday night. The attack occurred while the three were allegedly smoking pot in the vicinity of the park.

The victim, Luis Martinez, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in serious condition after a motorist spotted him alongside the Jackie Robinson Parkway. He was treated for multiple injuries, including four stab wounds to the torso and the back and two stab wounds to the chest. In addition, both his left internal and right external jugular veins were cut, causing extreme blood loss. He underwent reconstructive surgery and his condition was upgraded on Tuesday from critical to stable.

Initial reports indicated Martinez had been thrown from a moving vehicle, but police now say he was stabbed about a dozen times by 15-year-old Wayne Henderson of Ridgewood Avenue in East New York and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Carina Parache of Norward Avenue in East New York. Police say the attack occurred after Henderson and Martinez got into a brief argument that quickly escalated into attempted murder.

Police initially only charged Henderson in the attack after questioning and releasing Parache. Henderson was arraigned on Monday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-and-second degree assault.

However, on Tuesday night, authorities announced that Parache will face the same charges because she stood by as the attack took place and then kicked and stabbed Martinez before fleeing the scene with Henderson.

The pair was taken into custody by officers from the 104th Precinct shortly after the attack. Both are being charged as juvenile offenders and face up to then years in prison if convicted. Henderson was ordered held on $250,000 bail and is due back in court on January 25, while Parache was awaiting arraignment as of Wednesday morning.

“The 14-year-old defendant is accused of taking part with her boyfriend in a senseless but deliberate attack on someone they once called a friend,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “This is a sad case of young children throwing their lives away by allowing a verbal argument to escalate into deadly violence. Fortunately, the victim will survive but all three will carry the emotional scars of that night for the rest of their lives.”

North Channel Bridge Gets a Clean Sweep

By Patricia Adams

The annual International Coastal Cleanup is the largest volunteer day of its kind. Last year 400,000 volunteers in 100 countries and 42 US states collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash. With each year, organizers hope to see increases in both the number of volunteers and the amounts of trash collected.

The international event is held each year on a Saturday in late September and this year a cleanup of the North Channel Bridge, separating Howard Beach and Broad Channel, was the local event in our area. The American ittoral Society was one of the organizations working with the National Parks Service and the organizers of the Coastal Cleanup, to make sure the areas surrounding the bridge were successfully cleaned.

Just as important as removing the trash, volunteers are encouraged to look for the source of the debris, and help think of solutions to help people change the behaviors that create the trash in the first place. Avoiding the pollution is infinitely preferable to cleaning it up!

Volunteers turned out in full force with the tally reaching 127 people all of whom collected 275 bags of trash. Councilman Eric Ulrich was on hand to observe the efforts of the beach cleaners. “I am so impressed, not only with the amazing job that was done here today, but more so by the spirit of the volunteers who made this happen,” said Ulrich.

The Jamaica Bay area is historically a problem tract and the area around the North Channel Bridge has been the seat of much controversy and frustration within the local community because of the continued dumping of garbage and religious rituals that leave the beaches littered with silk fabric, coconuts and other fruits.

Community residents and volunteers were impressed to see the efforts of the more than 50 volunteers who came down to the cleanup from the United Federation of Hindu Mandirs. Leaders in the Hindu community have expressed their desires to help educate people about carrying on religious practices without having negative environmental impact and were instrumental in the success of the beach clean-up.

If you would like to learn more about the International Coastal Clean-Up, you can visit the Ocean Conservancy website at signuptocleanup.org